Holly: Magical Properties & Uses

Holly is the tree of the dark half of the year, of winter's living sovereignty, and of the kind of protection that does not flinch from difficulty. Where rowan protects by brightness and oak protects by rootedness, holly protects by the sheer endurance of the evergreen: it stays when everything else has gone. In working terms it is used for protection during difficult periods, for workings of endurance and steady courage, and for anything that needs to survive the dark. Holly placed in the room before sleep was said in folk tradition to produce prophetic dreams. The berries must only ever be used externally in sachets; they are toxic and must never be consumed.

Holly berries (Ilex aquifolium) are toxic to humans, particularly children, and must never be consumed: they cause nausea, vomiting, and in large quantities serious toxicity. The leaves have been used in traditional medicine as a febrifuge and diuretic, but the plant's toxicity means it is rarely used medicinally today. Historically the wood was used for marquetry and veneer work due to its fine white grain. Ilicin, one of the compounds in holly leaves, has demonstrated some anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory studies but is not in clinical use.

Thor, Lugh, the Sun King

The Holly King rules the dark half of the year, his crown of red berries and gleaming leaves the very sign of winter's living power. This mythology, drawn together in Robert Graves's The White Goddess (1948), reflects older folk traditions of the cycling year. In Celtic tradition holly was one of the most powerful protective trees; in Norse tradition it was sacred to Thor. The Roman custom of sending holly wreaths as gifts during the Saturnalia is the direct ancestor of the Christmas wreath. A holly planted near a house was said to protect it from lightning and from evil spirits. In Irish tradition solitary hollies were as sacred and untouchable as solitary hawthorns.