Blackthorn
Common Name – Blackthorn
Irish Name – crann draighean
Latin Name – prunus spinosa
Quote by Brandon Sanderson
This was life. This was control. Gavilar had been the leader, the momentum, and the essence of their conquest. But Dalinar has been the warrior. Their opponents had surrendered to Gavilar’s rule, but the Blackthorn – he was the man who scattered them, the one who had dueled their leaders and slain their best Shardbearers’
The Blackthorn tree is native to Europe and western Asia. It can also be found in New Zealand and eastern North America. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil and thrives in full sunlight. The tree grows naturally in scrub, corpses, and woodland, but is commonly used as a hedging plant. The Blackthorn is famed for its purple fruits called sloes. Mature trees can grow up to 7 metres in height. The Blackthorn tree is the first of the year to come into bloom.
Blackthorn has long been considered a magical tree. In Celtic mythology, it was considered to be a home to fairies. It has been referred to as a witch’s tree and anyone carrying a walking stick made from Blackthorn wood was suspected of being a witch. A Blackthorn staff was thought to be effective for warding off evil spirits. It has had a mass of contradictions; it’s known as both the ‘Mother of the Woods’ and the ‘Dark Crone of the Woods’.