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Glastonbury holy thorn destroyed

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tiompan T
tiompan Dec 11, 2010 15:02:12
Replying to tjj

tjj wrote:
StoneGloves wrote:
Wasn't there a bit more to the story? Joseph jammed his staff in the ground and it took root and so that's where the abbey was built. Holy relic still lives. It's a bit like the Shroud of Turin, only less connected. And it's a tiny piece of our national identity, no less. It's pity there's no better photographs.
This sums it up succinctly - whatever people feel about Christianity the notion that the Glastonbury thorn is 'a tiny piece of our national identity' seems right; something buried deep in our collective English psyche. Perhaps comparable to the ravens at the Tower of London (and how we would feel if someone came along and shot them). I'm sure Scotland and Wales have similar 'sacred' symbols of identity - I won't risk guessing what they may be though.
Like so many traditions (same root as traduce iirc)most of them are relatively modern, the victorians/edwarians seemed to have created the various national psyches (not the thorn one though ). Doesn't really matter as long as there is something . The ravens were killed or died during WW2 ,carefully replaced after .

T tjj
tjj Dec 12, 2010 00:00:25
Replying to tiompan

tiompan wrote:
tjj wrote:
StoneGloves wrote:
Wasn't there a bit more to the story? Joseph jammed his staff in the ground and it took root and so that's where the abbey was built. Holy relic still lives. It's a bit like the Shroud of Turin, only less connected. And it's a tiny piece of our national identity, no less. It's pity there's no better photographs.
This sums it up succinctly - whatever people feel about Christianity the notion that the Glastonbury thorn is 'a tiny piece of our national identity' seems right; something buried deep in our collective English psyche. Perhaps comparable to the ravens at the Tower of London (and how we would feel if someone came along and shot them). I'm sure Scotland and Wales have similar 'sacred' symbols of identity - I won't risk guessing what they may be though.
Like so many traditions (same root as traduce iirc)most of them are relatively modern, the victorians/edwarians seemed to have created the various national psyches (not the thorn one though ). Doesn't really matter as long as there is something . The ravens were killed or died during WW2 ,carefully replaced after .
Thanks Tiompan, I didn't know he ravens died during WWII. It seems the tradition of the ravens in the Tower is an ancient one that has its roots in Celtic Wales.
http://www.castles.me.uk/ravens-in-the-tower-of-london.htm

Going back to the 'holy thorn' - it is reputed to blossom at Christmas and Easter, whenever Easter falls. How does that work then ... are there any greenfingers out there who have a botanical explanation. There are many superstitions/legends around trees which seem to quite ancient in origin e.g. yews being planted in churchyards to ward off evil spirits.