Crown of Thorns

Within the Elven Mythos pages and The Goddess Aped, I subscribe to the theory that the thorns used in the crucifixion crown are Hawthorn. In my story, the cursed “wandering Jew” may actually be Eve and the magician by her side is called John.

Support for the Hawthorn tree comes from the Spanish Basque region. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu has a legend where, in 1468, a shepherd is said to have seen the Virgin in a thorn bush. It is said the name of the sanctuary means “place abounding in Hawthorn.” In Basque, the word for Hawthorn is “elorri,” and “zu” means “you.”

Among the Basque, “Arrant” is a surname but I do not currently have a definition. In other languages, it can mean wandering but may be related to fish or fishermen.

Readers will notice that “zu,” “zou,” etc. come up quite a bit in myth relating to ancient Persia and through early Biblical tales of the Garden of Eden.

Why Hawthorn?

Likely because the spikes are long and would be incredibly painful.

However, in Serbian legends, it is the wood of a Hawthorn tree that can kill a vampire.

Although not perceptibly related, upon the sanctuary are some interesting carvings.

My theory is that snails might have meant “nomad,” since the snail wears a house/shell on its back. It could have also been a way of disguising the term, “shellback.” As a modern term, “shellback” has come to mean a sailor. Could it represent the sea people?