fii
4 7 2 p f a n t b o ro , b e g© '^ /, aTTcL b ijric/,
I
I
t' I i
the Oak comes out before the Ash, it is a sign that there will be
nne weather in harvest. The Kentish people have a saying : _
“ Oak, smoke;
Ash squash.”
and that if the Oak comes out before the Ash, the summer will be
n o t , but if after the Ash, that it will be wet. Authorities in dream
lore state that it is a very favourable omen to dream of an Oak-
tre e : if covered with verdure, it signifies a long and happy life ;
It devoid of foliage or withered, it betokens poverty in old a©e • to
see many young Oaks thriving foretells male children, who Will
reap distinction by b ravery; Oaks bearing Acorns betoken great
wealth; and a blasted Oak forebodes sudden death.
Astrologers state that the Oak-tree is under the dominion of
J upiter.
• a- good reputation among the ancient
Romans, and Pliny writes of them:—Primum omnium frumenti
mUum Avena est. In old English books, the Oat is called Haver
or Hafer corn, and to this day in Wales it is still called Hever
in Scandinavian mythology, the “ H a fe r ” of the evil genius
Eoki IS synonymous with Oats of the Devil, a term originally
applied to all herbs hurtful to cattle. The Danes call the
Y ffB o ly t jic h um commune L o k i’s Oats; and in the tradition that
the diabolic God of the North is wont mischievously to sow
weeds among the good seed is probably to be found the origin
oi the English saying, “ He is sowing his wild Oats.” In the
Ukraine, there IS a tradition that on one occasion the Devil be-
Almighty to make him a present. God responded;
What IS there that I can give you? I cannot part with the
-1 Harley, or the Millet: I must give you the Oats.”
I he Devil, well pleased, withdrew, crying, “ Hurrah ! the Oats, the
Y ® “ ine ! ” Then God inquired of St. Peter and St. Paul:
What can I do, seeing that I have handed them over to him ? ”
‘ Verily, said Paul, “ I will at once go and get them from him.”
How will you manage that ? ” “ Leave that to me,” replied Paul
“ Very w e ll-g o ! ” St. Paul passed the Devil, and hid himself
beneath a bridge. Presently the Devil came along shouting “ Oats '
w in 1 commenced to shriek. The Devil stopped short’
“ Why have you .thus frightened me ? ” he asked. “ God has given
plant, and now you have made me quite forget its name ”
• •W a s i t / e ? - “ No,” “ W h e a t? ” “ No.” “ Could it h a le
been the Sow-thistle ? “ Ah ! that was it, that was i t ! ” exclaimed
the Devil, and he ran off shouting, “ Sow-thistle, Sow-thistle.” _
ih e contortions of the Animal Oat {Avena sterilis) are very noticeable
: the strong beards, after the seeds have fallen off, are so
sensible of alteration in the atmosphere, that they maintain an
apparently spontaneous motion, resembling that of some grotesque
insect. li\ olden times, conjurors £ind wi^^ards predi(5ted events
p f a n t b o ro , b©g©qh/, alrel b ijric / .
and told fortunes by means of the awns of these Oats, which they
caused to wriggle about by holding them in a damp hand, or breathing
upon them. In these jugglers’ hands the Wild Oat became a
magical plant, figuring at their will as the leg of an enchanted
spider, Egyptian fiy, or some other wonderful inseiil. To dream
of a field of ripe Oats just ready for the sickle is a most favourable
omen, under all circumstances.
O l d M a n .—See Southernwood.
O L E A N D E R .—The banks of the Meles, the rivulet sacred
to Homer, are in some parts thickly set with Nerium Oleander, a
plant which bears a funereal and sinister charadter, and in Italy is
considered as ill-omened and as bringing disgrace and misfortune.
In Tuscany and Sicily, it is customary to cover the dead with
Oleander-blossoms, and in India chaplets of these fiowers are
placed on the brows of the departed : the blossoms are also in that
country much used in the decoration of temples. The Hindus call
the shrub the “ Horse-killer,” from a notion that horses inadvertently
eatmg of its foliage are killed by it. The Italians bestow a
similar name on the ffiant—Ammazza VAsino, Ass-bane. Gerarde
remarks that the fiowers and leaves prove fatal to many quadrupeds,
and that sheep and goats drinking water wherein the leaves
have fallen are sure to die. In England, the plant is known as the
Rose B a y and Laurel Rose. In Tuscany, it is called Mazza di San
Giuseppe (St. Joseph’s Staff), and there is a legend that this staff
commenced to blossom direétly St. Joseph took it in his hands.
O L IV E .—The legend runs, that in the days of Cecrops, king
of Attica, the two rival deities, Neptune and Minerva, strove for
the worship of the Athenians. Each claimed priority of right:
Neptune, by a salt spring, which his trident had opened in the
rock of the Acropolis; Minerva, by pointing to the Olive-tree,
which at her command had sprung from the soil. The gods in
council decided that the latter was the earlier, as well as the more
useful, gift ; and so Minerva became the tutelary deity of the city,
and the early Athenian rulers endeavoured to turn the attention
of the citizens from warlike and seafaring pursuits, to the cultivation
of the soil and the peaceful arts. On the coins of Attica,
before the time of Pericles, an Olive-branch appeared with thé
moon and owl. Goats were sacrificed to Minerva, because they
were thought to do special injury to the Olive-tree, and the goddess
IS styled by Virgil Olee inventrix. There was a deeper meaning
attached to this Attic legend, the realisation of which appears as
far off as it was in the days of Cecrops: still the Olive-branch
remains the emblem of that period of peace and plenty which the
world still hopes for. The most sacred of the Athenian Olives
grew in the temple of Minerva since the time of the dispute between
Minerva and Neptune: it was burnt by Xerxes with the temple;
but it was stated to have shot up again suddenly, after having
id