Amanda Frayer artisan // illustrator // designer

Hercules wore a crown of poplar leaves in triumph after killing the giant Cacus. Since the crown was worn in Hades, it is said that poplar leaves were scorched by smoke. The outer side is dark while the inner side is silvery white. So naturally, the leaves symbolize day and night.

Persons sacrificing to Hercules were crowned with poplar wreaths, and warriors often wore them as they marched back from a victorious battle. Poplar is known as the “Tree that Transcends Fear” and was often used to make shields. It was believed that the wood offered protection from injury or death.

The Golden Bough describes a ceremony from Germany in which a Green Man was encased in a pyramid of poplar branches. He rode around on horseback and was striped of his branches. The object of the ceremony was to bring fruitfulness to the Earth and ensure a good harvest. With a similar goal, Siberian reindeer-hunting cultures carved small goddess statues out of poplar. Groats and fat were then offered to the figures with this prayer: Help us to keep healthy! Help us to hunt much game!

Native Americans ground the bark of willow and poplar trees into a powder, then used it to alleviate their aches and pains. Later, it was discovered that the main ingredient in aspirin, salicin, was found in the bark of these trees.

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Believed to bring the wearer: courage, eloquence, endurance, harmony, healing, money, peace, rebirth, rejuvenation, success, a boost through difficult times

Other associations: time, ancestry, astral projection, past-life regression and recall, protection from thieves

Spirit animals: butterflies, mourning dove, swan