An Analysis of a Fairytale III: The Juniper Tree
An Analysis of a Fairytale III: The Juniper Tree
Roland Matthews (2021)
Continuing with the theme of alchemical symbolism found in Grimm’s fairytales, our next story is #47 and called The Juniper Tree found on page 164 in the Canterbury Classics version.(1) The last one, The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs, was #29 and found on page 104. I mention that here because I failed to do so in the previous blog post.
This tale specifically states that it began 2,000 years ago and says a woman cut herself while paring an apple and as she saw the blood drop into the snow, she wished for a child as red as blood and as white as snow next to her favorite juniper tree. Her wish was granted, but she died shortly afterwards, leaving her widower with a son. They bury her body next to the juniper tree. Sometime later, the husband remarries, and the stepmother hates the little boy so much that she actually plots and succeeds in killing him by cutting off his head by slamming the lid of a chest on him, which happens to be filled with apples. As if that weren’t bad enough, she then gaslights her own daughter, who was fond of the boy, into thinking that she was the cause of his demise. Then the stepmother cuts up his body and cooks it into a black pudding and feeds it to his father. Marlinchen, the daughter, gathers up the bones after the father is done eating, and places them in her silk handkerchief. She takes them to the juniper tree and weeps tears of blood. The tree then begins moving as if it were clapping, a mist rises, a fire seems to burn in the center of the mist, and then a beautiful bird flies out of the fire and up into the air. This bird flies to a goldsmith and sings its wonderful song in exchange for a gold chain that it carries in its right claw, then to a shoemaker, where it sings again this time in exchange for a pair of red shoes which it carries in its left claw. Then it flies to a mill where 20 men are hewing a stone. It sings in exchange for the millstone and carries it on its neck. This bird is described as having red and green feathers, a golden neck, eyes like stars, and it smells of cinnamon. Finally, it flies home again, giving the golden chain to the father, the red shoes to Marlinchen, and dropping the millstone upon the wicked stepmother crushing her. Then the bird transforms in a cloud of smoke and flames back into the little boy and is reunited with his family.
Those of you who are a little familiar with alchemical symbolism can probably already guess some of the reasons why this story stands out. First, are the colors; it doesn’t really explain how a child can be both red and white, but we recognize them as the rubedo and albedo stages of the work. Then there is the apple, a familiar theme mentioned in our previous blog posts. Is there anything significant about the juniper tree itself? As it turns out, there is! The website Trees for Life mentions that the juniper was the symbol of Asherah or Astarte in ancient Syria.(2) (Asherah is the Hebrew name of the consort of Yahweh and for the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.) There is also a legend that Jesus and his parents hid in a juniper tree while being pursued by King Herod. This is yet another reference to the “slaying of innocents” that symbolizes the philosophical sulphur obtained in the mineral work. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal mentions that it is ruled by the Sun and has several medicinal uses.(3)
As for cutting off the head, that sort of event seems to take place in many stories, most notably that of John the Baptist, and is symbolic of the caput mortuum, or dead head of alchemy. This is the substance left over after one has dissolved their salts in both water and vinegar. Later, the boy is cooked into a black pudding, once again a color representing a stage of the work, this time the nigredo, or blackening. Dismemberment is also a common image in alchemical diagrams representing the chopping of the material, as well as the Solve or separation. The bones could be a reference to the salts, as these are what are left behind after the material has been processed to extract the philosophical sulphur and mercury. Tears of blood are again a reference to the sulphur obtained in the mineral work.
At this point the tree begins behaving oddly and we see the elements represented in the earth the tree grows from, water in the mist that rises from it, fire within the mist, and finally the air the bird flies through. Anyone who has ever seen or read anything about alchemy will most likely encounter the legendary phoenix. In Egypt it was known as the bennu bird. This magical bird supposedly lived for 500 years, died in flame, and then was reborn from its own ashes. It was sacred in Heliopolis, and like the juniper tree, it was also associated with the Sun. How fitting that the first place it visits is the goldsmith. It is interesting to note that the story says a “golden chain”, not a necklace. This could be an allusion to the famous alchemical text known as the Aurea Catena Homeri (Golden Chain of Homer), first published by Anton Kirchweger in Germany in 1723.(4)
What about those red shoes? In my opinion, they are indicators of initiation into the occult mysteries. The initiates of the outer order grades of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn wear red shoes, slippers, or socks while performing rituals. Even the Pope wears special red shoes. Like the Pope, the Hierophant of the Golden Dawn, as well as key V of the Tarot, is the expounder of the mysteries. Who else do we know who wore red shoes? Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz (1939) film. In the book by Frank L. Baum, the magic shoes are silver, but someone in Hollywood decided to change them in the movie. Perhaps it was because it was the first true color film and red would really stand out. Or maybe it was because Baum was a Theosophist? Or maybe it was because many people in Hollywood at the time, including Louis B. Mayer of MGM were freemasons? Another potential idea is that the last decan, or 10° division of the zodiac, is Mars in Pisces. Mars is associated with the color red, and Pisces rules the feet. Mars is the triplicity lord of the element of water and Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, the greater benefic. Perhaps the red shoes represent the joy found at the end of the journey.
The symbolism of the millstone was discussed in the last post, but it is interesting that it pops up again here. Also, why are there 20 men hewing a stone? The number 20 makes me think it is related to the 5 elements, 4 plus the quintessence, and the sub-elements they produce: fire of fire, water of fire, air of fire, etc. The stone of course, is a reference to the philosopher’s stone. In Hamlet’s Mill by Santillana and Dechend, they discuss how many European myths relate to the Earth’s axial precession being measured with ancient megalithic structures and compare it to a mill slowly turning and grinding through time.(5) This is something we must consider each time we see a mill or millstone being mentioned, especially since alchemy is also known as celestial agriculture, because knowledge of astrology is necessary to perform the work effectively. It is therefore appropriate that our phoenix in the story has eyes like stars!
Finally, the red and green feathers are a description of the dichromatism which occurs in some spagyric tinctures. This is an effect of light passing through a solution, which may appear green in one perspective, but then red in another, depending upon the amount of colloidal material refracting the light. I have even seen some turn purple due to the purity of the salts used. In conclusion, this story is just one more example of how a children’s story could be used to transmit alchemical information through the generations.
References
1. Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (2011). Grimm’s fairy tales (trans. by Hunt, M.). San Diego, CA; Canterbury Classics / Baker & Taylor Publishing Group.
3. http://www.complete-herbal.com/culpepper/juniper.htm
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Josef_Kirchweger
5. Santillana, G. & Dechend, H. (1969). Hamlet’s Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge and its Transmission through Myth. Jaffrey, NH; Godine publisher.
