Celtic fairy traditions
Silver Apple Branch
The visitor in Bran’s story carries an apple branch with silver twigs and crystal blossoms. It draws attention to a beautiful distant realm but cannot be forcibly retained when she departs. Cormac’s silver branch banishes grief and brings sleep; Manannán finally grants it for music and delight. Its effects remain part of the tale’s Otherworld exchange.
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In the sources
Principal account
ReportedThe visitor in Bran’s story carries an apple branch with silver twigs and crystal blossoms. It draws attention to a beautiful distant realm but cannot be forcibly retained when she departs.
Further detail
ReportedCormac’s silver branch banishes grief and brings sleep; Manannán finally grants it for music and delight. Its effects remain part of the tale’s Otherworld exchange.
Context & interpretation
Evans-Wentz combines named informants, manuscript narratives, and his own psychical theory in a 1911 survey. This entry preserves those distinctions: collected belief and literary tradition do not establish the physical existence of an Otherworld.
Original passages
Source 1
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
bring, like those one knows ; Twigs of white silver are on it, Crystal brows with blossoms. There is a distant isle, Around whichOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Celtic fairy traditions; active reader leaf 370
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0045-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0045-E001-P0370
- Original scan leaf
- 371
- Recorded leaf number
- 371
- Current Reader position
- 366
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries
and falsehood. And thou shalt have the Branch for music and delight. And on the day ' that thou shalt die they all will be takenOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Celtic fairy traditions; active reader leaf 373
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0045-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0045-E001-P0373
- Original scan leaf
- 374
- Recorded leaf number
- 374
- Current Reader position
- 369
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed