Underneath the Elderberry Tree

As everyone knows (or ought to know), the Faery Folk love music and merrymaking, and best of all they like the music from instruments made of elder wood. Wood from the elder tree lends itself well to the making of whistles, pipes, chanters and other musical instruments, as the branches contain a soft pithy core which is easily removed to create hollow pipes of a pale, hard, easily-polished wood. (Some of elder's many vernacular names include bour- or boretree). The most auspicious time to encounter faeries was under an elder bush on Midsummer's Eve, when the Faery King and Queen and their train could be seen passing. There are many references in folklore advising against sleeping under an elder and it has been suspected that the strong smell of elder leaves may have mildly narcotic influences. http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/elder.html