What opulence appears from the bud of a hornbeam! The newborn leaves look like three-headed alien insects, including wings and antennas. Hornbeams are one of the first to shoot into leaves, together with the elder, the hazel and the maple.
Vandersteen must have been inspired by the muscular trunk and branches of the hornbeam for his character of Jethro in Spike and Suzy. The metaphor is also correct. Before metal was invented, the hardwood of the hornbeam was used, because it is indivisible. Butcher blocks, sleepers, combs in windmill sails and telephone poles are made of hornbeam. But you also often touch hornbeam in your house. Think of your wooden spoons, the handle of your umbrella, the cue and balls of a billiard table, toys.
That makes the hornbeam a lovely tree to look for protection. Sturdy roots and a powerful trunk give it a high cuddly quality. The Bach Blossom practice uses the hornbeam to combat fatigue, physical and mental exhaustion. The Celts, on the other hand, used the hornbeam in rituals that promoted savoir-vivre: more civility, respect, generosity and kindness. In the first place for the tree itself!