Since I did apple in 2 parts I think I'll be doing the same for each letter. So this week I've been researching on the broom or besom as it is commonly called for those walking a spiritual path.
One of the earliest forms of the broom is known as the Besom Broom. They were made of twigs tied to a handle. The bristles can be made of various materials such as straw, herbs, or twigs. The shaft is round to represent the branch of a tree. This associates the broom with the Tree of Life which was an important symbol in ancient pagan Europe. Traditionally a Besom broom is made from hazel wood and the bristles are birch twigs.
These brooms were often found just inside a dwelling hanging with bristles up to ward off evil spirits, negative energies and to protect the home and all who dwell within it. It could also be found hanging over a door with the bristles facing in the direction of opening of the door.
They were relatively inefficient as a cleaning implement and needed constant repair or recreation. Today Besom Brooms are still crafted and sold at garden centers as an outdoor broom. You can also find decorated and scented versions (ie: cinnamon besom brooms) in craft stores for indoor decorations.
Wikipedia says: A broom is a cleaning tool consisting of stiff fibers attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of brush with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a dustpan.The name of the shrubs began to be used for the household implement in Late Middle English and gradually replaced the earlier besom during the Early Modern English period. The song Buy Broom Buzzems (by William Purvis 1752 - 1832) still refers to the "broom besom" as one type of besom (i.e. "a besom made from broom") Flat brooms, made of broom corn, were invented by Shakers in the 19th century. A smaller whisk broom or brush is sometimes called a duster.
There are so many differing names and styles for the broom. The word broom became more commonly used for the flat style that is common today and besom refer's to the older style of twigs or "brush" attached around a long tree limb in a circular shape.
At one time most broom factories were in Eastern United States totaling 1,039 in 1919. During the Great Depression, the number of factories declined to 320 in 1939. because broom corn grew especially well there The Oklahoma Broom Corn Company opened a factory in El Reno, Oklahoma in 1906. Thanks to competition from imported brooms and synthetic bristles, most of the factories closed by the 1960's. Today, brooms are also commonly made with synthetic bristles. Another common type is the push/pull broom, consisting of a wide brush with short bristles, to which a broomstick is attached at an angle in the center of the brush.
Broom's are even in sports! In baseball, when the home team is close to accomplishing a sweep (having won the first two games of a three-game series or first three games of a four-game series), some fans will bring brooms to the ballpark and brandish them as a way of taunting the visiting team.
In broomball, broomsticks have their heads removed and are used to push a ball into a goal, on an ice surface. The game is similar to hockey, except players do not wear skates.
The broom is one of those tools that most people have in their home - whether they’re a witch or not! In many rural cultures, the broom has become a source of legend and folklore. Just a few of the many beliefs people have about brooms and sweeping:
James Kambos says in Llewellyn’s 2011 Magical Almanac, “When misfortune was thought to have entered a home, one old German custom was to sweep the home, thus sweeping away any negativity. Each family member would grab a broom and begin sweeping. Starting at the center of the home, they’d sweep outward toward all exterior doors. As they swept, they’d open the front and back doors and sweep out the negativity.”
In the Appalachian region of the United States, many customs were brought over from Scotland, England and Ireland. It is believed that laying a broom across your doorstep will keep witches out of your house. However, be careful - if a girl steps over a broom by accident, she’ll end up becoming a mother before she gets married (this belief may have originated in Yorkshire, as there are similar warnings in that area).
People in parts of China say that a broom should only be used for household chores like sweeping because it is so strongly tied to the household spirits. It shouldn’t be used for playing or whacking people with, because that is offensive to the household entities.
There’s an old tale in the Ozarks that you should never sweep a house while there’s a dead body in it - although one would assume that if there’s a dead body in the house, you’ve got other things on your mind besides housecleaning.
Some African tribes believe that men should leave the house while women are sweeping. The reason? Because if they are accidentally struck by the broom, it could render them impotent - unless they take the broom and bang it on the wall three times (some legends say seven times).
A besom broom is the kind of broom traditionally associated with witches, and is one of the tools commonly used in the practice of modern Wicca. It is a traditionally-constructed broom made of a bundle of twigs tied to a central stouter wooden pole.
In the Gospel of Luke 15:8 "The Parable of the Lost Coin", the broom is mentioned: "Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?"
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