The shore is lined with hawthorns, a tree known by the tribes for granting strength of heart. I cut a long staff from one, and begin the climb. Perhaps, as often happens, the top will rise above the mist and I will see where I am . . . (Chapter Two)
Our knowledge of Joseph of Arimathea comes to us from the Gospel story and the tales of southwestern Britain. These traditions combine in The Apple and the Thorn in the person of Eosaidh of Cornualle, a mine owner and tin merchant from Cornwall, born in the Jewish diaspora.
His hawthorn staff is a symbol of a purging and strengthening of the heart, something Eosaidh finds in unexpected ways as he grieves the death of his great-nephew, and seeks meaning and refuge in the ancient marshes . . . |
