the tree on which the devil hanged his mother

I was reading a Wikipedia article about the rowan tree where it says "It was said in England that this was the tree on which the Devil hanged his mother". There is a reference, a book from 1985, but I would have thought I'd be able to find "the story" on the internet. As I can't find much about it (just people quoting the quote) I'm starting to wonder if it isn't so much a tale as a saying? Something like "older than dirt", perhaps? Or something. Just trying to make sense of why such an intriguing tale is nowhere to be found. Anyone know anything about it? swedeheart (Sun 23:37 21/Jun/09)

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naomi24		(Fri 18:31 07/Aug/09) I can't find anything either, swedeheart. However, if you think about it, the devil was supposedly a creation of God, and therefore he wouldn't have had a mother. I think it might just by a saying. Shame though - what an intriguing myth that could have made! If you ever find anything else, please leave a message for me in Religion & Spirituality - a sub-section of Society & Culture. I'd love to know more.
swedeheart		(Sat 11:57 08/Aug/09) Question Author Yup naomi I didn't take it to be "adapted from a true story" ;-) I'm just interested in mythology and folklore. I'll do my very best to remember your interest in this if ever I do find anything more out.
chadad		(Thu 23:06 20/Aug/09) The Rowan ( Or mountain Ash ), was supposed to posses magic powers. A club made from it was credited with the same powers that a Silver bullet has when dealing with vampires or werewolves. It was also very effective for keeping witches in their place.
swedeheart		(Fri 12:15 21/Aug/09) Question Author Oh that explains why there's a species of Rowan on the street where I live;-) Thanks chadad, that was interesting!

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