Tree lore Special- Five Sacred Trees part 1

Woodland Bard this Sunday

The Forest Stage of Life

Welcome to our tree lore special which will compliment our future course lessons that will explore the giant Trefuilngid Tre-eochair and the five sacred trees of Ireland.

More and more I am finding that I need that time to retire from the world to top up. In the Indo-European traditions of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ we recognise the Forest stage of life when one leaves the pursuits of worldly life to focus on their spiritual life. Today this stage can be forgotten as we constantly strife to keep up with the latest technology even in our older years.

Perhaps there is an even greater necessity at this time for some of us in our older years to not try to keep up with young society and to focus our intent on our inner worlds to inspire the next generation to look beyond the gratification of the material world.

In the Celtic traditions we hear stories of people running of into the woods especially after trauma to find themselves again. It may not be possible for many of us to make such a dramatic exit as Merlin did after the battle of Arfderrydd but we can all create a shrine to the Earth Mother, shut the curtains and doors, light a candle and immerse in our inner worlds.

Suibne Geilt in the Irish tradition also ran off into the depths of the woods after a terrible battle, for this is common theme throughout history where trauma directs us to seek healing in Nature. If you are not able to go out at the moment close your eyes, smell the scents, touch the barks and experience the wooded landscape within you as your own memories enliven.

The poem below invites you to enter into the stories of the Earth and learn the lore of the Forest :

Thou oak, bushy, leafy,
thou art high beyond trees;
O hazlet, little branching one,
O fragrance of hazel-nuts.

O alder, thou art not hostile,
delightful is thy hue,
thou art not rending and prickling
in the gap wherein thou art.

O little blackthorn, little thorny one;
O little black sloe-tree;
O watercress, little green-topped one,
from the brink of the spring.

O apple-tree, little apple-tree,
much art thou shaken;
O quicken, little berried one,
delightful is thy bloom.

O briar, little arched one,
thou grantest no fair terms,
thou ceasest not to tear me,
till thou hast thy fill of blood.

O yew-tree, little yew-tree,
in churchyards thou art conspicuous;
O ivy, little ivy,
thou art familiar in the dusky wood.

O holly, little sheltering one,
thou door against the wind;
O ash-tree, thou baleful one,
hand-weapon of a warrior.

O birch, smooth and blessed,
thou melodious, proud one,
delightful each entwining branch
in the top of thy crown.

​The aspen a-trembling;
by turns I hear
its leaves a-racing--
me seems ‘tis the foray!

​My aversion in woods--
I conceal it not from anyone--
is the leafy stirk of an oak
swaying evermore.

Buile Suibhne translated by J. G. O’Keeffe

Tree Profiles

Please find below profiles of five key British trees:

Rowan - Sorbus aucuparia (Latin) - Luis (Ogham name) - Caorann (Gaelic)

Delight of the eye is mountain ash, owing to the beauty of its berries. Delight of the eye. Strength or friend of cattle, the Elm. Strength of cattle.

Book of Ballymote 1391

Rowan, like birch, was early in succession from the last ice age and is also common in the highlands of Scotland; in fact the commonest tree except birch. Rowan is often confined to poor acid soils in Eastern England and is probably a naturalised species in southerly regions. Its berries are a food source for many birds connecting it to the musical spheres as well as a poetic muse for poets.

The Sorbus family to which rowan belongs is an interesting collection of trees including the whitty pear (Sorbus domestica), Britain’s rarest tree. The more common whitebeam is a delightful tree growing more usually on limestone and chalk soils.

The Wild Service-tree (Sorbus torminalis) has distinctive triangular lobed leaves and has a thin distribution across England as far north as the Lake District. The latter tree has been identified from charcoal from the late Iron Age and is often known as the Chequer Tree producing fruit which if left to go ‘sleepy’ (rather like medlars) can be used in home brewing.

Rowan is steeped in ancient lore and medieval superstitions. Rowan may be a derivative of runa, a word meaning charm or spell and certainly has a strong connection with witches. Witches have used it to protect and work magic often with respect for it is said if they are touched by the tree the devil will consume them!

The berries were said to induce altered states, and spells were said to be written on rowan staves. Older references also focus on its magical properties and it has a certain sinister reputation in the ancient legends, such as when meat is offered on rowan spits both to Fionn Mac Cumhail by phantoms and to Cú Chulainn, (famous Irish warrior), by the Morrígan. There is an ancient magical ritual mentioned in old texts called ‘Tarbh Fheis’ which involves sleeping on a bed of woven rowan twigs to induce a magical trance in order to gain hidden knowledge.

Rowan has been used for protection in the form of an equal-armed cross or by simply carrying the berries or wood with you at night especially at Midsummer to stop you being transported to the faerie realms. The tree can be planted instead of standing stones to guard earth energies. There is said to be a rowan guarded by the giant Searbhan Lochannoch called the Tree of Dubrois and it is said to transform a person of 100 years old to one 30 years old. Luis means ‘swarm’ or ‘great many’ which may refer to warriors and huntsmen who gather under the rowan as described in literature about the Tree of Clonfert and the Wry Rowan.

Medicinally rowan’s bark is used for treating diarrhoea and its berries are used for sore throats. A delicious syrup can be made with rowan berries and crab apples.

Hazel - Corylus avellana (Latin) - Coll (Ogham)

Fair wood that is hazel, everyone is eating of its nuts. Fairest of tree, Sweetest of woods, the nut. Friend of cracking.

Book of Ballymote 1391

Hazel is a tree as well-used and known as the oak; it has played a huge part in the history of Woods in Britain. It spread effectively throughout Britain after the last ice age and probably helped form a staple food for our ancestors.

The hazel is known as the Tree of Knowledge and it is not hard to see why the nuts (representing illumination) were revered in a time when much of our native foods must have been bland in comparison. Hazel is connected to the life of the salmon which also represents illumination and must have also been a staple food fit for the gods!

Hazelnuts are rich in mineral salts and can be ground to a powder to make flour. The hazelnut can also be used to soothe sore throats and relieve symptoms of a head cold. It is also thought that hazelnuts bestow the gift of eloquence.

Not only does the hazel tree provide a rich source of food, its wood is ideal for many crafts due to it being strong, flexible and easy to split and coppice. The wood can be used to make hurdles for fencing, walls for housing, springels to hold thatch in place, stakes and supports to grow plants. It can also be used to make fishing rods, baskets and coracles.

No wonder the hazel became so venerated with its multitude of uses. The traditional stories explore a deep spiritual aspect to its multi-faceted usage. One of the most famous stories connected to hazel is of Fionn Mac Cumhail from the Fenian cycle in Irish mythology who becomes enlightened merely from sucking the juice of the salmon of Fec which was caught in a pool surrounded by nine hazel trees, the nuts of which the salmon fed upon. Hazel catkins mark the time of Imbolc or Oimelc (which means butter bag) as they resemble lamb’s tails and this season is traditionally the time when lambs are born and sheep begin to lactate. It is also the festival of Brighid who amongst other things is the muse of the poets through the hazel tree.

Hazel generally prefers a more acid soil and supports a rich flora; it will co-exist happily with honey fungus provided there is not too much shade and trees aren’t planted!

Commercial forestry does not employ hazel so extensively as it would have done at one time partly due to a decline in the faggot trade although hazel is still in demand for wattle hurdles often now used for motorway fencing and in gardens. Hampshire and Sussex are strongholds for hazel but on a national scale hazel is declining and is threatened due to its lack of regeneration. Neglected coppice means the tree will not flower and therefore fruit. When hazel does fruit the wood pigeons and squirrels will devour the nuts, often when they are still unripe meaning dropped seed will not grow.

The hazel tree as with so many of our trees needs our attention and protection as its habitat becomes neglected, this is a perfect example of how keeping our traditional crafts alive and using rather than neglecting the tree will help preserve it for future generations.

Apple tree - Malus sylvestris (Latin) - Quert (Ogham)

Shelter of a wild hind is an apple. Shelter of a hind, lunatic, death sense, a time when a lunatic’s senses come back to him. Excellent emblem, protection. Force of a man.

Book of Ballymote 1391

Like the hazel tree, apple is a tree of knowledge and a provider of nutritious food. The apple tree is known in many cultures and traditions including Greek mythology and Christian lore.

In Britain there are many tales and indeed warnings of the eating of apples. The general agreement amongst these traditions is that the apple is connected to the Otherworld and can confer divine knowledge and inspiration.

Stories speak of Isles of paradise with sacred apple trees. Glastonbury is said to be a physical manifestation of Avalon from the Gaelic ‘Evain avaloch’ meaning holy hill of apples. Thomas of Ercledoune was given the gift of prophecy by the Queen of the faeries and warned he may never return from the Otherworld.

Shamanic traditions across the globe speak of the healers or wise ones who risk their lives for the knowledge to help their tribe or community. The ogham letters for apple is QU or CU a synonym for a warrior in Celtic lore, in this case a spiritual warrior unafraid to face death or travel to the Otherworld.

Orchards come into their own at Samhain (November). Apples are piled high and eaten in abundance. Apples are wassailed (celebrated) with song, ritual and toasts. Often libations of cider are poured on the apple tree’s roots.

In ancient times Pliny recognised 22 varieties of apple but since then over 2000 varieties have made their way across Europe especially from France into Britain. Apples contain much goodness as they are full of sugars, amino acids, vitamins, pectin, mineral salts, malic and tartaric acids. They are good for infections of the intestine, constipation, fatigue, hypertension, rheumatism, bronchial diseases, coughs and cholesterol.

Our native Crab Apple is easily overlooked in woodlands as it is often seen growing as a single tree. The true native has long pointed thorns and a rather shrubby untidy appearance which is why it bears the name crab from the Norse word skrab meaning ‘scrubby’.

However, its presence is announced in the autumn when you will often notice copious amounts of small bitter apples upon the tree and ground. The crab apple however is not to be dismissed by the seeker of better tastes as we must remember this tree is the ancestor of all our cultivated apples and is still the rootstock to which the grafts of cultivated apples are made. Crab apples also make a wonderful jelly when mixed with rowan berries.

In the spring the crab apple is more easily noticed with its wonderful display of pink blossom which exudes a perfume at night to attract insects, not unlike honeysuckle.

Quercus robur (pendunculate oak) / Quercus petraea (sessile oak) - Duir (Ogham name)

Higher than bushes is Oak. Highest of bushes and a third. Kneeling work, bright and shining work. Craft work.

Book of Ballymote 1391

The oak is a tree that has survived well since it regenerated in early wildwood times. It was avoided by the first farmers and encouraged by the early carpenters; no other tree in Britain has captured the imagination and attention of humans more than the oak.

Its timber is durable and good to work with and it has many medicinal qualities and useful tannins. The oak supports countless wildlife and grows to impressive proportions, living for many hundreds of years. Its success is partly due to mankind’s love of its timber and its ability to capture the nation’s heart.

There are two species of Oak which were first recognised in 1586-7 although this was not really taken on board by British botanists until the 1790s. Quercus robur (Pedunculate oak) is what we think of as the English Oak with its wide and rustic appearance. It has a dense canopy and rough un-stalked leaves with stalked acorns. Quercus petraea (Sessile oak) is often a taller statelier tree with a more open canopy and flat palmate leaves which are stalked and it bears un-stalked acorns. Both these trees can hybridise and cause even more confusion.

Both oaks are known to produce Lammas shoots which are healthy erect shoots that grow strongly in August at a time when other foliage maybe struggling in this sometimes dry time of the year. There is a striking rare variety of Pedunculate oak which produces red Lammas shoots.

Sessile oak is more common in the west and north, most commonly growing in the Scottish Highlands. Pure oak wood generally grows on the most acid of woodland soils although it is known to grow on calcareous soils in Scotland where it is much more widespread. Hatfield Forest in Essex is an exception as it is an ancient oakwood on calcareous soil outside of Scotland. Oak is generally a first coloniser not growing well in shade. It is not so much birch and hawthorn grow first on oakwood regeneration sites but just quicker thus deceiving the avid naturalist who assumes they came first!

In the Doomsday Book woods were assessed by pannage although this practice died out soon after as farmers began to feed pigs in more conventional ways. Beech mast was also used for pannage. The Anglo- Saxon phrase ac means oak and can be noticed in many place names such as Accrington, Auckland and Acton.

The traditions of Oak are numerous; from Christian lore the tree has been used to preach under and a place where Angels have appeared. In Celtic lore it is the abode of strong male deities such as the Dagdha, Herne the Hunter, Cernunnos and the archetypal images of the spirit of the trees such as the Green Man or Green George. It is said to be a channel for the might of the sky gods such as Taranis, Thunor, Esus and Thor as it attracts lightning.

Merlin and Robin Hood were said to have been protected under the oak’s canopy. St Brighid founded a retreat in Kildare called the Cell of Oak and it is said that the Nuns used acorns as fuel on their fires.

Charles the second hid in an oak after defeat at the battle of Worcester on the 29th May 1651 which is now known as Royal Oak Day. At one time Oak sprigs were collected for hats and door knockers which may well be a continuation of the Druidic Oak apple day still celebrated in Wiltshire. The Oak Man, Jack in the Green or the May King dance through the streets wreathed in oak and hawthorn to claim the May Queen. Traditionally the Oak King Giant fights the Holly King Giant at the Winter Solstice making him the King of the waxing year and the two oak trees, Gog and Magog at Glastonbury are said to be the last two giants to have inhabited Britain.

Oak bark is used for diarrhoea, piles, inflammations of the throat, chilblains and frost bite. As a powder it is used for nosebleeds and bedsores. Bruised oak leaves can be applied to wounds to ease inflammations and as a mild antiseptic.

Please see a medical herbalist if you wish to use oak as a medicine!

Yew Taxus baccata (Latin) - Idhadh (Ogham/Gaelic) Idho, Yew.

Idho, Yew Oldest of woods, service tree, Yew. Strength or colour of a sick man, people or an age. Abuse of an ancestor or pleasing consent.

Book of Ballymote 1391

The yew and the oak probably feature more in British traditions than any other tree. Yew speaks of ancestors, death and re-birth and when you see a mature tree with its dark foliage sweeping down to the ground and taking root you can see why. Yew is Britain’s oldest living tree, pre-dating many of the churches to whose grounds it belongs.

The Fortingall yew in Perthshire is said to be around 5000 years old. However, yew is notoriously difficult to age. At one time it was thought that the church was built and a yew tree planted but carbon dating has proven the tree is often far older than the church and said to have sheltered Christian missionaries long before the church was built. Evidence suggests that these sites were already used by the older faiths of Britain and so it is likely that in order to integrate a new religion they would have continued to use the same sacred site. Ring-counting as well as carbon dating can be inaccurate for the yew as it will remain dormant for hundreds of years!

The yew has an amazing ability to survive, often growing profusely on chalk down-lands resisting shade and pollution effectively. There is a folk tale of yew which emphasises its genetic ability to withstand disaster.

The tree is sad that its foliage is dark and uninteresting so the fairies wanting to please the tree turn its foliage to gold which thieves then steal. They then turn its foliage to crystal and the foliage shatters in a storm; and then into large broad leaves which are eaten by goats. The yew concludes its foliage is perfect to withstand the test of time and celebrates its dark appearance.

The theme of death is often associated with yew which contains deadly poisons especially in its wilting foliage and seeds. Modern research has also uncovered the chemical taxol in yew to help treat cancer. Due to its dangerous poisons yew as a herb is only used as a tincture helping symptoms of cystitis, headaches, afflictions of the heart and problems with the kidneys, gout and rheumatism.

In stories and traditions yew is always regarded with caution. The old Irish kenning for yew states – ‘abuse of an ancestor or pleasing consent.’ It is said to be unlucky to cut the tree and that the wood should only be taken from fallen trees.

However practical application seems to always win through and this lore has not stopped yew being cut for its main use as a bow. Maybe using a tree with a deadly reputation as a weapon actually fits in with the ancient lore as it certainly brought much success to those who wielded it. Its wood is perfect to make long bows although in Britain it is often too knotty and brittle for this purpose.

The perfect bow made from coniferous type trees (which includes yew) should be slow growing. This means the most prized yew wood is that which comes from high altitudes growing in exposed windswept places. The early ballads of Robin Hood claim his bow is made of Spanish yew.

Yew can be used to symbolise resurrection when used on Palm Sunday and at Easter. Yew shoots have been put into the shrouds of the dead to protect and restrain the spirits. This connection with spirits and death is a constant theme especially as the tree is often seen growing by the graves of our departed loved ones maybe easing their passage or allowing us to commune with them? Further stories explore the idea of yew being an entrance to the other worlds. Thomas of Erceldoune known as Thomas the Rhymer from the thirteenth century, is said to still await his re-birth in an old Scottish yew grove after visiting the faerie realms.

In Ireland, yew is recognised as one of the most sacred trees, the tree of eternity transcending time and able to give the gift of invisibility to one who uses it. Mad shaman-type poets like Suibne Geilt and Merlin are said to take shelter and acquire all their knowledge in the yew grove and Fionn and his loyal warriors are said to have met their end there on Samhain eve.

The oldest found weapon is a crude spear of yew from the Stone Age. Yew’s wood is also used for furniture, panelling, fence posts, ship masts and wine barrels.

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