The ancient Celts created the first alphabet in Europe which is called the Ogham script. Each letter is associated with a tree or an important plant. The alphabet was used as a mnemonic device to encode knowledge, the Celtic song of the universe, Ceolta na Cruinne (Diana Beresford-Kroeger). The thirteen months of the year (pre-Gregorian calendar) were each represented by a particular tree. The new year began on Nov. 1st with Birch, followed by Rowan in December, Alder in January, Willow in February, Ash in March and Hawthorn in April. The tree associated with May is Oak. It Duir to the Celts and it represented the letter D.
Oak is a member of the beech family. It can grow up to 50 meters. It has a very large and deep root system that
firmly anchors it into the earth and can be as large as the branches above. The
Oak flowers in May with male and female flowers on the same tree and its fruit
is the acorn. The male catkins appear on the tree with the leaves. They become
long, pendulous and pollen-filled. The
female flowers open a month after the males, as upright flowers with two or three
cups which hold the seed vessels that will become acorns. These female flowers
are in the canopy and are very tiny. Oaks don’t produce acorns until they are 40
years old and peak between 80 – 120 years.
Therefore, it is very hard for humans on the Earth to see these flowers.
Oaks like a lot of light and Oak leaves
that fall to the ground continue with their photo activity. They release a growth hormone called abscisic
acid which helps the acorns to grow.
Oaks grow across Europe, Britain, North America and all
over the world. An Oak can live to be a
thousand years old. There are 600
species of Oak and some have acorns that are edible for humans.
The shade provided by the Oak encourages the growth of wild
flowers such as Bluebells, Foxgloves and Wood Sorrel. Fungi and lichen grow on the trunk as well as
ivy. Oak forests provide a habitat that
supports more life forms than any other British trees, hosting over 280 species
of insect which supplies food for birds.
Many birds and mammals eat the acorns.
The fallen leaves support invertebrates and fungi. Birds and bats nest in the crevices and
Woodpecker holes.
After the first hundred years of growth, Oak grows very
slowly making the wood strong and long lasting.
The wood was used traditionally for bridges waterbreaks and houses. Neolithic trackways made of Oak have been
found in the UK still well preserved after thousands of years. Oak was central
to shipbuilding for the Vikings and the British. The earliest boats found in Britain were made
from a single oak trunk. It was also used for coffins. Oak bark was used for dyes. An infusion of oak bark and copper was used by
Scottish highlanders to make a beautiful purple dye.
A decoction of dried Oak bark and water can be used to
treat sore throats, skin inflammation, minor wounds and fevers. A foot wash made from Oak leaf tea can ease
weary feet. Traditionally the leaves, bark and acorns were used to heal
ailments such as diarrhea, inflammation and kidney stones. Tannin from the bark was used in tanning
leather.
Oak produces one of the hardest and most durable timbers. It’s
Latin name Quercus robur means strength and it was the primary ship building
material. Oak was one of the woods used for the Yule log. The Oak was sacred to many European cultures
as well as the ancient Hebrews. King
Arthur’s round table was reputedly made of a slab from an enormous Oak tree.
“The Oak is the darling of the Celtic world,” writes Diana
Beresford-Kroeger (Kroeger p 206). Oak
was a chieftan tree for the Celts. In Ireland, Oak bark creates a kind of soil on
its horizontal branches where ferns and moss can grow as well as mistletoe
which was a magical herb of the Druids. As
the wind twists the canopy, the torque on the trunk can allow a water to appear. It was called uisce dubh or black water by
the Druidic physicians. It is a polymer
called gallo-tannin which is still used for burns.
Oak was used so extensively in shipbuilding during the
Elizabethan era that it almost became extinct.
Then it was the first tree to be protected by legislation in Britain. There are many famous Oaks in Britain. The word Druid is derived from duir
and it means “one with the wisdom of the oak”. (Forest p. 99) The Druids met
under oaks and planted them to mark sacred places.
Oak was sacred to thunder and lightning gods across Europe
as well as Brighid. A Druidic legend
says that the tree is the “beating heart of the planet” and that the time will
come when people will replant the sacred Oak groves beginning in County Clare,
Ireland.
The word door comes from the Gaelic word duir,
a word for solidity and protection and the Oak.
Oak was the King, solid with great branches and even greater roots. Oak is often struck by lightning which can
make the sap burst, leaving the tree gnarled and yet still living. Ancient Bards and Druids preached under Oaks,
gaining strength from the tree. This
tree represents primeval strength and the ability to overcome and survive.
Oak is the World Tree for Britain. Neolithic “woodhenges”
were also made of Oak. Oak galls are
known as Serpent Eggs. Oak as central to
British worldview goes back 4,500 years as found in the discovery of Seahenge
in 1998 in Norfolk. The trunk of the Oak
buried upside down there is a doorway between worlds. The roots hold the ancestral wisdom in the Lowerworld.. The branches symbolize the Upperworld and
hold the potential, the embryonic concepts which are yet to come. The trunk symbolizes the Middleworld which
connects the other worlds and it is where people live.
In the Celtic worldview, the Oak King guards from midwinter
to midsummer and the Holly King from midsummer to midwinter. The Oak King is the lord of the sky and the
fire of the sun, while Holly is the lord of darkness and the underworld or the
fire at the heart of the Earth. And at
Beltane or Mayday, the Hawthorn Queen marries the Oak King so that fertility
for the land is assured.
And finally, Glennie Kindred writes that Oak represents
inner strength, endurance, courage, a doorway and self-determination. “Go to the Oak tree itself when you need to
find the courage and strength to fight against great difficulties.” (Kindred p.
27)
In
Canada, Red Oak (Quercus rubra), White Oak (Quercus alba), Black Oak (Quercus
velutina) and Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).
This is a compilation of information taken from the
following sources:
Diana Beresford-Kroeger (2019) To Speak for the
Trees. Random House: Canada.
Danu Forest (2014) Celtic Tree Magic: Ogham
Lore and Druid Mysteries. Llewellyn Worldwide: Woodbury, Minnesota.
Glennie Kindred, (1997) The Tree Ogham.
Glennie Kindred: UK.
Liz and Colin Murray (1988) The Celtic Tree
Oracle. Connections Book Publishing: London, UK.
Jacqueline Memory Peterson (1996) Tree
Wisdom: The definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of
Trees. Thorsons: London.
Elen Sentier (2014) Trees of the Goddess. Moon Books:
Winchester, UK.
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