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I have two main tree designs which can
be altered to indicate different trees by
changing the terminals and colour. (See also Thorn
Trees) This one
is based on a stone carving from one of the high
crosses. I have made it to indicate not only a
rowan (shown) but also hazel, ivy, apple, birch,
alder, oak, mistletoe and holly. It is
thought that the early Celts held trees in
special esteem. The druids were believed to
worship in oak groves and many tribes had a
tutelary tree called the bile. The
letters of the Ogham alphabet and the months of
the Celtic year were named after trees.
(ref: Robert Graves, "The
White Goddess")
Rowan
is the tree of life, the quickbeam. It was a tree
of protection and of quickening. It was put to
oracular use, probably from very early times,
since there is an especial abundance of rowan
trees around megalithic monuments and other
sacred places. Its Gaelic name is Luis.
Hazel
is the tree for the nutting season.
These were the berries that fell into the sacred
well to be eaten by the salmon who gained wisdom
from them. Hazel rods were often used as divining
rods. In the past they were not only used to find
water and buried treasure, as now, but also to
find guilty persons in cases of murder and theft.
Its Gaelic name is Coll. (Transparent dark green
background with red berries)
Ivy
is the tree of intoxication and the inspiration
it sometimes brings. Ivy ale, a highly
intoxicating drink from medieval times is still
brewed at Oxford. The ivy month is associated
with the autumn harvest, which probably featured Bacchanalian revels, as in ancient Greece and
Egypt. Ivy was also associated with resurrection
because of its spiral growth pattern. Its Gaelic
name is Gort. (Mixed pale and dark green with silver foil ivy
leaves)
Apple
is the tree of hidden knowledge and immortality.
King Arthur goes to Avalon (apple land) to be
healed of his wounds. The Irish Bran is summoned
to the otherworld with an apple branch. Ossian
follows a girl with a golden apple to the Land of
Youth. Apple shares the 9th month with hazel
(which is the tree of revealed knowledge. Its
Gaelic name is Quert.
Birch
is the tree for driving out evil. This explains
why birch rods were used to discipline unruly
children - it was thought to drive out the devil
that was in them. It is the tree of the beginning
of the year, a time for purification and
cleansing. Its gaelic name is Beth (metal and
enamel reversed, white/grey bark and pale green
birch leaves)
Alder
was the tree of Bran and as such was associated
with rebirth because of the spiral growth of its
buds. It was thought to have protective qualities
associated with cattle, and for this reason was
used to make milk pails. It could be used to make
three dyes: red from its bark (for the fire
element) green from its flowers (for the water
element) and brown from its twigs (for the earth
element) but principaly the alder is the tree of
fire. Its gaelic name is Fearn.
Oak
was the tree of midsummer. the gateway tree, the
tree of coming and going. An oak tree is more
likely than any other tree in the forest to be
stuck by lightening and is for this reason often
thought to be a tree of power. The English word
for door is thought to be derived from its gaelic
name, Duir.
Mistletoe
was not a tree, but its folklore was included in
tree mythology because it was parasitic on the
oak - an especially sacred tree.. Caesar tells of
druids cutting mistletoe boughs with a golden
sickle for ritual purposes. It was thought to be
sacred to the moon goddess because of its white
berries. It is the tree of the winter solstice.
Holly
Associated with the Fire Festival of Lammas,
holly is a symbol of luck and good fortune. In
Celtic mythology the Holly is the evergreen twin
of the Oak. The Oak rules the light part of the
year in the form of a white horse while the Holly
rules the dark part in the form of a unicorn. The
Holly also represents those eternal, ever-green
aspects of the earth. Its Gaelic name is Tinne
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ROWAN - Colour:
Jade
green w/ orange berries
Size: 1
1/2" diam
All
brooches can also be ordered as necklaces.
APPLE - Colour:
Green blend and red/orange apples
OAK
- Colour:
Seal Brown w/ garnet/orange/green overlays, black under
drawing and copper foil leaves
MISTLETOE - Colour:
Medium blue blend w/ white berries
HOLLY Colour: green blend w/ silver
foils and single red berries
(click to see necklace
attachment)
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