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Yggdrasil, the World Tree in Viking mythology, grew on an island surrounded by the ocean, in the depths of which the World Serpent lay. This ash tree’s trunk reached up to the heavens, and its boughs spread out over all the countries of the Earth. Its roots reached down into the Underworld. A squirrel ran up and down the tree carrying messages from the serpent gnawing at the roots to the eagle in the canopy, and back. A deer fed on the ash leaves and from its antlers flowed the great rivers of the world. A magical goat grazed by the tree, and its udders dispensed not milk but mead for the warriors in Odin’s Great Hall. The gods held their councils under the canopy of their guardian tree. - Paul Kendal "The ash tree, called uinnseann in gaelic, has strong links with the Vikings, but also has its place in British folklore." Paul Kendall The ash tree is important and steeped in lore across cultures. The Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, and Celts, among others, all shared a love and respect for this sacred tree. To the Vikings, the ash tree represented their sacred World Tree, Yggdrasil. To the Celts and Anglo-Saxons, the ash tree was a sacred guardian tree of the land and holy wells in which they found healing. Today, the ash tree is the second most common tree found in Ireland and the first most common tree found in Britain. All of which speaks volumes to the importance of this sacred tree. One of the most notable stories in Viking lore is how the god Odin discovered and understood the ancient wisdom written in the Runes. It is said, Odin hung himself from the branches of Yggdrasil as a sacrifice. Instead of taking his life, Yggdrasil rewarded him with insight, wisdom, and knowledge of the Runes. Many Rune readers today use ancient knowledge in their own craft. The ash tree was not only a source of wisdom and insight, its wood was also used to make shafts for weapons for the Vikings and Celts. Using the ash's wood to make spears for battle connects this tree with a more masculine energy of war and authority. Many wielders of these ash spears claimed their tools of warfare possessed magical powers which helped them in battle. In Ireland, the ash tree is connected with three of the five legendary guardian trees. Each guardian tree was placed in an elemental direction and was said to hold certain powers over the land. It is highly likely these trees were also the sacred trees of the people who resided in that area. The importance of these trees and knowing three of them were ash trees speaks towards the sacred standing ash had with the people. To drive this idea home, the ash tree is the second most popular tree in Ireland and can be mostly found growing near Irish holy wells as the ash was said to protect the purity of the springs. The ash tree is very much connected with solar and masculine energies. It is said Zeus created humans from ash trees and the Icelandic word for ash means, "blaze of great fire". These connections can be linked with the fact that ash makes great firewood and can be burned green. This connection with fire made the ash the ideal log to burn for the Germanic Yule log and what the Druids would use to carve protection charms during the Summer solstice. What makes the ash tree unique is how it was used during every day life. In Irish tradition, if a husband and wife were to divorce, the ash tree would be used as an example of how to split their property in half. The Ogham for N is translated as an upright Y which supports the weaver's beam. The Brehon Law texts uses this understanding of the Ogham as rules for how to divide a farming couples assets. For example, the husband was often most responsible for the beginning phases of the farm work while the wife was responsible for making the finished product. So, if a couple were sheep farmers, the woman would get 1/6th of any wool still in fleece, 1/3rd combined wool, and 1/2 of any cloth. That is because the woman did more work for the finished product than at the beginning. The teachings of the ash made the business of dividing assets during divorce fair for both parties. For every day Britains, the ash is credited with having a wide range of protective and healing abilities for their children. It was widely used to protect newborn babies and heal ailing children. Often, if an ash tree was used to heal a child, that ash tree was covered in nails to prevent others from cutting it down. The thought was if the ash was ever cut down the child's health would fail as well. Over time, an intimate relationship was formed between the person healed and the ash tree. The person healed would protect the ash tree for their life and credit the ash for their healing. The tales of the ash tree are otherworldly and sacred to the Irish. In one Irish tale, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, it is said that every place battle-leader Queen Maeve planted one of her ash horsewhips, a sacred ash grew. Maeve was also the name of the Irish goddess of sovereignty or land goddess. As mentioned, three of the five most sacred trees in Ireland were ash. When the very last and most beloved Ash of Tortu was was felled in the Christian era, the plain of Tortu lost two-thirds of its wealth due to the loss of magical and otherworldly protection. However, it is said that a new tree will one day rise from its roots and the mystical protection of the tree will once again bless the land. The great goddess of sovereignty will come again. Today, you can find different varieties of ash all over the Northern Hemisphere. Eat Weeds has information to use when foraging ash and trying recipes for the first time. Woodward Bard has also shared his interpretation of lore and mythology through story. You can find his video, here. Resources: Trees for Life - treesforlife.org.uk Ogma Trees - ogmatrees.com A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine - Ellen Evert Hopman
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AuthorCaitlin is a full-time special education teacher with a penchant for the wyrd. When she isn't hanging out with the coolest kids, she's out in her garden tending to her herbs or frolicking with her 2 goats, 40 chickens, 6 ducks, 2 turkeys, 2 dogs, and 6 cats. She understands it's a hoarding situation at this point, but life is too short to worry about boring things like that. Archives
May 2024
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