Luis (Rowan) II

“The Queen went to the Stone House and took Morag out. She asked her how she had fared and thereupon Morag put the Rowan Berry in the Queen’s hand. She hastened to her own chamber and ate it, and her youth and beauty came back to her, and the King who had grown solitary, loved the Queen again.” – Patraic Colum (The King of Ireland’s Son, 1916)

The Roots:

The Rowan tree is one of the most significant trees found in Celtic mythology.

In Ogham: the Secret Language of the Druids Robert Ellison states that the Rowan is a tree of protection, magic, and control of the senses.

Caitlin Mathews in Celtic Wisdom Sticks: an Ogham Oracle claims that the Rowan is “popularly credited with being the most magical of trees.” As well as being a protective tree, the Rowan in her divination system is also associated with staying on course and not getting lost.

In the Ogham Tract[i] the word associations given to the Rowan are “delight of the eye… flame” and “friend of cattle.”[ii] John Mathews in the Celtic Shaman interprets the first word riddle as being a reference to Love.

The instances found of Rowan’s protective nature against fairies, witches, and the evil eye are extensive in Celtic folklore. Besides being a protector, Luis is also a tree of magic.

The Trunk:

J.C. Cooper in an Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols calls the Rowan the “Gallic Tree of Life.”

The use of the Rowan for protection was very widespread. The tree was said to offer protection against fire, lightening and witches and also to protect cows and milk products. Rowan was often planted in graveyards, like Yew, to prevent the dead from rising[iii].
In Irish legend the corpse might be staked with a Rowan branch bearing berries to prevent the ghost from wandering[iv]. Rowan was also used in shapeshifting spells[v]. When the tree grew close to the home it was considered very auspicious.

The Rowan tree is said to have been brought to Ireland by accident from Tir Tairngire, the Land of Promise, by the Tuatha De Danann[vi]. Etain is turned into a pool of water by being struck by a wand of Rowan and the Salmon of Wisdom is sometimes found to be eating Rowan berries instead of hazel nuts[vii].

The unfaithful wife of Finn Mac Cool, Graine, hides in a Rowan tree with her lover Diarmaid to avoid being captured. In the pursuit of the lovers the Fianna stopped beneath the same Rowan tree to rest. They started to play games to fill the time. Diarmaid was one of Finn’s men and it was said that when he was nearby, due to his magic, Finn would win every game. While playing beneath the tree, Finn loudly proclaimed that he wished that Diarmaid was present so that he could win every game. Hearing this, Diarmaid dropped one Rowan berry from the tree down to Finn who then won. This was done four times in a row for four separate games. After the fourth game Finn realized that Diarmaid was nearby and called the lovers down from the tree. A battle was then fought[viii].

In the King of Ireland’s Son, by Padraic Colum, a giant and his fearsome black bull guard the Rowan tree from mortals. In the tree itself are also found 24 vicious angry yellow cats. The giant who guards the tree has two servants, more like slaves, named Flann and Morag. Morag has placed herself in the service of the giant because she intends to steal a Rowan berry for her queen. Flann is an unwilling captive.

Morag is described as being very unattractive in the earlier portions of this tale. When she finally manages to steal a Rowan berry for her queen she also takes one for herself. Flann and Morag manage to escape and a series of adventures begin. This is not before Morag eats one of the Rowan berries and becomes beautiful. Flann and Morag then fall in love as a direct result of her eating the Rowan berry. They will eventually be together after many hardships.

It should be noted that the 24 cats, plus the Rowan tree itself, could easily represent the 25 letters of the Ogham.

Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm in the Druid Animal Oracle link the Blackbird to the Rowan. They also speak of the protective nature of Rowan in regards to the Cow. In many ways the traditions involving the Rowan have been carried forward to modern times.   One example would be that Luis, the Rowan or Mountain Ash, can still be found on the clan badges of Malcom and McLachlan[ix].

The tree itself is not supposed to be cut down or hurt with a blade of any sort. Although the Rowan is a great protector, there is a suggestion in the stories that to harm the tree would be to court disaster.

Rowan sometimes grows from another tree like mistletoe. These branches are considered especially magical[x].

The Foliage:

Ivo Dominguez, jr. includes some interesting lore on the Rowan tree in his text Of Spirits: the Book of Rowan[xi].

“Moreover, the Rowan’s true element is probably light of which fire is one manifestation. Rowan has the power to open and to close gates, to summon and to banish, to protect and to sustain. All parts of the tree are useful for the making of incense or magical tools.

“The berries were used by the druids and the Welsh witches in brewing wines and potions that increased the power of the second sight. The blossom end of the berry is marked with a natural pentacle. If the berries are charged in a ritual they achieve special vital energy potency so that if one berry is consumed it gives the prana of nine meals. Very useful for healing, strenuous work, and fasting. Even without the ritual, 1 berry quartered and brewed as a tea greatly increases second sight.”

It should be noted here that the raw fruit does contain parasorbic acid which if eaten in quantity may cause indigestion or kidney failure. This can be neutralized through cooking or freezing[xii].

“In the Highland version of the legend of Fraoch, given in the Dean of Lismore’s book, the rowan tree is a sort of tree of Life; it bears fruit every month and every quarter, and the virtue of its red berries when tasted was such as to stave off hunger for long:

Its berries’ juice and fruit when red For a year would life prolong.

From dread disease it gave relief If what is told be our belief.

Yet though it proved a means of life Peril lay closely nigh;

Coiled by its root a dragon lay Forbidding passage by.”

– George Henderson (Survival in Belief Amongst Celts, 1911)



[i] http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/ogham.html

[ii] This line is confusing as it also mentions the Elm tree.

[iii] Fred Hageneder. The Meaning of Trees.

[iv] Jacqueline Memory Paterson. Tree Wisdom: the Definitive Guidebook.

[v] Robert Ellison. Ogham: the Secret Language of the Druids.

[vi] James MacKillop. Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology.

[vii] Ibid.

[viii] J.F. Campbell. Popular Tales of the West Highlands, 1890.

[x] Ibid.

[xi] The newer updated version of this book titled Spirit Speak does not include this information on Rowan. Both books lend understanding to “the nature of discarnate beings” and I cannot recommend them enough for anyone interested in the spirit world.

Beithe (Birch) II

“B has primacy over all other letters, we are told, because the very first use of ogam was as a warning inscribed upon a wand of Birch, sent to Lugh that his wife, was about to be carried off if he did not guard her with Birch.” – Caitlin Mathews (Celtic Wisdom Sticks)

The Roots:

We begin the cycle of the Tree Ogham once more, at the beginning, starting with the Birch tree. This cycle will promote different authors and ideas, share myths, folklores and legends not previously discussed, and have a slightly different focus during this dark, or more accurately cold, half of the year than the first run-through did.

The first cycle ran from Beltane to Samhain and covered the 25 generally accepted Ogham letters or few that we will cover once more[i]. This second cycle will also cover these same letters once more, but will do so from roughly Samhain to Beltane. It is important to note that the Ogham is not just a tree alphabet and this has been previously discussed[ii]. For the purposes of this blog, however, at least as far as this cycle goes, we will continue to view the Ogham as a type of tree alphabet.

The Birch is associated with beginnings.

Robert Lee Ellison, archdruid and author of Ogham: the Secret Language of the Druids, tells us that the Birch is associated with new beginnings. Beithe, the Birch is usually given this association by Ogham users regardless of their varied backgrounds and Ellison is no exception. Ellison shares that in Brittany Birch leaves were placed in cradles, or that the cradles themselves were made from Birch wood, to offer protection to the youngest and most vulnerable members of the family or clan.

Caitlin Mathews in Celtic Wisdom Sticks also promotes the idea of beginnings for Beithe. She associates the Birch with the ideas of innocence and truth in her divination system as well.

In the Ogham Tract[iii] there are various word Oghams given that describe the Birch. These include “faded trunk and fair hair” and “silvery of skin.” John Mathews in the Celtic Shaman makes the observation that these word-oghams all pertain to physical characteristics and thus associates the Birch with the concept of Age.

Beithe is one of the few Ogham letters that actually does represent a tree. Eryn Rowan Laurie in Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom reminds us that many of Ogham letters do not actually represent trees at all, but have meanings more akin to the Norse Runes. Laurie gives the meaning of Beithe as purification.

Birch represents beginnings, innocence and purification. Beithe offers strong protection in any of these areas. The association to age may be a paradox that there is wisdom, or antiquity, found within innocence itself.

The Trunk:

“This moreover is the first thing that was written by Ogham, (the birch) b was written, and to convey a warning to Lug son of Ethliu it was written respecting his wife lest she should be carried away from him into faeryland, to wit, seven b’s in one switch of birch: Thy wife will be seven times carried away from thee into faeryland or into another country, unless birch guard her. On that account, moreover, b, birch, takes precedence, for it is in birch that Ogham was first written.” –Ogham Tract

Fred Hageneder in the Meaning of Trees shares a connection between the Birch tree and the goddess Brigid. “Named after the whiteness of its bark, the Birch shares its name with the ancient Irish goddess Brigid, both names deriving from the Indo-European word bher(e)g, “shining white”. Brigid was a benevolent deity, a muse to poets and the patron of crafts, particularly spinning and weaving.”

This is an interesting observation because both Lugh and Brigid share many characteristics. Lugh (Lug) in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Cath Maige Tuired) lists himself as being skilled in every craft known to the Tuatha De Danaans in a bid for acceptance into their fold. He is almost turned away by the Tuatha De Danaan, however, because they are not missing any of the skills that he has listed. Before he is turned away, though, he asks if anyone else is proficient in all of the various crafts that he has listed. They finally see his value and accept him into their fold. Eventually, it is he that leads them to victory against the Fomorians and his grandfather Balor by piercing his single magical eye.

Brigid (Bridget) on the other hand is associated with fire, smithing, fertility, cattle, crops and poetry[iv]. When one considers the day to day life of the ancient Irish, this list is also fairly intensive and incorporates the bulk of the Celtic ancestor’s wealth. It should also be noted that Bridget the goddess and St. Brigid’s stories likely merged sometime after the fifth century. Many people today, especially neopagans, would consider the two female aspects one and the same.

In Alexander Carmichael’s Carmina Gadelica (Vol.I) we find some interesting lore regarding Bhride (Bridget), divination, and the Birch. I share the quote from the 1900 text in full, not only because it’s interesting, but because it provides a snapshot into a time when our ancestors viewed the world quite differently than today.

“The older women are also busy on the Eve of Bride, and great preparations are made to celebrate her Day, which is the first day of spring. They make an oblong basket in the shape of a cradle, which they call ‘leaba Bride,’ the bed of Bride. It is embellished with much care. Then they take a choice sheaf of corn, generally oats, and fashion it into the form of a woman. They deck this ikon with gay ribbons from the loom, sparkling shells from the sea, and bright stones from the hill. All the sunny sheltered valleys around are searched for primroses, daisies, and other flowers that open their eyes in the morning of the year. This lay figure is called Bride, ‘dealbh Bride,’ the ikon of Bride. When it is dressed and decorated with all the tenderness and loving care the women can lavish upon it, one woman goes to the door of the house, and standing on the step with her hands on the jambs, calls softly into the darkness, ‘Tha leaba Bride deiseal,’ Bride’s bed is ready. To this a ready woman behind replies, ‘Thigeadh Bride steach, is e beatha Bride,’ Let Bride come in, Bride is welcome. The woman at the door again addresses Bride, ‘A Bhride! Bhride thig a stench, tha do leaba deanta. Gleidh an teach dh’an Triana,’ Bride Bride, come thou in, thy bed is made. Preserve the house for the Trinity. The women then place the ikon of Bride with great ceremony in the bed they have so carefully prepared for it. They place a small straight white wand (the bark being peeled off) beside the figure. This wand is variously called ‘slatag Bride,’ the little rod of Bride, ‘slachdan Bride,’ the little wand of Bride, and ‘barrag Bride,’ the birch of Bride. The wand is generally of birch, broom, bramble, white willow, or other sacred wood, ‘crossed’ or banned wood being carefully avoided. A similar rod was given to the kings of Ireland at their coronation, and to the Lords of the Isles at their instatement. It was straight to typify justice, and white to signify peace and purity–bloodshed was not to be needlessly caused. The women then level the ashes on the hearth, smoothing and dusting them over carefully. Occasionally the ashes, surrounded by a roll of cloth, are placed on a board to safeguard them against disturbance from draughts or other contingencies. In the early morning the family closely scan the ashes. If they find the marks of the wand of Bride they rejoice, but if they find ‘long Bride,’ the footprint of Bride, their joy is very great, for this is a sign that Bride was present with them during the night, and is favourable to them, and that there is increase in family, in flock, and in field during the coming year. Should there be no marks on the ashes, and no traces of Bride’s presence, the family are dejected. It is to them a sign that she is offended, and will not hear their call. To propitiate her and gain her ear the family offer oblations and burn incense. The oblation generally is a cockerel, some say a pullet, buried alive near the junction of three streams, and the incense is burnt on the hearth when the family retire for the night.”

(St. Brigid of Ireland)

Imbolc or Candlemas is the holiday usually associated with Bridget. I would suggest that the above holiday sounds more like Beltane to me, though, when one considers the gathering of flowers and such. Beltane is also the holiday most often associated with the Birch, as representing beginnings, as well, so would be more relevent to us here in the current context than Imbolc.

The Birch is one of the first trees to leaf in spring. For this reason the Maypole is believed to have often been made from a Birch and the Beltane fire was started with Birch wood[v]. At Samhain and Beltane Birch was burned to drive out “evil spirits” or the spirits of the old year. This practice had continued into more modern times with the practice of “Birching prisoners or the insane in an effort to expel these more modern versions of the evil spirits[vi].

In Popular Tales of the West Highlands by J.F. Campbell, 1890, we find another mention –though barely in passing- of Birch. At Beltane the Rowan berries were placed over cow doors as protection while, “Birch branches, primroses, and other flowers, were placed upon the dresser, tar was put upon the cattle, snails were put upon a table under a dish, and were expected to write the first letter of a lover’s name, holes were dug in the ground and fortunes foretold from the kind of animals which were found in them.”

Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm in the Druid Animal Oracle connect the stag to the Birch and this comparison is worth sharing here.

“According to Druid tradition, the birch is the tree of beginnings, and the stag is creature from the beginning of Time. The Gateway represents the place of transition from this world to the Otherworld, and the stag is often seen as an Otherworldly messenger.”

The Birch tree is also often associated with the Amanita mascara or Fly Agaric mushroom. Many have noted the presence of one species with the other suggesting a symbiotic relationship where Pine is often present as well. An interesting read regarding the possibility of a shamanic mushroom cult existing in the Celtic world is Peter Lamborn Wilson’s Ploughing the Clouds: the Search for Irish Soma. Wilson suggests that the destruction of one eyed gods in myth, such as that of Balor by Lugh, could be a metaphor for a type of lost mushroom ritual. This would provide another interesting connection between the Birch and the story of Lugh.

The Birch found in Celtic mythology, legend, and folklore is always benevolent.

The Foliage:

“The birch, notwithstanding his high mind, Was late before he was arrayed. Not because of his cowardice, But on account of his greatness.” – Cad Goddeu[vii] (Battle of the Trees)

There are simple rituals involving the Birch which can be performed at any time of the year.

Traditionally, Birch was used to drive out the spirits of the old year and to bring in the new. This would have been done at Samhain which was the end of the actual year, or more likely, at Beltane to bring in the beginning of the light half of the year.

According to Fred Hageneder[viii], “the birch tree’s association with renewal is manifested in the Western custom of ‘brushing out the old year’ with a birch broom on the morning of the longest night of the year.” This would have been the Winter Solstice which may also be called Alban Arthuan or Yule.

Birch can be used in any purification spell and does not have to be confined to any certain holiday. Likewise, a birch broom can be substituted by anything made of Birch. A smudge of sage (or maybe the more traditional juniper) can be waved through the air with a piece of Birch bark instead of a feather. If it is safe to do so Birch may be burned in a fire, or alternately cold Birch ashes may be scattered around the premise of your home.

Use the recent passing of Samhain as an opportunity to purify your home or work space. Place an autumn leaf of Birch somewhere special to honour the tree at this time.

“In Wales the Birch tree is much associated with love; a lovers bower usually stands beneath a birch tree or in a birch bush. The maypole is usually made of birch; wreaths of birch may be presented as love tokens. Bedwyr may mean ‘birch hero’.” – James MacKillop (Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology)


[ii] Ibid.

[iii] http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/ogham.html

[iv] James MacKillop. Oxford Dictionaryof Celtic Mythology.

[vi] Caitlin Mathews. Celtic Wisdom Sticks.

[viii] The Meaning of Trees.

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