|
The ash tree is mentioned often in folk law from all over Europe. It was considered to have magical powers—able to keep the devil away from newborn children, and predict who a girl might marry.
The Yggdrasill–tree of Scandinavian mythology was an enormous ash whose roots spread in three directions: heaven, earth and hell.
The legend tells that the gods made the first man, Askr, from ash wood.
Ash branches could be used by witches in order to fly. However in Lincolnshire use of the female ash tree, called Sheder, would defeat a male witch, while the male tree, Heder, would defeat a female witch.
Failure of the ash seed crop was thought to foretell a royal death and a failure in 1648 was said to predict the execution of Charles I on Jan 1 1649. The ash is Britain's oldest native tree.
|
The winged seeds are commonly known as ‘keys’, as they are a similar shape to the keys used to open mediaeval locks.
A Roman iron implement, dating from the first century AD was found to have a handle made of ash.
It is still used for hockey sticks, oars, rudders, billiard cues, cricket stumps, polo sticks and police truncheons as it has a springy resilience that modern plastics cannot equal.
As a wood for fuel, ash is said to be best while still green but of little use when dry.
It is said that the keys are edible, and that tea can be made from the leaves.
It is rarely grown as an ornamental tree due to its overwhelming size and fibrous root structure that takes moisture from the soil and prevents anything else from growing.
|
