Trees in mythology

What is a tree? That question seems to have an obvious answer but look back a little way into man’s history and you’ll see that to some cultures a tree was more than just a tree….

Trees have played an important role in many mythologies and beliefs throughout man’s past, such as the famous ‘world ash’, Yggdrasil, which was thought to connect the nine worlds of Norse cosmology and from which the God Odin hung in order to gain the wisdom of the runes. In fact the first man and woman in Norse mythology are said to have been made of an ash and an elm tree respectively.

In pre-Christian Britain the Celtic lunar calendar consisted of thirteen months, each named after a tree or plant and each having its own corresponding letter in the Ogham alphabet of the Druids. The year began in November with the birch tree, a symbol of beginnings, and ended with the elder tree which consisted of the last three days of October. The ninth month of the calendar is represented by the hazel tree. Traditionally hazel has been used for divination because of its pliancy and affinity with water but the magical powers of this tree are said to be at their height on Halloween or ‘Nutcrack night’ when the fate of lovers could be determined by how well two hazel nuts burned after being thrown into a fire: the brighter the flame, the stronger the passion. If both nuts burned quietly side by side then the lovers would be faithful, but if one rolled away they would not. Similarly, apples were also used in experiments for love and favour. To test the fidelity of a lover, the querent would place an apple pip in the fire and say his or her lover’s name. If the lover was faithful the pip would make a noise as it burst with the heat, but if he or she was not faithful then the pip would burn silently away.

Many of us are familiar with the term ‘Touch wood’ meaning that to touch wood somehow confers good luck, but another old saying ‘Ne’er cast a clout ‘til May’s out’ refers to the hawthorn blossom and means that you should keep your winter clothes on until the hawthorn begins to flower around mid May. This saying seems to be a common one throughout the Midlands and Yorkshire but its origins are uncertain.

Britain’s oldest tree is the Fortingall Yew which is thought to be over 3,000 years old. How incredible to think that this tree was already ancient by the time man first began to smelt copper and iron! In Breton legend the yew was held to be sacred, representing great age, rebirth and reincarnation. This tree has the peculiar ability to regenerate itself by sending one of its lower branches into the soil where it takes root and forms a new trunk. It is said that in graveyards the yew grew a root into the open mouth of each corpse: this root was a symbol of rebirth with the spirit of the deceased being reborn in much the same way as the tree itself.

Another long lived, native tree, the oak is often referred to as ‘The King of trees’. Some of the more famous ancient British oaks Oak & acorn include The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, (thought to be 800 years old) and The Big Belly Oak in Savernake Forest – legend has it that the devil will appear to anyone who dances naked around this tree at Midnight!

Oaks are often ravaged by lightening strikes yet still manage to survive for decades or even centuries afterwards. Perhaps it is for this reason that oaks have often been associated with gods of thunder such as the Norse Thunor or Thor as he later became known.

Hazelnuts Trees have provided us with shelter, given us warmth, light and safety and inspired some of the greatest poets and storytellers to write about them; “Trees are the best monuments that a man can erect to his own memory. They speak his praises without flattery, and they are blessings to children yet unborn” - Lord Orrery, 1749.

It seems that our fascination with trees continues to grow well into the digital age; our need for them is still as strong now as it was for our ancestors hundreds or thousands of years ago. Even though our use of trees has changed their importance in our landscape and our imaginations remains the same. Perhaps years from now our descendants will wonder about the history of those trees which we plant now. Perhaps with each tree that we plant, we are planting the seeds of the myths of the future?