What is the history of a Celtic Tree of Life? And communication trees, like Aspen, Blackthorn, and Rowan, were thought to be able to communicate with spirits from beyond our world. Healing trees, like Aspen, Birch, Blackthorn, Elder, Mistletoe, Rowan, and Yew, were used for physical and spiritual healing. Life-giving trees, such as Alder, Apple, Ash, Birch, Blackthorn, Elder, Gorse, and Hawthorn, are believed to bring prosperity, fertility, and protection from evil spirits. Trees were categorized into three distinct types: life-giving, healing, and communication. Trees have long been thought to grant mystical powers to those who worshipped them. What are important trees in Celtic culture? The Hawthorn was another sacred tree which was associated with fertility and new life. The Rowan was thought to be a sacred tree because it could protect against evil spirits. The Druids also believed that certain trees had special powers. For example: Birch means New Beginnings, Cedar tree means Strength and Healing. Each letter in the alphabet corresponded to a different tree. The Celtic tree alphabet was used as a form of communication among Druids (Celtic priests). To them, trees were not just plants they were living beings with personalities and spirits. The Celts, a group of people who inhabited parts of Europe prior to the Romans, believed that trees were sacred.

How are Celtic Tree Magic and Fairy Lore connected?Ĭeltic trees are steeped in lore and tradition.

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The lore and tradition of trees in Irish Druids.

What is the meaning of trees in Celtic culture?.What type of tree is the Celtic tree of life?.What is the history of a Celtic Tree of Life?.What are important trees in Celtic culture?.Hawthorn tree or hedgerow is often teeming with life, and the Celts definitely noticed this.īirds, insects, mice and other small rodents all make their home in the tree and around the roots. Hawthorn has an almost unmatched capacity to support local wildlife. As the mice scattered in to the surrounding countryside, the workers believed this to be the fairy guardians of the tree and further refused to work on the road.Īs the foreman was transporting soil from the spot of the uprooted Hawthorn, a nearby horse became frightened, and ended up crushing the foreman against a wall, injuring him badly and eventually causing him to lose his leg. Not believing the stories the foreman cut the tree, and as he did, hundreds of little white mice emerged from under the roots. The Irish road workers knew the tales and refused to hurt the tree, leaving the entire tree for the English foreman to take care of himself. One such story, from Downpatrick in Northern Ireland tells of the felling of a Hawthorn to build a road. This fear of Hawthorn continues even to this day, with countless stories of curses, kidnappings and injuries after damaging a Hawthorn or disturbing the fairies who protect them. The tree is both admired for its life giving and protective properties, yet feared for its fairy inhabitants and their wrathful nature, should anyone damage the tree. In Medieval England, it was remarked that the Hawthorn smelled like the Bubonic Plague, which was spreading across London at the time. When in bloom, although the Hawthorn looks beautiful, the blossom is said to smell like death, due to the chemicals found in the plant which are also found in decaying flesh. In Celtic times, any infected wound could have been fatal, due to the lack of antibiotics so the Hawthorn especially was treated with care. In spring, the beautiful blossoms signal new life and the end of winter, but the blossoms hide the large, needle sharp thorns which cover the tree.

The Hawthorn is a tree of opposites, with several interesting juxtapositions that were not missed by the Celts. Fairy Tree offerings on a Hawthorn – Tara Hill, Ireland Fear of the Hawthorn:

Magical trees in celtic lore