Fearn-Alder

I am the shining tear of the sun

Alternate Names: Fearnog

Scientific name: Alnus glutinosa

Color: crimson (flann), green-brown, royal purple

Number: 8 (the number of humanity)

Bird: Crow and Gull (faelinn)

Tree Lore: It is believed that alder wood contains a fiery energy, and for this reason resists water.

The wood is white when first cut, but from it runs a red sap, like blood.

Green dye is made from alder flowers, brown from the twigs, and red from the bark, the red--called aldine red--a favorite of the Celts.

The name alder is derived from the Old English ealdor, meaning chief.

Cousin to both birch and hazel, hving flowers and seeds borne in catkins.

Usually found by a running stream, it will not thrive on dry ground.

The Celts used alder wood to make charcoal for their metalworking, though it is a poor wood for fuel.

The green top branches make good whistles which can be used to call up winds.

Milk pails were sometimes made of alder, which is why in the Book of Ballymote, Fearn is described as "guarding of milk."

Alder buds are set in spirals, a symbol of resurrection

One of the many fairy trees known to the Celts.

The healing quality of the alder deals with doubt.

Alder is the second chieftain tree in Irish tradition.

The alder first blooms near the equinox.

Holiday: Spring Equinox/Eostre/Ostara

Divinatory meaning: The founding principle of tradition. Remain steadfast in true principles. Seek your true foundation, true principles if you do not know them. Over-resistant to change. Be aware of danger. Know when to remain steadfast and when to encourage change. Tendency to fear defeat which impairs courage. Resurrection. The power of fire, especially to free one from water.

Celts

As fearn is the foundation of tradition, so Celtic history is the foundation of the mystical Ogham tradition. All things Celtic have recently become popular, leading to a plethora of information--and misinformation. (Just to be perfectly clear, nothing in these pages is meant to be taken as "history"--it is simply a collection of information about the Ogham and the trees associated with it, all subject to my personal interpretation. Most of the (to me) interesting information about the Ogham has no historical basis at all.)

The Celts, on the other hand, are very "real" historically, though the name, like so many in history, is one given after the fact to a group that did not even recognize itself as a group but rather as individual tribes who happened to speak related dialects and live in the same areas of Europe.

One thing unfortunate for those of us interested in the historical Celtic peoples is that they left no written records of their culture. While they had a rich oral "literary" tradition, they had no written tradition; meaning we are left to struggle with wordless clues from the period, and unearthing clues from the later scribing of their tales.

More on the web

Irish Literature, Mythology, Folklore and Drama

Dalriada Myths and Tales

Every Celtic Thing on the Web

The Celtic League

History

General Celtic Information

The Celtic Source

Comments? Questions? Just want to talk? Write to me here

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