The Ancient peoples of the modern day British Isles lived with an indepth knowledge of their environment, wisdom was passed down through ancient bardic traditions that infused magical tales with practical skills and wisdom. Humanities relationship with the natural world and trees in particular is central from the beginning of time to the present day.

After the last Ice Age (10,000 years ago), our ancient lands were once covered in dense forests filled with a great abundance of wild animals and species of plants and trees. Ancient society was ordered through tribes where each invividual had a key role within the tribe. Historians and archeologists have uncovered how these early people lived and survived, however, systems of writing were not developed until the development of Celticism. Great monuments were built from stone (such as Stone Henge in Wiltshire) to celebrate the seasons, the sun and the moon - giving us an insight into how advanced early society was. Trees played a pivotal role in society, each species giving unique properties, both practicle and magical to the people who used them for many purposes from building dwellings to taking medicines.

The 'Ogham' Tree Alphabet

The Celts developed an ancient alphabet known as 'the Ogham alphabet'. This system of written record evolved through the age of wood and stone. The alphabet was formed 'out of the knowledge of the vocalisation of language and speech'. It is mainly associated with Ireland, and is said to have developed from an ancient encoded finger language used by the forerunners of the Druids. The characters that make up the alphabet were formed around the close associations between species of trees, the sounds and symbols of their names with all they represented.

The Druids

The first written accounts of Druidicial practice can be found in classical writings, from Roman and Greek writers such as Julius Caesar. Classical writers discovered that the Celts had developed a highly sophisticated religious system called Druidism, with three types of Druid: the Bards, who knew the songs and stories of the tribe, the Ovates, who were the healers and seers, and the Druids who were the philosophers, judges and teachers. Druids worshipped in sacred tree groves - never deeming themselves mighty enough to contain the powerful spirit of the gods inside a building. The Oak tree was used magically by the Druids for all major celebrations throughout the year.

We have researched into how native tree species have been used by Celtic peoples and offer information on celtic zodiac trees, tree magic and ancient uses. Click on the link below to browse our range now...

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