#tree lore

[balkanradfem]

Tell me more about trees 🌳 💚

They're very warm inside, they like the wind a lot!

When trees fall, if there's a percentage of roots still in the ground, they're not dead, they can keep living. If in theory we had one giant human who just went around picking trees up and burying them back down, they would all recover and be fine. I was going to put that in my story when I wrote a continuation of Thornwood! I just think it would be very cool.

Some trees still go on living even when fallen down, they just adapt so their branches become the new trunk and they grow up form there.

The reason trees lose their leaves in the fall is related to the hours of light we have in the day, more so than the cold. Trees do a little calculation, and when there's less than ideal light in the day, they go 'well, this is not worth keeping leaves', and they let the leaves fall off, because it's not worth the effort for that little amount of light. Then in the spring, when they notice the light hours getting better, they start making new leaves, because now it's worth keeping all that greenery in order to receive nutrients! But trees are definitely not 'dead', or 'sleeping' during the winter, they're very much alive and calculating their next move. If you look at a tree in January or February, you'll be able to see them already forming lots of little buds and preparing to grow flowers, they're very much active! And I imagine they're enjoying how saturated the ground is with water, growing the roots down and taking in all they can.

If anyone can think of more tree knowledge on the spot, add to this post!

[tenderforgs]

anatomy of a tree | jackieshauna | 1.4k words | canon compliant

The very center of a branch is referred to as the pith or the medulla. It is the softest part of the branch and is composed of living cells. Were one to compare a tree to the human body, the heart could be an apt comparison to the pith. After all, the Ancient Greeks believed it to be at the center of the soul. Maybe it'll even taste like one too. But when understood in a more literal sense, the center of the human body could perhaps be viewed more as the stomach. The heart may pump blood around your body, but isn’t the stomach the true heart? Is that not where life forms: bark, roots, guts, fingernails? Perhaps, that is where trees and people differ the most.

Think of it like this, Shauna: are the trees really enough to keep both of you fed?

Read here!

[lailoken]

The Rowthorn: A Very Rare and Special Tree

Not too long ago, I began working with an extremely unique tree that I have since become pacted to, and I have finally been given leave to share about it publicly. It's a tree so unusual that it technically bares no common name and, instead, only has a couple of cultivar names and an undecided scientific name. The tree in question is one I have been calling a Rowthorn, since it is a cross between a Rowan Tree (Sorbus Acuparia) and a Hawthorn Tree (Crataegus Monogyna.) The resultant Crataegosorbus (or Sorbocrataegus, depending on your source) is a hybrid developed by Russian horticulturist Ivan Michurin in the 1920s, and can be phenotypically described as a nobbled Rowan tree with berries that look like rosy Haws the size of cherries. Miraculously, these Rowthorn berries are generally considered better for eating and cooking than either Rowan berries or Hawthorn berries are.

This tree is special to me for a couple reasons. On one hand, my grandfather was a botanist who specifically worked creating fruit tree hybrids in his day, which gives me a strange sort of ancestral connection to a tree born through human efforts. On the other hand, both Hawthorns and Rowans are quite historically and personally significant to my practice. Hawthorns possess ancient ties to the Otherworld and its denizens, and can serve to mark "thin places" where the realms are less experientially distinct from one another. As such, the Fae are often said to congregate at the sites of old Whitethorn trees. On the other hand, Rowans are also beloved by the Fae, who are said to enjoy dancing beneath their holy boughs—though, harvested wood from the tree can be utilized in a protective capacity against them as well. This ability of Rowan to both delight and repell the Fae is, in turn, closley aligned with my work as a Faerie Physicker. As such, a tree like the Rowthorn—which embodies the virtues of both these magical plants—is one I couldn't pass up the opportunity to know better, and so I invested in one the instant I was lucky enough to come across it.

Watching it grow from a bare and miniscule scion into a slowly flourishing sapling has been beautiful, and I can hardly wait for the day that it bares its first fruits.

[herdsworldbuilding]

Trees

I wanted to chit chat a little bit about a minor but sort of neat aspect of one of my world building projects.

in the world compass to the stars, people have a rather different relationship to the trees.

thing is that the most common kind of magic in the world is plant magic that corrupts the mind.

this means that there are many people in the world who can hear trees speak. because of this trees are well taken care of, and wood harvesting is approached in a different matter.

rarely is the entirety of a tree harvested for use, instead the practice of copping is common. that is harvesting the limbs and branches of the tree. there is an entire team of peoples who's job it is to sooth and heal the tree during the process to ensure the trees comfort. to gain the consent from the tree for what it is used for.

trees are venerated for their age, especially trees tat are over a hundred years in age, they have a similar sort of status to the three fantastic beast (dragons, phoenixes and unicorns) though the trees are seen as a more spiritual connection. in part because the three fantastic beasts are sentient creatures with their own societies.

wooden objects are given a lot of prestige.

[dutchpagan]

One of the things that I learned from the Ogham alphabet is to go outside and get to known the trees that are connected to the letters of this medieval Celtic alphabet. Several years ago I made this painting of the first tree in the Ogham, Beithe or birch. Lately I've taken up the journey again, to learn more about the ogham, the lore of the letters, the magic and myth connected to it, and of course the trees that represent the letters and the land they grow in. A natural way for me to connect with something is to make a drawing or painting of it - as I did with Beithe. This year and the next I am planning to complete this series.

[orange-lover]

i dont

[calendulacraft]

:: summer days & witchy reads ::

((Celtic Tree Magic by the Witches' Almanac))

[allengreenfield]







"The Battle of the Trees"

The tops of the beech tree have sprouted of late,

are changed and renewed from their withered state.

When the beech prospers, though spells and litanies

the oak tops entangle, there is hope for trees.

I have plundered the fern, through all secrets I spy,

Old Math ap Mathonwy knew no more than I.

For with nine sorts of faculty God has gifted me,

I am fruit of fruits gathered from nine sorts of tree —

Plum, quince, whortle, mulberry, respberry, pear,

black cherry and white, with the sorb in me share.

From my seat at Fefynedd, a city that is strong,

I watched the trees and green things hastening along.

Retreating from happiness they would fein be set

in forms of the chief letters of the alphabet.

Wayfarers wandered, warriors were dismayed

at renewal of conflicts such as Gwydion made;

Under the tongue root a fight most dread,

and another raging, behind, in the head.

The alders in the front line began the affray.

Willow and rowan-tree were tardy in array.

The holly, dark green, made a resolute stand;

he is armed with many spear-points wounding the hand.

With foot-beat of the swift oak heaven and earth rung;

"Stout Guardian of the Door", his name in every tongue.

Great was the gorse in battle, and the ivy at his prime;

the hazel was arbiter and this charmed time.

Uncouth and savage was the fir, cruel the ash tree —

turns not aside a foot-breadth, straight at the heart runs he.

The birch, though very noble, armed himself but late:

a sign not of cowardice but of high estate.

The heath gave consolation to the toil-spent folk,

the long-enduring poplars in battle much broke.

Some of them were cast away on the field of fight

because of holes torn in them by the enemy's might.

Very wrathful was the vine whose henchmen are the elms;

I exalt him mightily to rulers of realms.

Strong chieftains were the blackthorn with his ill fruit,

the unbeloved whitethorn who wears the same suit.

The swift-pursuing reed, the broom with his brood,

and the furse but ill-behaved until he is subdued.

The dower-scattering yew stood glum at the fight's fringe,

with the elder slow to burn amid fires that singe.

And the blessed wild apple laughing in pride

from the Gorchan of Maeldrew, by the rock side.

In shelter linger privet and woodbine,

inexperienced in warfare, and the courtly pine.

But I, although slighted because I was not big,

Fought, trees, in your array on the field of Goddeu Brig.

 

— Cad Goddeu, a medieval Welsh poem,

translated by Robert Graves

[movingtothefarm]

By Pandora Young, on March 9, 2015

For all of humankind’s existence we have relied on trees for food, medicine, and shelter. Trees are some of the largest and longest lived organisms on earth. So it is no surprise that ancient civilizations attributed great meaning to trees. Longwood Gardens’ own foundation is centered on Peirce’s Arboretum, a historic collection of trees started in the 1800s on the land that was to become the Gardens.

Lore for Ash, Oak, Holly, Linden at the link.

[starlling-writes]

Why the Alder Roots are Wet

In the depths of the alder grove Where the morning fog lingers Hides the runaway fae princess Slowly bleeding to death The trees wept as the princess died –with nothing they could do Taking her blood into themselves The first dryad was born

[mythic-register]

Tree lore

Those versed in tree lore speak loudly of the four trees that ring Outland. They speak of the Tree of Knowledge, to which the angels tend, in the Gardens of Peace. The Tree of Truth, which was named by the fiends of The Crevasse in their nigh-infinite pettiness, and feeds off the darkness that is rarely found outside that place. The Clockwork Tree, always frail, protected by great iron fortifications and legions of penal soldiers who learned too late that the crime of gazing upon the tree was to be drafted into it's defense. And the Tree of Names, upon who's branches many now nameless things have hung their names to allow themselves some measure of freedom. The most famous of those being Themself, though also most of the second generation of antitheon gods have used the tree to cloak themselves in namelessness.

Those best versed in tree lore whisper quietly about two other trees, one being the world tree itself, whose branches pierce high into the lands of the gentry and whose roots dig deep into the lands of twilight. The final tree, they say, is still a seed, yet to finish falling to the ground to take root. They dare not even whisper of what will happen then.

[balkanradfem]

Your story about trees makes my soul happy, because I used to hug trees all the time as a child. Not so much now, but you have inspired me to keep doing it💜

They must have loved you :)!

[asurrogateblog]

my favorite part of beach boys lore is that the beatles are the villains

[campbellzc]

Embrace the Wisdom of the Hazel Tree and Let it Guide You Through Life's Challenges

The hazel tree has been associated with wisdom and inspiration in many cultures throughout history. Here are some reasons why you should embrace the wisdom of the hazel tree and let it guide you through life’s challenges:1. **Celtic Lore**: In Celtic lore, the hazel tree is associated with wisdom and inspiration. The story goes that the hazel tree grew beside the Well of Wisdom, and its nuts…

[drenched-in-sunlight]

i love the DLC man

[bonebrokebuddy]

I did a molding and metal melting lab today and when returning home after class, my twin took the little metal smiley face that I so lovingly made and filed down and immediately asked me “is this made out of lead?”

Then, without waiting for a response immediately put it into her mouth, spit it out, went “Well, it’s mainly lead acetate that’s sweet so I don’t really know if it’s lead or not”

AND THEN PUT IT IN HER MOUTH A SECOND TIME TO CHECK

i mean, it’s not lead but I didn’t even get the time to say that before she popped it into her mouth D: