Ash by Anna Fraser (Fraxinus excelsior) Family : Oleceae

Contents

PART ONE - ASH FACTS

Name

Common names: Common Ash, European Ash, Lofty Ash, The Gout Tree.
The name Ash is said to be derived from the old Scandinavian word aske, meaning ‘human’. However the root-word as means also ‘divine’ or ‘God’, as in Asgard, the home or garden of the Gods in Scandinavian mythology.  Excelsior means, of course, ‘outstanding’ or ‘surpassing’ and reminds us of the extra-ordinary qualities of this magnificent tree.
Irish: Fuinseog. Scottish Gaelic: Uinseann. Manx: Unjin. Welsh: Onnen. Cornish: Onnenn. Breton: Onnenn. French: Frêne. Spanish: Fresno. Italian: Frassino. Romanian: Frasin. Czech: Jasan. Basque: Lizarre. Turkish: Disbudak. Finnish: Saarni. Swedish: Aska. Danish: Ask. German: Esche. Dutch: Es.

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Habitat

The Common or European Ash is one of about 65 species of Ashes, who are all part of the larger family of Oleaceae (the Olive family). It grows throughout Europe and is extremely common in Britain on a wide range of soils, except for on the poorest and most acids soils. Ash grow up to an altitude of 1400 meters.
The ash likes to grow in places where flowing water is abundant and which are relatively rich in lime. The tree grows largest on the deep, fertile soils of floodplains and valley bottoms, but it can also do well on hill and mountain sides, where water from the ground above runs down the slope. In such places, the soil may not be very deep, but the thirsty fibrous roots will penetrate into the subsoil to gain the nourishment they need. On the right sort of soil Ash can be a vigourous coloniser and form almost pure stands, for example on limestone screes (= areas of loose stones, full of rocky debris) and in upland areas, which are not too dry.
It is an important woodland tree. In Northern England and Wales it is also a common hedging tree. Ash responds well to coppicing and pollarding and was often specifically planted for this purpose.
In drier areas it is usually only found near river and stream sides. Its preference for moisture does not include truly waterlogged places, as it thrives far better in well-draining soil, that is not subject to stagnancy.

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Notes for observation

General:
For a hardwood tree, the Ash is a relatively fast growing tree. It can grow up to 25 meters, more in favourable conditions. The bole can grow to a diameter of 6 feet, although, unfortunately, we seldom see a specimen nowadays that lives long enough to grow this large. In comparison with trees such as Oak or Lime, the Ash does never attain a truly ancient age. It can become as old as 300 years, but more often it starts decaying when it reaches the age of 200 years or so.
Ash usually has a tall, clear trunk. When the trunk starts dividing, the main branches generally carry on the upright, vertical habit of the trunk. In spite of this, it manages to form a reasonably impressive crown. The lowers branches have more of a side-wards or downwards growing habit, but even these tend to grow upwards again near their tips and in doing so, they make rather graceful curves.
In the winter, the Ash is easily recognised by its characteristic twigs. These twigs are sturdy and stout and slightly flattened in between the nodes (the points where the leaves are attached), as if they have been gently pressed between finger and thumb when they were growing. But the feature that identifies the winter twig beyond a shadow of a doubt are the sooty black buds on the tips and along the branches. No other tree has such deep-black buds and from a little way off, they almost look like black warts.

Bark:
The bark is light grey and very smooth on the younger wood. On the older wood, it becomes quite thick and forms vertical ridges, rather like the patterns the outgoing tide leaves on the sandy beaches by the sea. The bark never becomes truly rugged, but with age the colour of the bark can turn towards a darker shade of greenish-grey, or sometimes a brownish-grey.

The Leaves:
The Ash appears to have small elliptical leaves, up to about 3" long with a pointed tip and an edge of shallow 'teeth'. Four to eight pairs of these leaflets grow opposite each other on the stalk and one single leaflet grows from the tip of the stalk. However, botanically, all these leaflets together are classed as just one Ash leaf. The stalk they share together is the equivalent of the main vein or rib in an ordianary leaf. This arrangement is called a pinnate leaf and it gives the Ash crown a  rather feathery appearance. Pinnate leaves allow the maximum of light and sun to penetrate into the crown and as a result the Ash crown does not look dark or heavy, but light and airy.
The Ash is one of the last trees to come into leaf, usually during the last week of May, although in sheltered places and hedges, we may see some leaves unfolding earlier. Late shoots in July, for example in hedges or small sapling trees, often have a dark purple tint.
In the Autumn, the Ash is also one of the first trees to bare its branches again, although in mild rainy seasons, we can sometimes still enjoy the soft green leaves of the Ash, whilst other trees take on their autumnal colours. Once its summer-life is over, Ash seems content to return to the Underworld without much further ado and more often than not, the still green leaves just fall to the ground. Sometimes they turn a murky brown or dull yellow colour, as if the tree is weary, rather than enjoying its seasonal old-age.

The Flowers:
It is a characteristic feature of the Ash that it displays no dependable pattern of male or female sexuality. For a scientific botanist, used to classifying flowers, this spells "Total sexual confusion: some trees all male, some all female, some male with one or more female branches, some vice versa, some branches male one year, female the next, some with perfect (i.e. bisexual) flowers." (Alan Mitchell "A field guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe", Collins, 1974).
On top of this, the trees do not predictably set flowers and fruit every year.
The Ash has no calyces (also known as sepals, this is the ring immediately below the petals, usually green or brown) nor any petals! The pollen of the Ash is totally dependant on the wind for spreading it about, and so protective calyces would only get in the way, as would petals, which have the function of attracting insect-pollinators with their bright colours.
In April, the black buds on last years twigs open and we are able to see that they have dark brown linings. In the middle of the bud is a bunch of purple flowers crowded together and looking rather like a cross between a purple raspberry and a broccoli head. If the flowers are bisexual, they have 2 stamens and 2 carpels. Male flowers just have 2 stamens, female flowers 2 carpels (also called pistils). The female flowers, on a pale green base,  open more widely than the male. The male flowers open with a profusion of yellow pollen. Cross-fertilisation is ensured, because the female pistils are ready before the polen is ripe. After fertilisation the stamens shrivel and the purple heads fall off.

The Fruits:
As we might guess from the above, not all trees carry fertilised fruits, but then again, sometimes we find a tree which carries an abundance. Such trees do not have the luxurious foliage we normally expect to find. Where-ever the female flowers have been fertilised, they will have turned by June into bunches of small, bright green 'keys'.
The Ash key is a silky-green , slightly twisted wing with the swollen seed at the end nearest the stalk. All during the summer they continue to grow. When October comes, they are dry and ready, about one inch long and brown in colour. They are one of the favourite foods of Bullfinches, but if they are not eaten, they often stay on the tree all winter. The spring winds will finally disperse them, and due to the propellor-like shape of the key, they manage to spin well clear of the parent tree. Judging by the impressive ability of Ash to colonise a suitable environment, using the wind is an excellent means of dispersal. It enables the tree also to end up in in accessible places, such as the crevices of high rocks.

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Cultivation

The main method of propagation is by the seeds. The winged seeds, which will only be found on trees which have carried female flowers, will be ripe by the end of October when they can be collected in bunches. Theses seeds will not germinate the next spring, because they need a long time for moisture to rot down the extremely tough outer coat.
Mix the seeds with sand or light earth. Keep this mixture outside somewhere for 1½ year, so that the maturing and rotting process can take place. If you have a large quantity of seed care must be taken that the whole pile of seed and sand is not over one foot deep, otherwise the rotting may generate enough heat to affect the vitality of the seed. It is also good practice to turn the heap over every three months.
Eighteen months after gathering the seeds are sown in March. Sow very thinly, about 2 inches apart either way, in fine soil and cover with no more than ¾ inch of soil. Transplant the seedlings the following year into nursery rows about 15 inches apart with 4 inches between each plant. After  a further 2-3 years, the young trees can be transplanted to their permanent positions.

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Traditional Uses of Ash wood

Well-grown Ash is one of the most versatile woods of all our European trees. Only Oak is stronger, though in different way, and Yew more elastic. Ash wood can be used for more purposes than any other timber and it has the advantage of quick growth.
The combination of strength and flexibility enable it to carry more weight than any other European wood. This makes it an excellent choice for joists or beams, especially valued before the extensive use of steel. Ash has also been a popular choice of wooden flooring by many people.
Its ability to take heavy knocks and bear tension makes it the wood of choice for tool handles (spades, forks, hammers, axes, chisels, etc.) and sports equipment (oars, rackets, hockey sticks, ski’s, gymnasium equipment, ladders, etc.). With the event of globalisation Ash has been replaced for some uses by American Hickory, which is an even better shock absorber.
Ash was used to make the toughest horse shafts and was in great demand for the rims of cart wheels, carriage building, railway wagons, early airplanes. It was a favourite wood for the frames of boats, canoes and coracles. The Tudor-like frame of that most British of motorcars, the Morris minor Traveler Estate, was made of it. Many things now made from metals were made from Ash: such as harrows and rakes.
Traveling, skilled craftsmen, known as bodgers, worked in the woods and turned green unseasoned Ash into legs for tables and chairs, bowls and other household utensils. Their wood-turning lath was powered by the combined action of a springy Ash pole and a treadle.
Sometimes the choice of Ash wood was enhanced by strong faith in the evil repelling and protective qualities of the tree. A shepherds crook and the handles of witches brooms were traditionally made of Ash. It was one of the woods for Druids wands and its roots, which resemble human shapes, like the notorious mandrake plant, were used in magic as ‘fith-faths’ or healing images.
Ash was used for bows, arrows, spears, hop poles and too many other items to mention.

However, even Ash has its limitations. It is not much good for fencing poles, because it deteriorates fast in continuous contact with soil. Maybe this is one of the endless examples of Divine synchronicity between spirit and matter: the resilient, flowing strength of Ash withers when it is pinned down and fenced in. However it makes a fast growing hedge and it is probably one of the most common hedge plants in Wales and Northern England. Ash also coppices and pollards well.
Ash is a magnificent firewood, of which many old rhymes bear testimony:
         “Ash, mature or green,
          makes a fire for a Queen”.
It is one of the few woods to give a lovely fire when unseasoned and after seasoning it burns hot and steady and is  virtually smokeless.
         “Ash logs, smooth and grey,
          burn them green or old.
          Buy up all that comes your way,
          worth their weight in gold”.

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Ash Medicine

Ash bark  is a bitter tonic and astringent, has a cleansing depurative action and slightly widens the blood vessels. It bitterness is a tonic to liver and spleen function. Before the introduction of Quinine from the Peruvian Chinchona bark, it was widely used as a remedy for intermittent (i.e. coming and going) fevers, which are a feature of many illnesses, including Malaria, which was once common in Europe.
The powdered bark can be effective in helping to expel intestinal worms. Fasting on the day of treatment is recommended, as are repeat doses at intervals of several days. A decoction of the bark was used as a healing wash for cuts and sores and the ley from the bark ashes was used to cure scabby and leprous sores.
Ash leaves often featured in recipes for longevity and are diuretic, diaphoretic & purgative, as well as laxative. They were recommended as a herbal tea on waking in the morning to improve general health. The leaves are known to help to eliminate urates, a waste-product, which can cause auto-immune reactions. Hence Ash is sometimes known as ‘the Gout tree’. A course of Ash leaf infusions is a traditional country remedy in cases of gravel and renal colic. Due to its laxative properties, the leaves are said to be a useful alternative to Senna, because they have a less griping effect.
The distilled water of the leaves taken every morning was used as a cure for dropsy.
The cleansing actions of bark decoctions and leaf infusions are very  helpful in rheumatic and arthritic conditions.
In the time when Indian and Ceylon tea was still an exotic, expensive drink, Ash leaves were often added to the mixture to make it go further and must have been a healthy addition.
Dioscores, author of the earliest known European herbal, wrote that the Ash seeds “provoke lust”. The aphrodisiac reputation of the seeds, also known as ‘keys’ may be due in part to the general improvement in health by Ash medicine.
The fruits are probably even more active than leaves and bark and a decoction of the fruits is an ancient remedy for flatulence.
Powdered, or mixed with honey, the seeds were held to be a remarkable diuretic by some herbalists and more active in shedding excess body water than the bark or leaves.
Country people sometimes pickles the Ash keys as a substitute for capers.

In homeopathy, the American White Ash is considered as an organ remedy for the womb, specifically in all ‘heavy’ states of the uterus, prolapse, bearing down pains, heavy menses, profuse leucorrhoea, inflammation and even myoma's or fibroids with ‘heaviness’. American Ash has similar spiritual and medicinal properties as European Ash, so women suffering from any of these troubles would loose nothing from trying 5 drops of Ash tincture 3 x a day for 2- 12 months, especially where waiting lists for medical attention are long.

There is an old wart charm associated with the Ash. Stick as many new pins as you have warts in the tree. Take out one pin at the time, prick one of the warts with it and put it back in the tree, whilst saying:
        “Ashen tree, Ashen tree,
        Pray buy these warts of me.”
By the time the pins go rusty, the warts will have disappeared. All this may sound awfully superstitious, but it is surprising how often these charms work. Warts are caused by a virus, but the practice of folk-medicine has proven again and again that some warts are extremely open to suggestion.
Herbal medicine is very rich in cures for warts, because in the time of the witch-burnings they could be a life-threatening affliction. Witch hunters saw warts as a nipple for demons to suck on and a sure sign that a woman had been copulating with the devil. A woman with warts could therefore be burned as a witch.

The vibrational ASH remedy of Mother Nature's Celtic Tree remedies has the following indications:
Keyword: Connection

• For people who feel easily out of touch and for those who are rootless, alienated.

• For integrating various rolls in life.

• To increase our flexibility and strength in times of heavy pressure.

• To increase our flexibility when we suffer from stiff ingrained habits, deep set conditioning and dogma.

• For when the sweeping force of emotions seems to drown us and erode our life

• Ash is the antidote to ‘Divide and Rule’, it encourages us to ‘Connect and Share’! By giving what we seek we keep abundance circulating in our lives.

• It helps us to see from a spherical perspective and so it heals many splits in our life: inner and outer world, male and female, mind and body, etc.

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Other uses

The fruits were used to make pickles

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Other species occurring in Great Britain:

For the sake of interest, we mention a few of the many other Ash species below, which you may find in parks and collections. All these trees have similar properties to the European or Common Ash. In additions there are some cultivars of the Ash, which - in this country - are usually grafted onto rootstock of the Common Ash. Thus there is a Weeping Ash (F. excelsior 'Pendula'), which can be seen in some gardens, parks and churchyards and a rarer Golden-leafed Ash (F. excelsior 'Jaspidea') with yellow branches and golden foliage in spring and autumn.

• Fraxinus Ornus - Manna Ash or Flowering Ash. This is a South-European Mediterrenean tree, which bears clusters of creamy-white flowers in May and June. The tree produces a sugary gum, which is know as 'Mamma'. Once the tree has sprung fully into leaf, a series of vertical shallow cuts are made in the bark. These wounds produce incrustations of the whitish to pale-yellow Manna, which is harvested a couple of months later. Dry, warm weather seems to be essential for a good crop. Manna used to be much sought after as a gentle laxative (and therefore suitable for children). It was also used much in pharmacy to disguise the taste of other medicines. 
  When the Flowering Ash is grown in Great Britain, it is usually grafted on rootstock of the Common Ash to make it grow faster.

• Fraxinus augustifolia - Narrow-leaved Ash. Native to South Europe< North Africa and West Asia. A tall tree with finely ridged dark grey bark. The leaves are very narrow, the young twigs olive-coloured and the winter buds dark-brown and downy.

• Fraxinus americana - White Ash. This is a large forest tree, native to the rich moist woods of the USA. Its leaves are slightly paler on the underside and its buds are rusty yellow.

• Fraxinus nigra - Black Ash (also known as the Water Ash and the Basket Ash). This tree grows in the marshes from Newfoundland to Mexico. It is not as large as the White Ash, and has blue-black winterbuds, somber green foliage and dark hues of bark and wood.

• Fraxinus pensylvanica - Red Ash. This is a large forest tree and grows, like the White Ash, in rich, moist woods throughout the USA. It has a velvetty coat on leaves and twigs and a reddish hue on the bark of the branches.

• Fraxinus lanceolata - Green Ash. This is a North American tree with bright green foliage, which can endure drought better than any other Ash. It grows as far south as Mexico and it is much appreciated in some areas as a shade-tree.

• Fraxinus quadrangulata - Blue ash. The Blue Ash grows sparingly in the Missisipi Valley. It has four-angled twigs and the bark contains a substance that gives a blue tinge to water. It is outstanding amongst Ash trees in that it produces perfect bisexual flowers.

• Fraxinus diversifolia (syn. F heterophylla or F.monophylla) - Single-leaved Ash. This tree can be found occasionally growing wild in Britain and Europe and can be a real brain teaser for budding botanists trying to identify it. Its bark is smoother and the crown tends to be more open. The leaves are up to 20 cm long, ovate-oblong shaped and it may be either sharply toothed or hardly at all.

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PART TWO - ASH TRADITIONS 

A Tree with an outstanding reputation

In the Northern regions of Europe, where the mighty Oak does not flourish, Ash is the most important hardwood tree.  Here, its strong graceful presence was a spiritual benefactor, as well as a guarantor of a higher standard of living. It has just about the most versatile timber one could ever ask for and the most luxury firewood one can desire.
It is hard to over-estimate the tremendous importance of trees in the lives of our ancestors. Trees provide shelter, warmth, food, medicine and the raw materials for all human needs.  The trees were also seen as wise teachers for our searching minds and restless spirits.
The mysterious invisible roots, the strong physical reality of the trunk, the changeable cyclic nature of leaves and crown reaching towards the sky, were seen as a model to help us understand the Nature of Creation.
Roots, trunk and crown embodied the three vital basic principles of the Divine Trinity, which in endless interaction create the world.
To the Nordic people, the Ash tree is the Teacher, who connects all the visible and invisible dimensions within its great spiritual being. It is their ‘World-tree’, their sacred ‘book’ of the mysteries of life.
However, all over Europe there is an immensely rich tradition of folklore and legends connected with the Ash.

This is the tree under- and through which the justice of the Gods was dispensed in ancient Greece. This is the wood the Irish Celts burned to keep their devils away. This  is the tree that provided the original Yule log, the invincible spears of the Germanic tribes, and  Cupid’s magic bow!

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The Nordic World Tree

Ash was experienced as a connecting spirit between the many different levels and dimensions of existence. Nowhere is this shown more clearly then in Scandinavian mythology, where the Ash is seen as the axis of the Universe. (Nowadays many scholars believe, with very good reasons, that the Yew may have been the original Nordic World Tree. We can of course never be completely sure, as later generations of our ancestors held the Ash to be the symbol and archetype of the World Axis. This is why I'm making the case for the Ash in this portrait, as the case for the Yew is set out in the Yew Portrait!)

The Nordic people, who sailed to Iceland and made it their home, to avoid living in submission to King Harold Haarfagr, have preserved this tradition for us in a reasonably pure way due to their isolation. Their oral treasure of myths and legends was collected and written down around 1200 and is known as the “Younger or Prose Edda”. In Iceland all the best poetry was called “Edda”, a word that literally means “Great-grandmother”. And it is from the mouth of these ancient Great-grand-mother stories that we learn about the mighty Ash, called Yggdrasil, the World-tree.

Held in the crown of her lower branches, we find Midgard (The middle garden), the world of human beings. Midgard is surrounded by the waters of the ocean, which in turn is held together by the serpent of eternity, eating its own tail, and a ring of mountains. In the centre of Midgard arises a mountain called Asgard (the garden of the Gods). This is the home of the Gods, where we find Gladheim (House of Joy), Odin and Frigga’s home, which includes the famous feasting hall, known as Valhalla, where the fallen heroes are looked after by the Valkyries. The uppermost branch of Yggdrasil, underneath which the Gods and Goddesses meet in council, is called Peace-giver. It is interesting to note that the Gods are nurtured by the tree just like all the other beings living in her mighty branches.

There are 4 stags browsing on Yggdrasil’s leaves. They represent the guardians of sleep, as well as the 4 winds, because the Stag is a universal symbol of renewal, a quality which both sleep and the wind have in common. Stags can also be the messengers of the Gods or the heavenly powers. They draw the chariot of Father Time and the sleigh of Father Christmas. One could say that these vehicles are powered by the winds of (Divine) awareness We are also put in touch by the winds of Divine awareness during our sleep in our dreamtime.

An all knowing eagle, with a hawk perched on its forehead, lives in the top of the tree. Nidhoggr, the Dreadbiter, a huge serpent, gnaws unceasingly at the roots of the tree.

Ratatosk, a mischievous squirrel (and also the bringer of rain and snow) is forever chattering and running up and down the the tree, creating bad feeling between the eagle and the serpent. The eagle is aware of the destruction Nidhoggr is causing and grumbles. Ratatosk then runs and tells Nidhoggr what he has overheard, thus making the serpents venom ever more bitter. Like everywhere else in the description of this great Ash tree, we are given lessons we can benefit from. Our life-force (the serpent) is gnawing away at itself. Our consciousness (the eagle) knows it. Our chattering, hoarding mind (the squirrel) is making things worse by causing enmity between the two.

Yggdrasil grows from 3 great roots, which each have a wondrous well associated with it.  The first root grows from Nilfheim, the home of mist. This is the realm of mysteries, death and the unknowable. Below it, are 9 underworlds (number 9 is symbolic for the ultimate, as beyond 9 we restart counting again with 1 and 0 = 10). Here we find Hekla, the great mountain of fire, which is the furnace of all trans-formation; Nidhoggr, the Dreadbiter and the World of the Dead, which is connected to Midgard by a bridge of Ice.

The fountain springing from Nilfheim is Hvergelmar, whence flowed the rivers of Anguish and Death, the Tempest, the Whirlwind and the Abyss.

The second root grows from Jotunheim, the frozen land of the Ice giants. These are the great primordial forces from which the later generations of Scandinavian Gods descended. Jotunheim can be thought of as the vast depth of Space, containing the huge bodies of many planets and stars. Our present world was created by the battle between the Ice giants and the Gods of Asgard. From this area springs the well of Mimir, the Wise. Mimir was a wise giant killed in the battle and his oracular head continues to gush forth as the source of all art and wisdom.

The third root connects to the Highest Heavens, which is the realm of Time. Here we find the Norns, also known as the 3 sisters of Fate: Urd, the past, who spins the threads; Verdanti, the present, who weaves the cloth of life; Skulda, the future, who cuts the threads. The sisters weave the fates of Gods and humans and write it on the Shield of Destiny.
From this place originates the the Well of Urd. The Norns keep the roots of Yggdrasil moist with its blessed water, so the tree will always be green and strong.

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The Fountain of Life

All the above is a brief summary of some keypoints underlying Nordic mythology.
It serves to illustrate the immense respect with which the Ash was regarded. To the old myth-makers the spirit of Ash was one of the fountains of life, connecting visible and invisible worlds in her flow.
The Ash is the last tree to dress itself with leaves in the summer and it is often the first to shed its greenery in the autumn. Thus it can be said that the tree lives for nearly two-thirds of the year in ‘the Otherworld’. But when it springs to life in the summer, it is one of the most explosive growers of our tall forest trees. It seems as if it brings all the wisdom gathered from that long journey through the other realms and turns it into a feast of graceful and vigourous abundance. The Ash can grow up to 25 meters or more with a trunk of 6 feet in diameter. Unfortunately, we seldom see a specimen of this size nowadays. The timber of the tree is very much sought after and because the wood starts decaying when it reaches the age of 200 years, it is often cut down well before that time. From the timber-merchants point of view, it is probably at its most useful state at about 60 years of age, with a diameter of just under 2 feet.

Like the mythic Yggdrasil, who had wells springing up from every root, all Ash trees have a strong connection with flowing water. We won’t always be able to see the flowing water Ash is so fond of. It may percolate below the surface or stream down the hill in the subsoil, where its fibrous roots will grow to find it. For Ash will grow best where there is flowing water and fertility. In natural circumstances, fertility is of course just another word for dead, decayed matter and this reminds us of the Underworld, below Yggdrasil’s roots, where the realm of the Dead could be found.

On the tree calendar, the Ash gives its name to the third month (Feb.18 - March 17). This time was also known as the month of floods and it is comforting to have the Spirit of Ash pervading this wet period. Ash has thirsty roots and is a great drainer, thus it guards against erosion by water and prevents swampy conditions. Translated on the spiritual level, this means that Ash protects us from sweeping emotions that could potentially drown us and erode our life.

The strong flowing- and connecting energy of Ash, led not only to an association of Ash with seafaring and sailing practices, but also with horses. Horses and boats were for thousands of years the fastest ways of traveling. And funnily enough, in more modern times, Ash wood has been used to build the early wooden aeroplanes!

The Ash-God Odin or Wodan became also the God of the seafarers when the Vikings took to the sea. In Greek mythology Poseidon is the God of both horses and the sea and it no surprise that the Ash was sacred to him too. In Celtic legends, Gwydion fulfills a similar role. During the potato famine in Ireland, when so many desperate, starving Irish people emigrated to America, the descendant of a sacred Ash tree at Killura was carried away over the sea, bit by bit, for its wood was a charm against drowning. Ash is the traditional wood to make oars, coracle slats and boat-frames.

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Riddle of the Serpent who eats its own tail

The flowing, life-giving  quality of Ash is also emphasised by its close association with serpents and snakes. We have seen this already in the description of Yggdrasil. On top of that the Ash tree has always been regarded as a protector and a supreme medicine against the venom of snakes. There appears to be a contradiction here , because the serpent is an essential part of the Ash spirit, but at the same time Ash is medicine against  its venom. How can this be? The answer to this riddle has a distinct homeopathic quality, i.e. “like cures like”:
Ultimately all life will die and yet, to escape untimely death you need a strong dose of the life-force, i.e. Ash-medicine.

The belief in the efficiency of Ash as a protector against snakes is remarkably widespread throughout Europe. The famous Roman commentator Pliny reported that he saw a demonstration in which a snake was given the choice of crossing a barrier of ash leaves or a fire. The snake chose the fire. Practical applications were: Hanging up twigs in stables to protect cattle and horses, wearing ash twigs or leaves, carrying an Ash walking stick which would kill an attacking snake outright, drinking a strong infusion of half a pound of Ash leaves, as well as treating the wound with the residue.

N.B. Modern ‘rational’ minds may dismiss  much of the above as  uneducated superstitions of days gone by. A critical faculty is healthy in all ages and cultures, more so than ever in our own times, where the stakes for a faulty believe can be enormous, for example in the case of the believe that nuclear weapons keep the peace. Yet we should be careful not to throw out the child with the bathwater. Many of these old traditions and beliefs are rooted in a culture that we no longer understand, even though it is part of our heritage. We are slowly beginning to learn from our encounters with other cultures all over the world, that different belief systems produce different results.
Acknowledging that we can learn and benefit greatly from a different worldview does not force us to return to the Stone age. It merely means that our lives in the here and now can be enhanced and enriched with different perspectives.
The old folklore and myth provides us with valuable guidance, gathered by our ancestors over thousands of years, on our journey to learn about the energy of Ash trees that grow in our environment today.

The serpent is a symbol of the life-force that has great richness and depth. It moves in a wave-like pattern, which was regarded as a metaphor for pure energy-flow. Its symbolism was multi-sexual. It represented continual cyclic rebirth every time it sheds its skin. The serpent is the womb when curled up (and incidentally, the womb sheds its skin every moon), the phallus when unfolding and it is also the umbilical cord. The serpent hides in dark, cavernous places, cracks and holes. It seeks the shade of a tree and likes to hide under a stone and it is therefore the symbol of the unconscious. It has a forked tongue and we imagine that, if it could speak, it would tell us about the duality of life, love and fear.

Consistent with the snake, symbolism,  Ash flowers display no dependable pattern of male or female sexuality. For a scientific botanist, used to classifying flowers in neat categories, this spells, as Alan Mitchell calls it: “Total sexual confusion: some trees all male, some all female, some male with one or more female branches, some vice versa, some branches male one year, female the next, some with perfect (i.e. bisexual) flowers”.
Like the snake, Ash hibernates for much of the year.

We can commune with a tree and meditate in its presence to get a feel for the spirit it emanates. And we can confirm the impressions obtained this way through what one could call ‘spiritual archeology’.
By combining our knowledge of the living tree with digging deep and wide into the myths and legends surrounding it, we can form an idea of its character.
When we do this, it becomes clear that Ash has a lot of mercurial qualities. Mercury (or Hermes in Greek) was the messenger of the Gods. Like the Ash, he was androgynous and had a strong connection with the Underworld. His energy, like that of the Ash, is vigorous and quick-flowing. He was the God of the roads (signifying Potentiality!) and travelers.
Mercury/Hermes is the interpreter or mediator, so one of his tasks was to conduct the souls of the dead to the Underworld.  The Greek Fates (also known as Furies) dispensed justice under and through the Ash tree. Hermes mediated in disputes as well. Both the Ash and Hermes are associated with snakes. Mercury restored harmony in a fight between two serpents, who then curled themselves around his wand. Thus he obtained his famous caduceus, the staff with the two intertwined serpents, now a universal symbol of balance and healing. It is interesting to remember that the Chinese Yin and Yang symbol has a similar meaning of balance between male and female, extroversion and introversion, action and passivity, and so on.
Another of the many noteworthy similarities is that Mercury taught the Gods the art of making fire, whilst Ash provides one of the very best firewoods!.

It is no coincidence therefore, that the Nordic Ash God, Odin or Wodan, also has a distinct mercurial character. The middle day of the week (= the axis of the week) is called after him: Wednesday. The French named this day after Mercury: Mercedi.
Ash is an axis around and through which the different energies and dimensions of life can connect and harmonise with each other, endlessly changing and flowing in the process. It has the energy of the serpent eating its own tail, which in doing so, renews life.

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Wodan, the Ash God

To our Nordic ancestors all of Nature was endowed with spirit and soul. They knew that on a deep level all of Creation is One and subject to what they called “The Great One”. Yet within this whole there are many energies, which weave our world. The most outstanding of these energies were experienced as Gods and Goddesses.

Wodan or Odin,the Nordic All-Father-God, and his brothers, after having fashioned Midgard, sculpted man and woman out of the trunks of an Ash and Alder tree found on the beach. They gave these first human beings life, soul, movement, reason and five senses. Wodan watched his beautiful new world and its people. He worried about the Giants destroying this world and about his inability to control the forces of evil. He longed to have a clearer knowledge to show him how to guide the world wisely.
In order to obtain the insights he desired, he hung upside down on the Ash tree for nine days and nights. There he looked out over the Abyss into the Home of the mist (the Underworld). And on the tenth day, he resurrected himself. Next, he took on a human shape and traveled to the Well of Memory. A draft of this sacred water bestows knowledge of everything, including the future. Mimir, the guardian of the well, recognised the Wodan and warned him that a drink of the water can only be gained through toil and sacrifice. He asks Wodan to give his right eye as an offering. Thinking of the helpless humans and the fair land he had helped to create, Wodan paid the price and drank deeply of the well. Thus he became all-wise and knew all the beauty and sadness to come and the transitory nature of things. Wodan never regretted his great sacrifice, for although he could not alter the fate the 3 Norns had spun, he could help his people by not unwittingly striving against the will of “the Great One”.
From this time onwards the Gods frequently dwelt amongst the humans in Midgard to inspire and help them.

The theme of a God sacrificing himself for the sake of his people is ancient and widespread. We are all familiar with the sacrifice of Jesus, who braved death on the cross, as Wodan faced the Underworld hanging from the Ash tree. Both were resurrected in due time. There are also many stories about “the Green Man”, the spirit or God of vegetation, who comes to fullness every year and dies, so we may eat  his body and drink his blood as bread and wine. By the grace of this sacrifice all creatures live.
The word ‘sacrifice’ means originally ‘making whole’. Life sacrifices itself to renew itself. The serpent eats its own tail. We are all One in an ever ongoing process of death and resurrection.

Wodan is often seen by modern interpreters as a patriarch usurping the power and influence of the older Great Goddess, especially since he presides over a cult of warriors, where going berserk in battle and fighting with an almost ecstatic fury was regarded very highly.
We find a similar admiration for hero-warriors in many other ancient worldviews, including the Celtic and Native American cultures.
Nevertheless Wodan’s name is derived from ‘wood’ and his many associations with the Ash tree make him foremost a vegetation spirit, a ‘Green Man’. It is interesting to note that the Angel-Saxon word for ‘fury’ is also derived from ‘wood’, for example ‘woede’ in Dutch.
‘Fury’ itself is very likely derived from ‘fire’. Thus it may be possible that the ability of a  warrior to burst into the fury of a fight was likened to wood bursting into flame.
N.B. Wo-tan means maybe 'woodfire'. Think also of Tanne-baum - + Fir (fire wood?), etc.

It is also interesting that Wodan’s wife, Frigga, does not have to make the same sacrifices as he does to obtain wisdom. She is woman and birthgiver. She watches over the people of the Earth, spins gold and knows the destiny of all humans, but her lips are closed. Not even to Wodan does she speak of her knowledge.

Just as Mercury/Hermes helped the Muses to invent the first alphabet, so Wodan, the Ash God, is said to have invented the Runes, the magical Nordic alphabet. Each Rune represented a Divine vibration and was traditionally carved in wood.
In his search for wisdom, Wodan had to take all different perspectives into account, symbolised by him hanging upside down.
Then he had to connect all these viewpoints holistically and take ‘holy communion’ in the great inter-connected flow of memory from the Well of Mimir the Wise. To achieve this he had to let go of his right eye which can be interpreted poetically as letting go of dualism. This allowed his other eye to function from a spherical, all-compassing viewpoint.
We can do this in our own lives by merging all contradictions through allowing our so-called ‘Third Eye’, or wisdom eye, to open. 

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The Tree of Dynamic Exchange

The myths and traditions connected with the Ash are abundant. It is said that prophetic dreams can be invited by sleeping with Ash leaves under the pillow. Burying a babies first nail parings and a lock of hair under an Ash tree helps the child to obtain a beautiful singing voice.

The poet Hesiod tells a fable of Zeus creating a race of bronze men from Ashes.
Ash also features in ancient Greek creation myth. Ouranos (the atmosphere) embraced Gaia (the Earth) so tight, that her children where unable to leave her womb, i.e the early atmosphere was too oppressive for life to flourish on the Earth.
This grieved Gaia and with the help of her son Chronos (Time) she devised a plan. Chronos cut off his father’s genitals (life-giving organs) and threw them into the sea. Aphrodite, Goddess of love, was born from the foam that rose on the surface of the water in this great event. Life has blossomed ever since.
The story is a description of evolutionary development. Life started when, through the action of Time, enough oxygen became available to the water for life forms to grow. The blood spilt during the castration of Ouranos, grew into the Meliae, who were the ash nymphs. Nymphs were nature spirits, emanations of the feminine productive powers. Later they were usually thought of as guardian spirits.

In England, the Ash was seen as a tree of rebirth. Sometimes people brought this belief into practice. A cleft was made in a living young tree and a hole formed with the use of wedges. People could be passed through this ‘womb’ to be ‘reborn’ or healed, Gilbert White describes such a ritual in “The Natural History of Selborne”. A naked child, suffering from rupture was past through a cleft Ash before sunrise. Then the tree was closed again and care-fully bandaged. If the tree’s wound would heal satisfactory, so would the child..

Where there is a strong life force flowing, as there is in the Ash, we will usually find a high degree of adaptability, as well as the capacity to take heavy knocks. A strong life force has the ability to heal and make new connections.
The invigorating quality we experience in a close encounter with an Ash shows us how to make the most of the wonderful gift of being alive and it encourages us to connect and share with the tidal currant of life around us.
Never could a spirit be satisfactorily caught in a net of words, because the essence of spirit is movement and process.
But being human, our destiny is  to be the storytellers and poets of the Earth, and  so we must try and express what we see.
The Ash heals the gap. It is an axis of the life force, which connects the Other world and this world and which balances inner and outer worlds. The Universe functions through a dynamic exchange of all things within it. Ash teaches us that we are part of a larger flow and reminds us of the words of Starhawks song:
   “We are the weavers, we are the web
     We are the flow and we are the ebb.”
It encourages us to connect and share. By giving and sharing what we seek, we can bring abundance in our lives.

Ash tree, we honour thee!

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