Nion-Ash

Scientific name: Fraxinus excelsior

Color: clear (necht)/deep blue

Number: 13

Bird: snipe (naescu)

Tree Lore: Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is often said to be an ash.

The ash is sacred to Gwydion as the tree of enchantment. He made his wands of ash twigs.

The wood was used for oars and coracle slats because it is impervious to water, said to be due to its inherent fire.

Ash matures more rapidly than oak, which, with its toughnesss and elasticity, made it an important timber tree.

The ash is called cruel for several reasons: its wood was used to make spears and bows, its roots strangle other nearby trees, and its shade is said to be so thick that it allows no growth beneath it.

Woden took the ash from the Norns who dispensed justice beneath its branches.

The runic alphabet formed itself of ash twigs.

Three of the five Magic Trees of Ireland were ash trees (To Tortu, Dathi, and the Branching Tree of Usnech). Their destruction was considered a triumph of Christianity over paganism.

Ash is considered the best wood for fires, whether green or seasoned.

Wands made of ash are used in rain-making ceremonies as the wood is said to attract lightning.

The staff of a witch's besom is made of ash, as proof against drowning (with birch twigs to expel evil spirits and entangle them and willow binding in honor of Hecate).

The fruit resembles keys--the power to unlock the future.

Leaves of the ash laid under one's pillow will induce prophetic dreams, or, scattered to the four directions, will protect a house or area.

Ash is used for healing wands.

Burning an ash log at Yule yields prosperity.

The ash is a link between the inner and outer worlds.

The ash month is known as a time of floods.

Divinatory meaning: Work with emotional turmoil to learn inner self which yields a stronger knowledge and expression of self. Protection. Prosperity. Health. See things in the larger context--all actions have reactions, so see your effect on the world. Take bold action when action is called for. Determine hidden actions. Beware of cutting yourself off from the world around you.

Ritual also allows us to live the patterns of nature--to move with the rhythmic tides of time. The tide of spring leads to summer, the tide of youth leads to adulthood, morning to afternoon, to night--and ritual allows us to move within these patterns, rather than fighting against the inevitable change they bring.