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Tree Alphabets
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I first encountered the concept of an
ancient Tree Alphabet when I read The White Goddess by Robert Graves more than 40
years ago. In it Graves presents an Alphabet system based on
the initial letters of tree names.
Related initially to the Ogham language, tree alphabets also seem to
have been adopted by many Celtic people. |
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It has been suggested that these Alphabets
may have been keys to elaborate "Mind Maps", a way of holding a vast quantity of
information in the mind before the development of written forms of culture transmission.
Those who enaged in this process of the memorisation
of the entire history and lore of a people became, in effect "walking
libraries". They could be consulted on, for example, techniques of
weapon-making, herbal healing, stories of gods and heroes, history, the skills of
fire-making and, in fact, any and every aspect of life.
They would therefore be treated with great veneration and protected
as an important 'resource' for the community. Apprenticeship in this skill could
take up to twenty years, which given the much lower life-expectancy at that time, made it
virtually a life's work. |
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There are Celtic forms of the Alphabet,
some ancient in origin (dating from the Iron Age c. 1,500 BC), some recovered and
reconstructed during the current revivial of interest in Celtic matters. There are
forms in both Gaelic and Scots Gaelic, but as far as I am aware, no version in Cornish. |
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I have therefore decided to create one,
not claiming any ancient roots for it, although as far as possible I have linked each
letter to the Gaelic equivalent. For each letter, I make an
image in stained glass. A short verse in Cornish gives a little information about
the relevant tree, and contains words that could be key-words for associations with
various aspects of life and culture. These are pure suppositions on my part,
suggested from Robert Graves's commentary on each tree and/or from other known uses or
associations with the tree. |
Follow the blue links below to see each of
the Letters:
(Letters are added as they are made)
[ Besow ] [ Derow ] [ Torgh-a-Gelynn ] [ Koll ] [ Glastan ] [ Edhel ]
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