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Thought a fairy tree in both Ireland and Wales, wood from the hazel was sacred to poets and was thus a taboo fuel on any hearth. Heralds carried hazel wands as badges of office. Witches' wands are often made of hazel, as are divining rods, used to find underground water. In Cornwall the hazel was used in the millpreve, the magical adder stones ...
The most sacred trees of Ireland were the bíle trees - old, sacred trees that stood in a central area and were often the social and ceremonial meeting place for a tribe or village. [10] According to the Dindsenchas (lore of Irish places), the five sacred bíles of Ireland were the Ash of Tortu, the Bole of Ross (a yew tree ), the Oak of Mugna ...
The clootie well near Munlochy, on the Black Isle, Scotland. Clootie tree next to St Brigid's Well, Kildare, Ireland. A clootie well is a holy well (or sacred spring), almost always with a tree growing beside it, where small strips of cloth or ribbons are left as part of a healing ritual, usually by tying them to branches of the tree (called a clootie tree or rag tree).
In Ireland sacred trees were associated ecclesiastical sites, holy wells and specific saints. [4] Many Christians adopted the practise of celebrating Evergreen trees for winter festivals in December. This was a common practice due to the belief that Evergreens have long lives and would be cut down and decorated.
Lenihan, one of Ireland's best known folklorists and story-tellers , [6] [3] describes a 'fairy bush' as being "a favourite meeting place for supernatural folk, dating back to the mist of pre-Celtic history". [9] According to the 2013 publication Heritage Trees of Ireland, Ireland hosts more sacred trees than any other country in Europe. [10]
In Irish mythology, Uisneach is described as the sacred centre of Ireland, the burial place of Irish gods such as Lugh and the Dagda, the site of a sacred tree (the Bile Uisnig), and a place of assembly (the mórdáil Uisnig) associated with the druids, which, according to later tradition, was held during the festival of Bealtaine. [4]
The ritual of oak and mistletoe is a Celtic religious ceremony, in which white-clad druids climbed a sacred oak, cut down the mistletoe growing on it, sacrificed two white bulls and used the mistletoe to make an elixir to cure infertility and the effects of poison. [1]
Caill Tomair (Middle Irish 'Thor's Grove') was a sacred grove dedicated to the North Germanic god Thor. Located near the Norse-Gaelic city of Dublin, the grove was destroyed by forces led by Brian Boru early in the year 1000 AD. According to scholar Poul Holm, the grove was likely targeted due to its role among the local population: