The Ash Tree

THE ASH TREE

We are now on to our 3rd tree in the sacred ‘magical trilogy’ of trees, the Oak, Ash and Thorn series.  Where the three trees grow together, there the Fair Folk will surely be.  The Ash is associated with wisdom, protection and the Eldar Futhark Rune, ‘Ansuz’ which stands for communication, guidance, poetry and creative inspiration. This rune also represents passing down knowledge from our ancestors through spoken language.  So this tree is very connected to our ancestors and the wisdom that has been passed down through stories, myths and legends.  In the Celtic Ogham it is represented by ‘Nuin,’ which stands for magic, connection and weaving worlds together.

The Ash is a very hard and strong wood, yet flexible and was used to create axes and spears. It was also used to construct tools and houses as well.  Their roots run very deep and they are known for how sturdy they are.  They are also associated with the element of Fire.

Folklore

The world tree, Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, is said to be The Ash Tree, and in most Indo-European cultures as well.  Some cultures believe the world tree is the Oak or even the Yew, but for many all over Europe and for the Norse Vikings, it was the Ash Tree. It is said if you carry a staff of Ash, you are literally holding the ‘Axis Mundi’ or portal between worlds; the upper, middle and lower.  Shamans and Norse witches (Volve) and other practitioners of magic carried these staffs sometimes.  For more on the World Tree Folklore and history, I highly recommend checking out Story Crow’s video on Youtube on the Ash Tree Folklore.  You can find his video here:

And of course, we cannot mention the World Tree Yggdrasil without mentioning the Norse god Odin.  Odin hung from the World Tree for 9 days and nights and ‘sacrificed’ himself and was rewarded with the gift of esoteric knowledge and the 25 Eldar Futhark Runes.  And as it is related to Odin and to magic, this tree is also associated with the Tarot card ‘The Magician.’ This tree is also associated with other ‘psychopomp’ and ‘trickster’ type gods, like the Irish god Lugh, the Greek god Hermes or (Mercury in Roman), even sometimes Loki and Prometheus.

One final interesting folklore about the Ash, as told by the ‘Story Crow’, is that according to folk magic, you could take a pin and stick it in a wart, and then stick the pin into an Ash Tree and your wart would transfer to the tree.

Healing Properties or Uses

The Ash Tree, I feel, is not widely known when thinking of herbs or herbal remedies for healing.  Yet it actually does have quite a few medicinal properties and healing benefits.  It is used as a diuretic and it is anti-inflammatory as well.  So it can be used to help treat arthritis and gout.  It can also be used as a tonic for digestive issues or as a laxative, and to relieve fevers. It can help wounds heal faster and was even said to treat leprosy.  

You can make teas or infusions to drink from the Ash leaves or even the sap.  Just always do your research and/or find reliable and ethical suppliers before trying anything.

Magical uses

As we saw in the folklore, Shamans and witches alike used Ash to make staffs.  Ash is also a really good tree to use for protective amulets or talismans.  It was said to ward off the evil eye and protect travelers in their journeys and Shamans in their journeys between worlds.  

To make an amulet you can even just carry an Ash leaf or piece of bark in your pocket if you don’t want to make anything too involved.  Or you could even just draw the Ash Tree or the Rune or Ogham associated with it, on a piece of paper and put it in charm bag to carry on you.

For more on the medicinal or magical properties of Ash, you can check out this great article I found by Nick Gent of “The Mind Orchestra” Blog:

https://www.themindorchestra.com/blog/ash-tree-lore

Thank you for joining me again!  That concludes our series on the ‘Magical Three,’ Oak, Ash and Thorn.  As always, be good to yourself, each other and Mother Gaia! Take any small step you can towards living a Greener Life!  And join me for my next blog on trees and herbs.  Or check out my new series:  A deep dive into Tarot and the Major Arcana.  Many fairy blessings!

-AF- The Grove Witch