“No bit of the natural world is more valuable or more vulnerable than the tree bit. Nothing is more like ourselves, standing upright, caught between heaven and earth, frail at the extremities, yet strong at the central trunk, and nothing is closer to us at the beginning and at the end, providing the timber boards that frame both the cradle and the coffin.”
Seamus Heaney
No book about Ogham and trees would be complete without including the wood lore and the kennings of Cad Goddeu in its ranks. This tale is filled with many layers of meaning about the tree lore of the Druids. It takes the form of a battle saga and was probably also a teaching aid for the instruction of young Druids and Bards. The original poem is attributed to Taliesin. I’ve included a modified and updated version of a Victorian translation of this poem.
I’ve also consulted a variety of Internet translations to balance my own compilation that is provided below. The entire work is said to describe a battle that occurred between Amathaon ap Don and Arawn, King of Annwn. Gwydion, Llew, and Achren were on the side of their kinsman Amathaon and Bran was on the side of Arawn. Each side had a person who could not be defeated in battle unless their names were guessed (signifying that the name has an inherent power among Celts). Gwydion eventually was able to guess that Bran was the man of the hidden name and undefeated powers supporting Arawn in the battle. This allowed Amathaon to triumph. Here is the poem that Gwydion is said to have uttered when he realized the secret of the name:
Sure footed is my steed, forward under spurring, The lofty limbs of alder are on your shield;
Bran is your name, of the bright branches. Strongly-hoofed is my horse, on the day of battle: The lofty limbs of the alder are in your hand; Bran is your name, revealed by the branch you brandish – Amathaon the Good is triumphant.
Robert Graves based his book, The White Goddess on this work as well as his invented tree calendar. Though much of that work is speculation, some of it is useful. Indeed some of Graves’ work has been in use so long by so many that it has taken on a reality of its own among Neo- Pagans. If this information does not disagree with what is known from the ancient ways, then it will be used and synchronized with our own knowledge base. We will be referring to the information of the Cad Goddeu often as we consider the meanings and correspondences of each Ogham. I have edited and compiled a version of Cad Goddeu from a variety of sources to use in that effort. In my editorial attempts, I took the liberty of using Pagan references to replace those that were obviously Christian. It is my belief that the Celts formed a melding in their approach to Pagan and Christian deities, blending the boundaries between them. I do not believe that this blending or substitution of concepts has diminished the usefulness of the poem or the impact of its reading.
Cad Goddeu
(compiled from translations by D. W. Nash, Robert Graves, Meirion Pennar,W.F.Skene and the Revd. Robert Williams)
Entire books have been written to interpret the meanings of Cad Goddeu (The White Goddess being one of them). It concerns a symbolic battle of Bards and Poetry, using the wisdom of the learned class. It seems to draw from a knowledge of Ogham. Many of its part seems almost like a tree version of the Battle of Moytura to me. Amathaon, son of Don, seems to be a version of The Dagda, son of Danu (also perhaps Amathaon’s name is shortened and presented as Math in the Mabinogi). Amathaon the Good and The Dagda (The Good God) seem to be cognate in my opinion.
Gwydion seems to be like Ogma. Bran and Arawn seem to be playing the roles of Balor and Elatha in a sense. The loss of heads and the imparting of wisdom and protection from them seem to be parallels in works about Balor and Bran. A discussion of this associated information is far beyond the scope of this book or the available space for the present work. Perhaps a deeper discussion can be continued in another volume regarding the ways of Draíocht as schools for modern Druids are developed in The Summerlands. I will not attempt to do so at this time due primarily to the need to stay focused on the Ogham and their use in divination.
Now that we’ve briefly discussed the Cad Goddeu and have seen the many different ways the Druids, Bards, Poets and ancestors used the sacred trees, let’s discuss ways to receive such woods for our own uses (especially for the making of our own Ogham fedha). We should remember that a Druid always asks the trees themselves for permission, before taking any woods from a living tree.
Choosing a Tree
In my opinion, the important factors to consider in choosing a tree (or trees) for your Ogham fedha are:
- Selecting trees that have a special relationship to you already;
- Picking a tree that has been marked by the gods (lightning, fire, winds, floods, or earth movements);
- Asking a tree to “give” you the wood that you need (my wife actually had a sycamore release a limb to give her a beater for her drum);
- Receiving the woods as a gift from a loved one or a magical partner (or both if you’re lucky).
One should always first seek permission from the Mother of the Grove, before seeking a tree for a cutting. This is the ancestor tree of all the trees in that area. When She/He has granted your request, leave a small gift and then seek among the trees of the grove. Listen carefully and commune with each tree until you and a tree choose one another. If the tree that you’ve chosen grants you the wood, then, and only then should you cut a branch or limb from the tree. I also suggest leaving a gift for the chosen tree and those that live within it as well. This could be a libation of water, some fertilizer, tobacco, or cornmeal, or even a seedling. Eventually, a tree will choose you just as you have chosen a tree. Have patience. There are many pathways into the forest, and we have only to keep our eyes on the trail to find the way.