The Rowan, also known as Mountain Ash, grows in higher altitudes than any other native tree, often being found in the most inaccessible places. In some cases, when found sprouting on splits between rocks or in other trees’ trunks or boughs, is known as a ‘flying rowan’ and said to possess stronger magical powers. It is also known in folklore as the ‘Lady of the Mountains’ and ‘Delight of the Eye’, lí súla in the Ogham of Morann mic Moín, probably due to its beauty when in Autumn gets covered by bright red clusters of berries contrasting with the still strong green leaves among the colours of northern lands. But Rowan is also know as Witchband, Witchen and Witchwood; as the berries have a tiny five-pointed star opposite the stalk, an ancient magical symbol of protection, which together with their bright red colour, considered to be one of the best protections against enchantment and evil, gave Rowan its reputation as a powerful symbol of protection against witchcraft, bad luck and malicious influences. The word Rowan is said to be derived from the Norse world rune, which means charm or secret, and from the Sanskrit word runa, magician. In old Celtic, it was called ‘fid na ndruad’ - the wizards’ tree. The Rowan’s white flowers, as the ones from Elder and Hawthorn, were deemed to signal its virtues as a tree of the Goddess, or Fairie tree. The Rowan was also considered the ‘Tree of the Bards’, bringing the gift of inspiration and poetry. Long associated with magic, the Rowan tree is said to be guarded by serpents and dragons. It is a symbol of positive life energy, protection and not giving up.
The Rowan’s mythology is rooted in classical times. In Norse mythology, the Rowan was the tree from which the first woman was made, while the first man was made from the Ash tree. When the ancient god Thor was being swept away by the fast flowing river of the underworld, a Rowan tree is said to have saved his life by bending over and helping him back to the shore. The Rowan also appears in the Greek mythology, which describes how it came to be. When the youth’s goddess, Hebe, lost to the demons her magical chalice, from which she provided the eternal youth ambrosia to the gods, the gods helped her by sending an eagle to recover the chalice. During the battle with the demons, feathers and blood from the eagle dropped and fell to the earth, each of them becoming a Rowan tree. Thus, it is said, the rowan’s leaves have the shape of the eagle’s feathers and its berries the colour and shape of it’s blood. But the importance of Rowan may not be underestimated. In Scotland, it was taboo to cut down a Rowan and the use of Rowan’s wood, bark, leaves and flowers was strictly restricted to ritual purposes. Other prescriptions, in particular related to the harvest of Rowan’s gifts, advice against the use of knives to cut its wood; instead, one would need to look around for fallen branches and twigs. Rowan wood was used on rites of purification and the druids burnt Rowan on funeral pyres, as this tree is also a symbol of death and rebirth. The Rowan is one of the nine sacred woods burnt on the Beltaine fire; May poles were made from its woods to predict romances; and a tool made from Rowan, the buaitean, was used for threshing grain in harvesting celebrations. In Celtic folklore, the rowan fairy is said to have a grounding influence through which she may help you connect with the otherworld while keeping you firmly in this world; she is said to invite us to establish a relation with the subtle realms, while valuing the matters of this world, and to be one of the most helpful fairies of all.
As such, the Rowan is said to increase psychic powers and holds a strong connection to all matters of divination. The branches were often used in magical wands and dowsing rods for divining precious metals, as Hazel dowses for water, and its wood was prescribed to make runes by inscribing their symbols on it. The dried leaves and berries make an incense that was used for divination purposes and to conjure spirits. But its berries did also make part of all healing sachets, as rowan berries and bark were said to aid in recuperation, as well as in helping on all matters of power and success. In Europe, it was carried as a touchwood, also being used as an amulet for protection by tying together two twigs with red yarn, in a cross-shape, while saying the charm: “Rowan tree, red thread, holds the witches all in dread”. In Cornwall, peasants carried these amulets in their pockets and, in Scotland, these were inserted in the clothes’ lining. Rowan sprays were also fastened to the house doors to protect its inhabitants and in barns or cattle sheds to protect the livestock from any harm. Rowan was carried on board to protect ships from getting caught on storms; it was kept in the house to protect from lighting bolts; and was planted on graves to prevent the deceased from haunting the place. Walking sticks made of rowan wood were said to protect the user from the spirits of the woods, being recommended to whoever roams by night through woods and fields. Rowan trees were planted near the house to protect both the house and their occupants against evil spirits, while in Wales it was often planted on churchyard. Still, Rowans growing near stone circles were considered to be the most potent, and such stone circles were said to be places where one may find the fairies dancing.
The Rowan’s wood has a light yellow-brown colour, with darker heartwood. It is a strong and hard wood suitable for carving, which was often used to make tool handles, furniture and craftwork, despite not being a particularly durable wood. Spindles and spinning wheels were traditionally made of rowan wood, and it was also used to stir milk to prevent its curdling. The bark and berries may be used to make a black dye, traditionally used by the druids to dye the costumes worn during lunar ceremonies. The bark may me employed in the tanning process. The berries are used to brew a variety of alcoholic beverages including cider and a popular wine still made in the Highlands; in Scotland these are used to brew a strong spirit, in Wales an ale and in Ireland these are used to flavour the mead. In Scotland, rowan berry jam is still traditionally eaten with meat. The berries, in decoction or jam, have mild laxative properties, they make a good gargle for sore throat and help to relieve symptoms of mild diarrhoea; are rich in vitamin C and are known to make a good general tonic for the body, since they are mildly purgative and diuretic. But the Rowan is also key in sustaining numerous other species. Its foliage is palatable and attractive to browsing animals; its leaves and bark are beloved by red deer, and mountain hares feed on them. The berries are appreciated by numerous birds, including blackbirds, mistle thrush, redstart, waxwing, chaffinches and siskins; while the fieldfares and redwings coordinate their migrations, from the Scandinavia to the UK, to coincide with the fruition of Rowans. Such birds and their flocks are crucial to the dispersal of seeds and regeneration of the forest. The Rowan leaves are also eaten by the caterpillars of several moths, including the larger Welsh wave; their flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other pollinating insects; it hosts a variety of mycorrhizal fungi and lichens, including several endemic species to Scotland and the UK. The Rowan is a pioneer tree, fast growing, which occurs throughout all Europe, western Asia, in Caucasus region, and north Africa, in the Moroccan mountains; while together with some species of Birch and Willow, is one of the trees that grows in the most northern limit of European forests, 70º degrees north of latitude. It grows in elevations up to 2,000 meters high, reaching a maximum height of 15 meters, 40 centimetres of trunk diameter and living up to 200 years. Surprisingly, despite its apparent similarity with Ash, the Rowan is a member of the Rose family, being related to the Apple tree, the Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Cherry.