Mythology
Epona, the key celtic horse-goddess and sacred to the Anu (or Danu - mother of the Danu), and to Poseidon
in greek mythology, is root of the word ‘pony’. She is symbolised
beautifully in the Uffington horse, a carving on the Oxfordshire chalk
downs made over 3,000 years ago. Also of key relevance is Nuada of the Silver Hand (of the Tuatha de
Danaan) and the god Nodens (represented still with a sanctuary on the river
Severn) and both have 'cloud-maker' symbolism. Perhaps most significant of all,
however, is Odin, the norse god whose spear was made of ash. Recently, Tim
Severin's voyage of the Brendan demonstrated the venerated sea-power - or power of water
- with wood cut from the north side of the tree...
 Lore: the Tree of Life, Ygdrassil (world-tree),
‘Askr Yggr-drasill’ (’the horse of Yggr’) was Sleipnir
(Odin’s eight-legged horse); ‘’Tre fuilngid Tre Eochair’ (’the triple-bearer
of the triple key’) has two great ashtrees, the Tree of Tortu (Brythonic)
and the Branching Tree of Dathi (the Danes/ Nordic).
 Associations: snakes fear ash and
will not crawl over its wood. Traditionally the yule-log
the Uffington Horse &
Odin on Sleipnir
Botanical: olive family, common ash is major
tree of lowlands
Wood: very strong, spears, bows, arrows, tool
handles, cartwheels, cricket bats, building, lumber, walking-sticks ‘ash-plants’
Bark: is a poultice for adder bites
Seeds: ‘ash-keys’ are remedy for
flatulence, also used as capers
Medicinal: bark is astringent, good for fever
and ague, leaves are a laxative, has reputation for curing warts
Remedial: passing through cleft of pollarded
ash was a cure for hernia
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