THE TREE ALPHABET
WRITING SYSTEM
The Tree Alphabet acts as the primer for learning about the Ogham characters, their meanings, and their tree associations.
Trees were of great importance to the Celts of ancient Ireland, and not only provided shelter and sustenance but were sources of magic and power. The word 'Druid' itself comes from the Celtic name for the oak - 'duir'.
​
Druids gave the trees symbolic importance, and by understanding the trees, and the solar and lunar cycles, the Ogham characters not only allowed communication between each other, but the associated symbols and meanings were ways to tap into the subconscious, the other world, the land of the fae, to divine your way in this world.
THE 5 AICMES
The original 20 letters are formed with simple shapes of straight and diagonal lines. They could be easily formed with fingers, used as a secret language, and carved into wood or stone, for navigation, passing of knowledge, and marking territories.
These 20 letters were split into 4 groups, with each group (aicme/family) named after the first tree in that group: Beith, Huath, Muin, and Ailm.
​
Five additional letters called Forfeda were introduced mainly in the manuscript tradition several centuries after the peak of ogham usage. They appear to have represented sounds felt to be missing from the original alphabet
1st Aicme - Beith
1ST AICME
AICME BEITH
Right side strokes
L : LUIS
ROWAN
S : SAIL
WILLOW
B : BEITH
BIRCH
V/F : FEARN
ALDER
N : NION
ASH
2ND AICME
AICME HUATH
Left side strokes
D : DAIR
OAK
C : COLL
HAZEL
H : HUATH
HAWTHORN
T : TINNE
HOLLY
K : CEIRT
APPLE
1st Aicme - Beith
3RD AICME
AICME MUIN
Across strokes
G : GORT
IVY
Z: STRAIF
BLACKTHORN
M : MUIN
BLACKBERRY
NG : NGEADAL
BROOM
R : RUIS
ELDER
1st Aicme - Beith
4TH AICME
AICME AILME
Notches (Vowels)
O : ONN
GORSE
E : EADHADH
ASPEN
A : AILM
SILVER FIR
U : UR
HEATHER
I : IODHADH
YEW
1st Aicme - Beith
5TH AICME
FORFEDA
Later additions
OI : OIR
SPINDLE
IO : IPHIN
GOOSEBERRY
EA : EABHADH
WHITE POPLAR
UI : UILLEANN
HONEYSUCKLE
AE : EAMHANCHOLL
WITCH HAZEL