• ABOUT
  • BIRDING 2018
  • Birding 2019
  • BLOG POSTS
  • Butterflies 2018
  • Resources

earthstar

~ a celebration of nature

earthstar

Tag Archives: Rowan

Rowan, the thinker

03 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by sconzani in autumn, trees

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

autumn berries, autumn colour, British trees, Celtic Zodiac, Rowan, Rowan berries, Rowan The Thinker

Did you know there is an ancient Celtic zodiac, with trees as the symbols for each of the thirteen (moon-cycle-based, hence thirteen not twelve) signs? I didn’t, until I saw a post on Instagram by the extremely talented artist Luke Adam Hawker, who has just released a series of etchings, one for each of the signs (I wish I could afford to buy the etching for my sign!).

241103 rowan (1)

Along with the tree images he’s been posting, he’s also listed information about the qualities attributed to people born under each sign. The Rowan tree is the symbol for a person born between 21 January and 17 February, summarised as The Thinker, and the qualities they are said to possess are as follows:

Philosophical visionaries with original and creative minds, often misunderstood due to their passionate ideals. Despite a cool exterior, they burn with inner passion, transforming situations and inspiring others with their unique perspectives.

Are you a Thinker? Do you recognise yourself in this description?

241103 rowan (2)

The Rowans in my images, taken at Cardiff’s Cathays Cemetery during a recent wander, are lush with berries at the moment, providing welcome fodder for both local birds and the winter thrushes currently arriving from Europe and Scandinavia.

241103 rowan (3)

Like this:

Like Loading…

The wizard’s tree

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by sconzani in autumn, nature, trees

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

berries, berry, Celtic beliefs, Greek mythology, Hebe, Mountain Ash, Norse mythology, Rowan, Rowan tree, Sorbus aucuparia

It’s berry time, and some of the loveliest berries to be seen at this time of year are those of the enigmatic Rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia) or Mountain Ash, as it’s also commonly known.

160918-rowan-1

Why enigmatic? Well, the Rowan is surrounded by millenia of myths and legends. In Ancient Greek myth, Hebe, the beautiful young goddess who served ambrosia to the gods, lost her cup to demons and, when the gods sent an eagle to recover the cup, each one of the eagle’s feathers and drops of blood that fell to earth during the ensuing battle produced a Rowan tree. This also explains the Rowan’s red berries and its feather-shaped leaves.

The ancient Norse people believed the first woman was created from a Rowan tree, and a Rowan rescued the god Thor from drowning in a river in the Underworld. The Rowan also features in the ancient wisdom of the Celtic people. Fid na ndruad, its ancient Celtic name, means wizard’s tree; the Irish planted the Rowan near houses for protection against evil; the Scots believed that felling a Rowan would bring bad luck; and the Welsh planted Rowans in their graveyards to keep evil spirits at bay.

160918-rowan-2
160918-rowan-4
160918-rowan-3

Like this:

Like Loading…

About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

View Full Profile →

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent blog posts

  • A fungus-infected ladybird May 12, 2026
  • Sunning May 11, 2026
  • The Twayblades return May 10, 2026
  • An influx of Painted ladies May 9, 2026
  • A bumper day, part 2 May 8, 2026

From the archives

COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise acknowledged, the text and photographs on this blog are my own and are subject to international copyright. Nothing may be downloaded or copied without my permission.

Fellow Earth Stars!

  • Michael Jackson Facts
  • Rr
  • supernaturallyd92135e67a
  • Tammie Rogers
  • Vito Prasad
  • Ric Holmes Wheelbuilding
  • MalcolmSafechuck
  • Boys Will Be Boys Michael Jackson
  • Matthew James
  • Caleb Cheruiyot
  • pkster101
  • samcoppard2
  • aykutatila
  • Robert Galpin
  • Geraldine Hughes
  • klindajames
  • Hannes
  • debbiestevens084bd32238
  • Penny Bowers
  • shankar019
  • Keith
  • Fatima
  • FrankieWoodknob
  • The New Renaissance Mindset
  • Danny @ DGPIX
  • Jean Reiland
  • Bob Ramsak
  • Alison Moya
  • goateeironb98ef7f4ba
  • lleuadwr
  • Strivemindz
  • Farida
  • 大阪のうめ吉
  • UK Safari
  • Louis Spadorcia
  • Luigi Spadorcia
  • famous65e373e926
  • toure16
  • shannon
  • Daniel Greenwood
  • The Michael Jackson Debate
  • boruma1977
  • scotishhobbit
  • joyfullycreation4f2bcb3356
  • Jillian
  • evie h
  • MLLESHOPPING
  • Maria Vincent Robinson
  • Kana Smith
  • shillingt

Powered by WordPress.com.

Loading Comments...

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d