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The Talking Forest Runes
A Stroll through the
Talking Forest
This blog primarily concerns my new runic array based on 42 trees and shrubs of the forests of North America. Most of these plants are also represented by the same or similar species in Europe and temperate Asia. Join me on our journey through the Talking Forest as we discover the beloved trees of our world and our imaginations.
Step Deeper into the Woods...
Gathering In
Kay Broome
Sycamore leaf (photo: Marko Blažević)
In the northern hemisphere around October
31st, many cultures are finishing up their grain, fruit and
vegetable harvests. Two pagan
celebrations of the British Isles echo this process in their very names: the August 1st grain celebration
of Lammas or Loaf Mass, (earlier called Lughnasadh after the Celtic god Lugh)
and Harvestide of the autumn equinox, when the remaining food crops are brought
in.
Samhain Wreath (photo: Joanne Kosinska)
The Flesh Harvest
It can be argued that Samhain, the feast honouring
the dead, was traditionally also the meat harvest. In the past, it was
customary to slaughter all livestock at this time save those animals kept alive
for breeding purposes. This made sense for a few reasons. Firstly, there was
usually not enough produce – dried, frozen or otherwise conserved – to last the community
throughout the long, harsh winters of temperate Eurasia. And in cold climates
particularly, meat gives immediate energy, protein and a satisfying fullness to
hungry bellies. Moreover, most food plants lie dormant during the cold winter. Save
for the dried seed or bean, they will not store well unless dried, frozen or
preserved in some other way. Finally, it
is very work and space intensive to put aside animal fodder for the winter. For
that, you need large barns to store the oats, hay, and other sustenance, along
with straw used for bedding. In earlier cultures, this was not feasible. Animals
that could not abide outdoor winter conditions and that were not used as brood stock,
were therefore slaughtered and their meat dried or cured to last the winter.
Customarily, animals destined to become food were slaughtered en masse
around the end of October. Meats traditional
to the Samhain Feast of the Dead were roast beef, pork (often cured
as ham or made into sausages), and dried or salted fish. Wild animals such as elk,
venison and boar, along with fowl such as pheasant or turkey were hunted at this time. It
is salient to note that the traditional hunting season was and still remains the fall
and early winter months.
The Honoured Sacrifice
Greek Rhytons, Ram (left), Boar (right), British Museum, London, UK (photos: Kay Broome)
In earlier times, humans honoured the food they ate. Because life was more
precarious then, food was never taken for granted. Not only was the flesh of
the animal important, but also hides and hair or fur for clothing and tent
making; bones for weapons and tools; sinew for thread and string; and so on. As with edible plants and grains, food animals
were important both in mundane and spiritual ways. Not all the animals that
were honoured by early peoples were food sources, but in general, the most
important were. These totems became guiding spirits of the social and
moral fabric of the tribe. The importance of food animals is illustrated
in the depictions of various gods, with examples such as cow-headed Hathor of Egypt, the
antlered Cernunnos of the Celts and Pan, the goat god of Greek herders, to name
only a few.
Early humans began the process of herding not long after they learned how to
grow crops, about 12,000 years ago.
Along with this new occupation, came the need for corrals and stables to
house livestock from predators and inclement weather. Hollowed out trees were frequently
used as shelters. One such was the
sycamore or plane (Platanus).
This very large tree, massive in trunk and limb, often becomes
hollow with age. Some enormous specimens were spacious enough to house pigs and other
animals. Sycamore has yet another important tie to livestock. Because the tree often obtains a huge girth and the wood is not brittle
or likely to crack as do other hardwoods, the trunk was often fashioned
into butcher blocks.
Sycamore tree, Millau, France, (photo: Kay Broome)
The Tree of the Public Square
In early times, sacrifices were made to the gods in temples or an
open area in the centre of the town. The central square was where everything
happened. Here people gathered to socialize with friends or to shop at the
public market. This was a place where legal decrees were proclaimed and festivals
observed. These celebrations frequently included animal sacrifice in honour of
the gods. To this day in Europe, many a village or
town square has a large sycamore or plane tree at its centre, fitting for a species used to house and slaughter food animals. Nevertheless the plane tree's ample shade and beauty is reason enough to place it as the centrepiece of your home town.
In Europe, the sycamore tree was frequently pollarded, that is, the limbs were cut
back to the trunk so that the tip ended in a knob from which many branches
could spring. In wine-growing countries such as France, Germany and Greece, these
trees have a long-held affinity with the grapevine, being commonly
used as a trellis for the creeping plant.
Pollarded Sycamores, Xanten, Germany, (Photo: Kay Broome)
Les Platanes
Because of its massive size, the plane or sycamore is a common feature, especially in France. Les platanes were originally planted in the 1800s along roadsides and at junctions in order to provide shade for the soldiers marching off to the Napoleonic wars. As a result, these elegant giants of the chartreuse leaves and mottled trunks are everywhere.
Unfortunately, French drivers can be as stupid as drivers elsewhere in the
world and there have been numerous accidents, some fatal, involving reckless
drivers colliding with the trees. Some have called for roadside sycamores to be cut down and there have even been cases of these noble guardians
being destroyed by vandalism. To make
matters worse, a fungal disease, introduced from North America, now threatens
the plane trees of Europe.
Sycamores Lining Path, Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France (photo: Kay Broome)
The plane tree is native to Europe, Asia and North America, including
Mexico. Planes have large, palmate leaves with multiple points. They often resemble maple or grapevine leaves,
but are not blessed with the brilliant fall colours of those species. They
are called sycamores after the unrelated sycamore fig (ficus sycomorus), due in part to their enormous size and to the smooth and plated attributes of the
trunk. The sycamore maple (acer pseudoplatanus) gets its name from the leaves that closely resemble
those of the plane tree.
The trunk of platanus is unique: smooth and either light grey or beige, it
forms plates and strips away to reveal a pale and pleasing celadon green
underlayer. This gives the tree a youthful mien, in contrast to the gnarly boles
that often form on the trunks of these giants. Another way of telling the difference between sycamore and the somewhat similar maple is the
fruit. Maples always have two winged
keys joined at the stem, but plane tree fruit is a round fuzzy ball on a longish
stem. These fruits can be single or up
to three on a stem.
Plane Tree in Fall with Fruit (photo: Fran Taquionica)
Many of us now decry the fall of community and social discourse, caused
by among other factors, the cell phone, the internet and official
responses to the covid outbreak. It is ironic that, in such an era of communal
decay, this tree of the public square is under attack.
At Samhain, the days grow shorter and in these dark times especially, we
often fear the worst. At this juncture, sycamore is a good tree to ponder. This mighty being reminds us that we should comfort and support each other as much
as possible, while we honour those loved ones who have passed the veil between life and death.
Sycamore Trunk with Boles, High Park area, Toronto (photo: Kay Broome)
In the Talking Forest array, the Sycamore rune comes after Vine, near the beginning
of the fifth of six groves (or group of seven runes). Sycamore is a shade rune, somewhat resembling others such as Ash and Beech. A curlicue
culminating in a fruit dot hangs off each tip of the two lower
tines. There is a shade bracket on the
top but not the sides of the rune to indicate a large tree of ample yet open
shade.
In the Talking Forest, Sycamore stands for the neighbourhood, as well as social
engagement. Its kenning or occult
meaning is Commons or Town Square. This is the rune that indicates how involved we
are in our local affairs. The upright position illustrates one who is actively engaged, a good neighbour or social activist.
The rune upside down however warns of a tendency to be too controlling
or unwilling to compromise with others. Sycamore toppled suggests apathy,
non-involvement or burnout due to over-extention with social issues. The rune on its side
may also warn of a community in crisis. Sycamore energy is useful for initiating social and civic projects.
Talking Forest Sycamore Rune
To find out more about Sycamore and the rest of the Talking Forest runes, you can purchase my book, available internationally in print or ebook on Amazon.