Red King, White King

The two major branches of the genus Quercus, members of the mighty Beech family, are the white and red oaks, and their differences are compelling.  White oaks have leaves with rounded lobes and edible nuts, called acorns, which arrive every year.  Red oaks, in contrast, have leaves with pointed lobes.  Their acorns are bitter, with a higher tannin content and only appear in alternate years.  Although there are exceptions, most white oak species have lighter coloured wood than red oaks.  More patient than their red cousins, white oaks generally grow more slowly, but attain greater size and live longer.

 While fruit trees such as apple and plum may, in autumn, take centre stage, in Canada, this season also heralds fruition of all members of the Beech family, including the oaks.  Like other fruits of Harvestide, acorns are quite varied; from the green acorns of white oak (Quercus Alba, below left), to the woody brown ones of northern red oak (Q. Rubra, below, centre). Those of the bur oak (Q. Macrocarpa, below, right) are quite charming, somewhat resembling Russian fur hats.

From Hunter-Gatherers to Farmers

 There is evidence that humans ground acorns to make flour long before we learned to harvest other sources. Perhaps the tiny acorn eventually led hunter-gatherers to become farmers. Acorns must be soaked in water repeatedly in order to leach them of tannin, and their flour, while wholesome, is rather tasteless. So early humans may have, in due course, sought out the more palatable grain plants.  Many archaeologists believe that the innovation toward farming profoundly altered human interactions.  When we advanced beyond hunting and gathering, we were able to provision more food and to settle down in one spot for longer.  When you had dried fruit, seeds and grains from your garden plot set aside for the winter, there was less worry about famine. The myth of Amalthea’s horn takes on poignant meaning when we ponder Zeus's acorn and its probable role in the advance of agricultural societies.

Advantageous as it may have been, however, early farming brought more intensive work, especially for women: tilling and hoeing of soil; grinding meal from acorns, rice, barley or wheat; and preserving and drying of fruit and vegetables.  In addition, farming societies eventually led to the idea of personal ownership, and thus to more frequent warfare. When you own more, you have more that needs protection, mainly from other tribes who, in times of famine, may be forced to resort to theft and violence.  More ownership and warfare tend to bring more laws.  And it is salient to note that gods of kingship, law and justice always seem to be weather and sky gods.

Web photo of farm country

Harvestide is not just about the plant harvest, but also encompasses the animals we eat. While it was traditional to slaughter animals closer to Samhain, or Hallowe’en, this process usually began at the start of autumn.  Animals not set aside for dairy or mating purposes were fattened in the spring and ready for slaughter in the fall.  Recall too, that the word “tan” comes from tannin – the tannic acid used for preserving hides. When we remember that red oak acorns have a higher tannin content than those of white, and that acorns were used for tanning, we can thus envision white oaks as representing the solar aspect of the god – presiding over the plant world, agriculture and animal husbandry. The red oaks, with their spikey leaves and more meagre acorns, suggest the Horned God of the Hunt and the more feral creatures of the wilderness. It is also salient to note that red oaks are much more common in the “new world” of the Americas than in Eurasia. And hunter-gatherer societies were more prevalent here than in the Europe of the last thousand years. 

Oak (Quercus)

The Oak rune is the last of four compound runes in the Talking Forest system.  The rune is created from the left side of the dedicated White Oak rune and the right side of the Red Oak rune.  (These two are included among various auxiliary Talking Forest runes that are not part of the main 42-rune set.)

The left branch of Oak (below) displays curving horns indicating the round lobes of white oaks; the right branch has pointed horns illustrating the points characteristic of red oak leaves.  Note also that the canonical Oak rune has a lightly shaded “acorn” whereas White Oak’s acorn is unshaded, and Red Oak’s is solid fill.

 There are two kennings for the Talking Forest Oak.  One, the Scales, speaks to the karmic character of oak; the other, Door, also depicts the power of change – a door opens to allow more opportunities, but it can also close and cut off egress.  The Talking Forest Oak deals with power, leadership and sovereignty.  This rune in a reading often indicates issues of legality. Upright Oak suggests success in the public sphere and using one’s power for good in the community.  An inverted rune may recommend careful judgement or an injustice being overturned. Toppled to the left with the red branch up, suggests harshness, an injudicious decision. To the right, with the white branch up, the Oak rune illustrates judicial laxity or corruption. Oak’s day is Thursday – Thor’s day. The tree is at its apex in late August and in September, when the acorns appear.

Talking Forest Oak Rune