I have a couple of tattoos that circumvent my forearms. On each arm are two stylized dragon's heads accompanied by leaves of a specific tree; the left arm has holly leaves, the right acorns and a solitary oak leaf. In the old beliefs of the British Isles, long before the Romans came, it is thought that the year was divided up amongst the reigns of two kings: The Oak King and The Holly King.
One king represented the period of growth and fertility and the other the period when the land was cold and sterile. Symbolically they can be interpreted, in probably a million ways, but I like to think of them as representing the two halves of the creative process: a period of dormancy for introspection and a period of fertile creativity.
While the holly tree has been retained in our modern celebration of Christmas as a nod to the pagan past, the oak was not granted the same leniency. Since so many of the pre-Christian rituals involved sacred groves of oak trees, the church had many groves of oak destroyed in an attempt to eradicate the practices of its predecessor.
While the oak may not have the ritual significance it once did, its effect on people cannot be denied. Who can truthfully say that they have not been moved by the sight of an oak standing solitary sentinel in some farmer's field? Why is it that even to this day we are moved by stories of oak trees, and that some individual specimens have even come to enjoy a mythic status beyond what would normally be associated with a tree?
In England, just outside the town of Nottingham lies arguably one of the most famous forests in the English-speaking world, Sherwood. Within Sherwood Forest is a venerable old tree that is referred to as "Robin's Oak", in reference to the forest's most infamous inhabitant.
That both Robin Hood and the tree existed is true enough, but the tree's reputation for being his hideout in the woods unfortunately does not stand up to close examination. Although the tree is currently hollow enough for people to move around inside and even take shelter, it is at most only a thousand years old.
So even if "Robin's Oak" was around at the same time as the outlaw, it would have been a mere hundred year old sapling, living and vibrant. Remember, hollowness is a sign of age and death in a tree, not a convenience for human's to take shelter. If the tree had been dying in the 1100s, it would long ago have turned to mulch on the floor of Sherwood Forest.
In the grounds surrounding Windsor Castle, Windsor Park, in the Thames Valley outside of London, stands a solitary oak tree of equal if not greater years than its counterpart in the North. It is known simply as Herne's Oak, although there is nothing simple about Herne The Hunter and the Wild Hunt that he leads across the skies on the eve of the Twelfth Night of midwinter. Herne has the body of a man, the beak of an owl, the antlers of a stag, and the ears of a wolf, and he rides on the back of a white horse accompanied by his pack of white-skinned, red-eyed Yell Hounds.
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
There's the idea of oak trees as representing enduring strength. Then again, they can represent an implacable obstacle, as per the wasted narrator of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "That Smell" when he declares "Oak tree, you're in my way."
2 - Vicki
Would you be willing to share a picture of your tattoo?
I am trying to design exactly what I want for my next tattoo. It will be a tribute to my brother who passed in May. I think an oak tree would be very appropriate for him.
Another little tidbit about oaks/acorns is that during the 'burning times' one pagan would give another a gift of an acorn. It was a silent way of saying "Pssst, I'm a witch too."