An Australian Ogham

The very title of this post is rather awkward really. I mean Ogham is an ancient Celtic alphabet that is connected to trees and Australia is a continent on the opposite side of the globe. Yet many years ago I found myself exploring the Ogham alphabet and reading some of the associated facts and folklore. I noticed at the time that many Pagans and Druids used this system for magical work, and that those antipodeans who followed the Celtic path found themselves with a fascinating system but unfortunately none of the trees. It was the catalyst for my journey towards making a connection with the plants of my homeland and considering how they might be similar and different to those of the homeland of my ancestors.

Eucalyptus Trees in the Rainforest

I believe it's always worth investing the time in getting to know your local flora, however you choose to use this knowledge. At the time I had searched for any information from those who had made the same journey ahead of me. I felt like it would have been helpful to have a starting point, a framework from which to branch out from. In the interest of perhaps helping others on this same journey, I will share the list of trees and plants that I felt matched up to the Celtic trees of the Ogham. It's a manifestly imperfect system, but if it proves to be a catalyst for others seeking a connection with nature then I will feel happy.

Fig Trees in Rainforest

The Ogham is a set of  20 characters that form an alphabet. They are formed with straight lines that were carved into wood or stone. I will not attempt to go into the history and will leave that to the experts. Traditionally the alphabet has been matched up to twelve trees. I considered the characteristics of these trees and attempted to seek out Australian natives with similar characteristics that could be used as substitutes by those who wished to work with this system in Australia. As I said, and ideal situation would be to create a unique system for Australia but I know the desire to connect with the Celtic Ogham is important for many people. Anyway, for what it's worth, here is what I came up with. I'm happy to provide more information about my choices if anyone would like to ask, but for now, I'll leave this as a starting point.

Coastal Landscape, Queensland

Ogham	Celtic Tree	Australian Tree	Botanical Name
beith (b)	Birch	Paperbark	Melaleuca
luis (l)	Rowan	Tulipwood	Harpullia Pendula
fern (f)	Alder	Mangrove	Avicennia Marina
sail (s)	Willow	She Oak	Casuarina Glauca
nion (n)	Ash	Crows Ash	Flindersia Australis
uath (h)	Hawthorn	Flame Tree	Brachychition Acerifolius
dair (d)	Oak	Gum Tree	Eucalyptus
tinne (t)	Holly	Lilly Pilly (Riberry)	Sysygium Luehmannii
coll (c)	Hazel	Macadamia Nut Tree	Macadamia
ceirt (q)	Apple	Mango	Mangifera Indica
muin (m)	Vine	Native Raspberry	Rubus
gort (g)	Ivy	Australian Violet	Viola Hederacea
ngeadal (ng)	Reed / Fern	Reed	Phragmites Australis
straif (z)	Blackthorn	Blueberry Ash	Elaeocarpus Reticulatus
ruis (r)	Elder	Lemon Myrtle	Backhousia Citriodora
ailm (a)	Fir / Pine	Hoop Pine	Araucaria Cunninghamii
onn (o)	Gorse	Golden Wattle	Acacia Longifolia
ur (u)	Heather	Bottlebrush	Callistemon
eadhadh (e)	Aspen / Poplar	Banksia	Banksia Integrifolia
iodhadh (i)	Yew	Fig (Moreton Bay)	Ficus Macrophylla

Colours of an Australian Landscape

Some of the choices may seem odd but I haven't always made the match based on the look of the tree. Australian native trees are unique and very different to those in the northern hemisphere. Some of the connections are based on characteristics, for example, in folklore the aspen is often associated with healing and journeys to the underworld. I have matched the banksia with this because it is symbolic of wisdom and age. Also the phallic flowers remind me of the herms associated with Hermes from Greek myth and make me think of his role in accompanying souls to the world of Hades. These kind of personal connections evolve over time and frankly make little sense. I mean after all, we are talking about an ancient Irish alphabet used for pagan magical work and I'm bringing in Greek myths and Australian trees. It's crazy stuff but ultimately the whole process taught me a lot about the folklore and myths associated with trees and nature as well as giving me a much deeper and more profound understanding and respect for the trees that I live amongst. An overall win I think.

Gum Trees (Eucalyptus)