Birch. Folklore, Mythology and Symbolism of the Birch Tree.
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- To support my work as a folklorist and storyteller, please consider making a small donation on Patreon: / thestorycrow
In this first of a series of videos on symbolism and folklore of trees and plants, I will be looking at The Birch Tree - its meaning, symbolism and some related lore.
I will briefly discus the Tree's properties and associations, as I understand them, as well as touching on the trees meaning in the 'Celtic tree script' known as Ogham, and how this compares to the tree's letter in the runic script of the Anglo-saxon, Germanic and Norse peoples.
I will touch on some of the magical uses and applications of the Birch Tree.
Finally I will tell a European wonder tale from Finland that preserves some of this symbology and magical associations in its DNA, "The Wonderful Birch".
Birch trees are the first to emerge after a forest fire. I know, I’m watching it in Nova Scotia, Canada. We had the largest fires in our history last summer. It was truly terrifying.
In the runes, Berkano, the Birch, also can indicate pain, as in the pain of childbirth, a reminder that transformation to something better often comes at a cost.
This is a very good point. I was at a new beginning when making this video, yet it also came at a time of great suffering and pain.
The 'appendix' was the sweetest love story I've ever heard in a myth. The prince didn't win a contest or find some dusty relic to win her back he sits with her speaking kindly/gently until she is comfortable taking off her 'mask' and with unerring patience he does this as many times as it takes for her to no longer hide her true self because that is who he wants and loves. Gives me the feels.
Me too…
How precious. The prince sounds like a man that knows how to provide a woman with a sense of containment. A rare art this day in age.
Much more magical than Cinderella. Thank you! And I like that you asked the tree before carving. I always talk to trees, plants and animals and I hear their answers, don't care what other people might think :-)
Me too. 🤫😉
I can relate 😊❤
I almost always stop to tell flowers and other plants just how beautiful and loved they are. Animals too of course.
I am in 🇨🇦 a birch tree planted itself in my yard. It died (as did I) then it seeded another birch close by. It died. As did I. Now another BIRCH planted itself close to my back door. So far, so good. I had to look Birch up to find my story. 💚💛 green leaves to Golden in the fall.
I hope your Birch continues to impart many lessons. What a gift 🙏🌳😊
This new beginning has most certainly been showing itself to be true. I am in awe. Thank you.
Thankyou so much for this it was very interesting ! and it coming up on here is rather strange as I was saying to my niece yesterday that I keep painting Birch Trees trying to get them right and she said the Birch is very magical and it's about healing and new beginnings..on a side note Crows are my favorite birds ..we live next to a small wood and watch the Crows as they are so clever and seem to be in charge round here 😁
Ahhh. Your niece sounds like a total legend. Thanks for sharing this anecdote, I love hearing about synchronicities like this. I like the idea that the listening and living universe guided you to this video after talking about Birch magic. (It’s much better then the alternative, that Google was spying on your conversation and the algorithm leading you here 😅) feeling you with the crow love, I live next to a wood, at a the end of ‘crow lane’ and they’ve been ruling the roost for hundreds of years round here😂 good luck with your Birch paintings 🌳
the old ways never die
🌳🌞🌚
Cinderella is such a deeply spiritual story. The way you have explained it, in terms of renewal. But also for me it comes down to the concept of life purpose. From the perspective of Cinderella, it shows that no matter how much life batters you down, no circumstance or bitter person can keep you from your purpose. Likewise, it also exemplifies the follies of trying too hard to fit into a life purpose that is not truly your own. I feel for the evil sisters actually. Instead of trying to mold themselves (or cut themselves) to fit into the image of the princess, they could have looked within themselves to discover their own uniqueness and gifts they could bring to the world. Instead they wither in bitterness and jealousy over not having something that does not even represent who they truly are.
Even in stories where the "good guy" wins. The waste of it all is heartbreaking.
Cinderella, shoes, and evil sisters are all aspects of ourselves perhaps. So feeling for them is having compassion for yourself maybe. 🙏✨
@@TheStoryCrow haha Indeed! There have been times in life when I fit the role of Cinderella and it seemed like every shoe, be it made of gold, crystal, or ruby, fit perfectly. It has taken a few dark nights of the soul to make peace with the "evil sisters" and integrate their wisdom, gifts, and talents. Integration of the shadow can be a life long process, but self compassion is indeed a necessary step.
Ave brother of the forest the witch king and queen look fondly upon you, may you have good luck and fortune in all you do.
🙏 thank you friend. Same to you ✨🦌🌲🍄
Thank you for asking permission of the tree before carving. I am Wiccan and I also do the same since we respect nature and living beings. Thank you for another wonderful video.
Always ☺️🌳
You had me absolutely spellbound with your incredible storytelling skill and your radiant, yet soothing energy. I came across your video looking for information about the Birch tree and its maternal aspects, I very much enjoyed this video! Thank you!
Thank you. 🙏 I will be doing more videos about trees. I like trees. 🌳
I love the way you put the Ogham letter and the Rune symbol in your tree videos - makes it easier to remember. I struggled to remember all the Oghams during my Druid training. Birch of course has always been easiest to remember because its the first and also because its my name! Diana Birch
Cheers, yeah it’s nice when a rune and an ogham letter broadly match up - doesn’t often happen 😂
As a bushcrafter I know birch for many uses, firelighting and water carrier, and the sap. Yes indeed the mother of the forest. Always ask permission from nature. BB.
This guy gets it 🙏🌳
Oh wow! Thankyou for bringing us the original story/meaning ✨🙏✨
I use a sugar substitute called xylitol, made out of birch sap… has many health benefits 👍🏼
Thanks!
Hey! Thank you 😊✨🙏
Thank you.It is not a coincidence that I see this video at this time of my life.
Some say that the stories themselves seek out the people who need them. Hope it was of some use to you 👍
What a terrifying story
GOOD 🧙🏾♀️ 🐑✨🤣🙏
Thankyou so much. So Birch is the first letter of the tree people and also mother of things ,including the future as she lays down her body for the trees that come later.
Fascinating and wonderful tree 🌳☺️
I enjoyed this so much. I am making a wreath out of Birch this morning and this was a great accompaniment. Thank you for bringing such great smiles.
You’re most welcome! Good luck with your Birch wreath. I’ll be making more videos on tree folklore in coming weeks so watch this space. 😊
Brilliant story thank you, you have a new subscriber
Welcome aboard! Plenty more 🌳✨🙏
Educational. Thank you.
Very welcome
Im thankfull that you make videos
Thank you my friend.
Wonderful story and thank you very much for the explanations in the beginning, very insighful and helpful! I can't wait to see more of your videos, I'm so happy to have found your channel, I think it was meant to be. 😊
Great to hear. Thank you for your comments. I’ll be making more tree videos soon 😊 🌳
Thank you..that was magnificent
🙏
Another storming story with deep roots. The stick-beating-magic is interesting here. See Bulludagur or ''Bun Day'' in iceland, where people bash each other with sticks and get buns in return....you couldn't make this stuff up! Birch and its associations with transformation and new beginings... spot on. Positively, in terms of a landscape changing in the five or ten years it takes for a small birch forrest to spring up..and of course the transformative powers of the berserker's favourite snack the amanita, which as you know has a wierd symbiosis with birch and oak, and is much loved by reindeer. all pointing back to Scandinavian myth I guess. Also, the punishment ( up until the 1970s) on the isle of Man... and which is meant to be a kind of new beginning, I guess, or a very traditional transformative bashing! The isle of Man Tynwald is one of the oldest democracies in Europe, a Viking colony based on Norse ''Udal'' law . For some reason, just before it was abolished, they changed from using birch branches to hazel branches. Some show of progress and humanity ha ha! Once again many thanks for these tales.... they are helping me make all sorts of cultural cross-connections I would not otherwise notice.
That’s interesting about bun day - how very Scandinavian 😅 so much birch folklore in that part of the world. The story here is Finnish. I find udal law so interesting , they have it in Orkney where I’ve just been a few weeks ago
@@TheStoryCrow the floaty island of the Fin-people story was great. Another one totally new to me, many thanks.
Wonderful!!! Thank you very much!!!
I love trees!!!
I also love me a tree.
@rivertrees4733
@cocopoodle0078
So entertaining and wonderfully informative! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Big time Cinderella vibes, very nice story 😊I really need to start using the phrase "proper rotters" 🤣
Very big time cinderella vibes 😉 thanks for watching.
Beorc interestingly may of been a poplar in the anglo saxon rune poem.
Yes, they’re infuriatingly contradictory sometimes, the rune poems. That’s why they call them poems I suppose 😂
Whoa! This was 1st video of yours I've ever seen and not what I expected. A jumbled up version of Cinderella on crack!😅 but in a good way, it was fun. ☺
Pretty much my first video that. Don’t know what I was expecting either 😂
Welcome! 🙏☺️
@@TheStoryCrow I ment it in a good way. ☺ I went back and edited my comment so it wouldn't be taken negativity. I subbed, so interested in hearing more from you
Oh it wasn’t taken negatively my friend, I’m giddy from football pints 😂🍻 🏴 🇪🇸
Thanks for the sub, plenty more cracked up cinderellas where that came from 😉
Sounds similar to some stories with Baba Jaga ( Yaga) whom the birch tree is associated with 😊
It does doesn’t it. This story is only just over the border in Finland, so doubtless shared similar roots. Must do a baba yaga story… Thanks for watching! 🧙♀️
So now I'm wondering why a birch road was used for corporal punishment. Was the idea of cleansing also part of that?
I don’t think so no. But I could be wrong. Think they used other woods for ‘birching’ too. Hazel was quite painful apparently
I'm currently exercising with a 5 ft long Birch log 🪵
What a fun video! Thank you!
Thanks for watching! I’ll be posting more in coming weeks. ☺️
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
Do you have Cedar ?? Canada here, curious about Cedar folklore if any..
Of note: had a camping fire the other day, collected some Birch bark that must have been 80 years dead because the tree itself was all gone, all that remains was large golded white scrolls of bark. It was in a seasonal swamp area. Thing is, I put it on the fire, I have never, ever seen flames so dancing, spiraling, and beautiful - I almost wanted to walk into them. Surely the ancients MUST have known this !
Wow. Sounds incredible. I shall be off to the birch forest!
I don’t… yet ☺️🙏
Elle ne pouvait pas être la RENNE de la forêt
I'll see myself out
I did an accidental bad pun in French 😂😂😂
Took me a while to figure out though 😅
@@TheStoryCrow hey cheers I'm impressed someone got it and glad it's you who did, found your channel recently and I'm really enjoying the stories!
Cheers from Canada!
BIRK in Scots, Beithe the second letter of Gaelic.
I hear a little Hans the Hedgehog 💜
🦔