Yew. Mythology, Symbolism and Folklore of the Yew Tree (Ioho / Eiwaz)

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  • Опубликовано: 30 окт 2022
  • To support my work as a folklorist and storyteller, please consider making a small donation on Patreon: / thestorycrow
    This series of videos on the mythology, symbolism and folklore of trees and plants of Britain, Ireland and northern Europe.
    As today is Samhain, or Halloween, I will be looking at the Yew Tree. Traditionally thought of as the tree of the dead, the spirit world and of the Ancestors.
    The Yew (Ioho) is the 20th and last letter of the Druidic Tree Alphabet known as Ogham, so I will talk about some of the magical associations of this tree in the Celtic worldview (as I understand it).
    I will also discuss the related symbology in the folklore of the Germanic, Norse and Anglo-Saxon speaking peoples, where the Yew is represented by the Eiwaz / Eoh rune.
    Finally, I will tell a story about the God Odin / Woden and his quest for knowlege into the underworld beneath the roots of the the World Tree Yggdrassil - which - in this version - is a Yew tree.

Комментарии • 74

  • @user-ze7pt9fu2o
    @user-ze7pt9fu2o 2 месяца назад +7

    Your a fabulous story teller!

  • @thewillofdreams6921
    @thewillofdreams6921 7 месяцев назад +10

    My condolences, I'm sorry for your loss, and hope you peace and love

  • @sgist7824
    @sgist7824 Месяц назад +4

    I know this is an old video. But I wanted to say sorry for your loss. I discovered you because I just lost my mum 6 weeks ago and I've found being in nature helps a little. So I had been really drawn to trees intensely and your videos have been so soothing and helpful. I do hope you are well and wanted you to know your videos are so appreciated.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Месяц назад +2

      I’m sorry to hear that. I feel you there. Nature really helps. It’s almost like you can feel them in the breeze and the sunlight in the trees. Sending you love and light 🙏♥️

    • @sgist7824
      @sgist7824 Месяц назад

      @@TheStoryCrow thank you, yes and to you also x

  • @mayaluna5881
    @mayaluna5881 Год назад +10

    Wonderful story - and very interesting to sacrifice oneself to oneself for knowledge. Resonates on a deeper level. I remember as a child climbing on the Yew tree which grows on our family grave and always felt very secure and sheltered by the energy of this tree.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +2

      Wow, a yew on the family grave, that’s one very lucky and protected family 🌳🙏

    • @wuwie83GT
      @wuwie83GT 5 месяцев назад

      You should have a look at the yew in a place in Scotland called the Douglas support no one knows the history of the tree,its in a Glen and it must be ancient ​@TheStoryCrow

    • @peterfrance702
      @peterfrance702 Месяц назад

      Sacrificing oneself to oneself aligns with the idea of the Universal Consciousness 'sacrificing' his wholeness by dividing himself into a myriad of separate conscious beings that have 'forgotten' who they are so they can experience and gain knowledge unavailable to the Universal Consciousness. Something like that!

  • @mediaevalbabesfan27
    @mediaevalbabesfan27 Год назад +10

    Absolutely loved it! What a wonderful story for Halloween. :) And my sincerest condolences for the loss of your mother, what a great way to honour her memory

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +1

      Hey, thanks for coming back and for your kind words. ☺️

  • @SilvioGrandal-gc8ep
    @SilvioGrandal-gc8ep 6 месяцев назад +4

    Beautiful, please do the Rowan Tree next! It’s my celtic ogham birth tree! ❤❤❤

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  6 месяцев назад +3

      Yes, good shout. Might wait till there’s a few more leaves on the fella though 😂😬
      Thanks for watching 🌳🙏✨

  • @FrenchFarmhouseDiaries
    @FrenchFarmhouseDiaries 2 месяца назад +1

    Fantastic really enjoyed this video and the story of Odin and i know its a year or so later but sorry to here of your mothers death but you will see her again one day she will be waiting for you all with her family, bless you all from Budo

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  2 месяца назад

      I hope so. Wishing you well from over here in Wiltshire ✨🙏☺️

  • @meanocks
    @meanocks 6 месяцев назад +2

    only just found your channel but its exactly my bag,thankyou very inspirational

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  6 месяцев назад

      Pleased to hear it mate. Welcome 🙏😉

  • @richardkeep1974
    @richardkeep1974 2 месяца назад +1

    I've just come across your channel and absolutely love it. Your storytelling skill is great. I found myself hanging on to every word! I love Yew trees and used to play among them as a child, in a local graveyard. Since living in our rented house a Yew tree has suddenly appeared in our back garden ( a while back ). It started off as a very small sapling and is now about 3 foot tall. ❤

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  2 месяца назад +1

      That’s awesome, look after the little guy, it will probably outlive us all!

  • @laragwen102
    @laragwen102 Год назад +3

    Wonderful! So many lessons to ponder in this story. Thank you. And I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother.

  • @SpiralSister
    @SpiralSister 5 месяцев назад +2

    Loved the Odin story and all. Thank you!

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  5 месяцев назад +1

      Glad you enjoyed it sister 🙏✨

  • @KM-wv2og
    @KM-wv2og 2 месяца назад +1

    Oh my goodness 😮 you are the most riveting and intoxicating and enchanting storyteller that I have ever seen or heard!! How expressive and knowledgeable you are, and what a wonderful gift to share with humanity. I have a question for you but I'm going to try to see if I can find you online and write to an email address as RUclips never gives me my notifications. It is specifically about my recent interactions with and a gift from a yew tree Yew tree. 🌳 ❤

  • @naturalexplorer
    @naturalexplorer Год назад +2

    Great storytelling. Authentic Bard like. Loved it and will be exploring into many more. Thank You. 🌳🌳

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад

      Really appreciate the comment, and I’ll keep making videos 👍☺️

  • @MummaBear
    @MummaBear 6 месяцев назад +2

    Just lovely. I did have trouble with the sound though.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  6 месяцев назад +2

      Thank you. Yes it’s terrible. Sorry 😅

  • @mariGentle
    @mariGentle 7 месяцев назад +1

    Superb telling, you have a wonderful breadth of knowledge, thank you for sharing it 🌞❤🌚

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  7 месяцев назад

      Thank you kindly 😊🌲✨

  • @firecracker187
    @firecracker187 7 месяцев назад +1

    I absolutely love where you are sitting

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  7 месяцев назад

      That’s my local churchyard 🪦

    • @firecracker187
      @firecracker187 7 месяцев назад

      @@TheStoryCrow I love cemeteries

  • @JohnC2009Edin
    @JohnC2009Edin 7 месяцев назад +1

    Recently found your channel, thank you for the stories and the background information!

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  7 месяцев назад

      My pleasure, thank you for taking an interest ✨🙏🌲

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  7 месяцев назад

      Nice labyrinth 😊

  • @stevenmcleod1360
    @stevenmcleod1360 Год назад +2

    hi, in Buckfastleigh where i live we have a 1000 year old yew tree at the top church ruins.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад

      I think I know it. You live in a very beautiful place. ⛰️ 🌳

  • @user-ze7pt9fu2o
    @user-ze7pt9fu2o 2 месяца назад +3

    I’m so sorry that you lost your Mum. It’s not something you ever get over.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  2 месяца назад

      Thank you. You’re right 🙏

  • @ZoeLateNight
    @ZoeLateNight Год назад +1

    Excellent.
    Thank you ✨🧚🏼‍♂️💚🌳

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +1

      Glad you enjoyed it 🌳 💀 🕰️ 🧙‍♂️

    • @ZoeLateNight
      @ZoeLateNight Год назад

      @@TheStoryCrow Tyger Tyger burning bright,
      In the forests of the night…
      🎶 A coral room, by Kate Bush
      and heartfelt condolences 💐🕊️

  • @TamsinQuinMusic
    @TamsinQuinMusic Год назад +1

    Fantastic. Can’t wait for more of these. 🌳

  • @hArtyTruffle
    @hArtyTruffle 3 месяца назад +1

    I used to run away to my friendly yew in the graveyard of the church where I was baptised. Hey, I was at Runnymede eco village too!

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  3 месяца назад +1

      An interesting and too transient realm that one

    • @hArtyTruffle
      @hArtyTruffle 3 месяца назад

      @@TheStoryCrow indeed… I didn’t get there until we’d been moved off the National Trust land. Managed to stay for a couple of months. I found I had a hobbit/lord of the rings thing going on 🤭

  • @scathatch
    @scathatch Год назад +1

    Thankyou. I knew that Yew could be very old but I didnt know they had that capacity to regenerate. Yes, parallels between celtic and Buddhist beliefs.

  • @Jaquass
    @Jaquass 11 месяцев назад +2

    Was trying to find a yew tree for a ritual with Hecate. I live on Åland Islands and I'm not sure if they're native here. Anyways I spend 3 full days searching for a specimen and on the fourth day I found two trees; Guess where? Literally a few feet from a graveyard. In the occult community this plant is connected to raising the dead & necromancy, being a saturnine plant.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  11 месяцев назад

      Amazing. Thanks for this. The history of your islands sound fascinating. I’d be surprised if yews weren’t native there. Thanks for watching and good luck on the left handed path 🙏

    • @Jaquass
      @Jaquass 11 месяцев назад

      @@TheStoryCrow
      Thanks! Your channel is absolutely amazing, you're so charismatic and your voice is captivating to listen to. Gives me goosebumps!

  • @mickmacgonigle5021
    @mickmacgonigle5021 Год назад

    First visit, will call again . Thanks

  • @FionaFergusonhealing
    @FionaFergusonhealing Год назад

    wonderful thank you

  • @lorelilove5642
    @lorelilove5642 2 месяца назад +1

    Loving your videos. Curious if you plan to do Hawthorne?

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  2 месяца назад +1

      Very soon ☺️🙏🌳

    • @lorelilove5642
      @lorelilove5642 2 месяца назад

      @@TheStoryCrow I'll be looking forward whilst watching your back catalogue.

  • @anvilbrunner.2013
    @anvilbrunner.2013 2 месяца назад +1

    I have a 13th century * (or older) executioners axe. It is hafted with English yew. Still solid,

  • @FisherYw
    @FisherYw Год назад +1

    Hello, I am a plant enthusiast from China, and I apologize for my limited English proficiency. In the original text of the Poetic Edda, does "winter-green needle-ash" refer to the yew tree as the World Tree? I came across this notion in a popular science book called "The Living Wisdom of Trees," and it seemed to have a solid basis. I have also come across some etymological explanations. Can we determine for sure that it is the yew tree? I am very curious and have been searching for more information over the past few years, but I haven't been able to reach a definitive conclusion. Many people believe it refers to the white wax tree. However, regardless of the answer, both my girlfriend and I love your videos. They have taught me a lot, and I appreciate your creations. The content is truly amazing!

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад

      Hello my friend. I find it so endearing when Chinese people apologise for their proficiency in English, and then right a comment in pitch perfect English, especially considering as I don’t speak a word of Chinese.
      Now, I’m not a Norse specialist by any means, but that description seems to me to be definitely a Yew tree. Funnily enough, I’m currently reading a book of Skaldic poetry, which I think has the same verse format as the poetic Edda, and it sounds like a similar metaphorical description as I’m reading in there.
      What I do know is that descriptions of Yggdrasil as a Yew seem to be earlier then descriptions of Yggdrasil as an Ash - but I think it may also depend on region - which would make sense - based on differing soils and climates. But I doubt that is the only factor. In the Celtic worldview, the world tree is usually an Oak - despite Yew and Ash being very common.
      So in short, I don’t know if we can ever know for sure whether the definitive ‘World Tree’ is a Yew in the Viking imagination as a whole. But in that description - I’d say yes.
      Hope that helps, and thanks for watching my videos. I’m pleased they are finding an audience in China. What a great body of Myth and Folklore there is in that part of the world.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад

      Hello my friend. I find it so endearing when Chinese people apologise for their proficiency in English, and then right a comment in pitch perfect English, especially considering as I don’t speak a word of Chinese.
      Now, I’m not a Norse specialist by any means, but that description seems to me to be definitely a Yew tree. Funnily enough, I’m currently reading a book of Skaldic poetry, which I think has the same verse format as the poetic Edda, and it sounds like a similar metaphorical description as I’m reading in there.
      What I do know is that descriptions of Yggdrasil as a Yew seem to be earlier then descriptions of Yggdrasil as an Ash - but I think it may also depend on region - which would make sense - based on differing soils and climates. But I doubt that is the only factor. In the Celtic worldview, the world tree is usually an Oak - despite Yew and Ash being very common.
      So in short, I don’t know if we can ever know for sure whether the definitive ‘World Tree’ is a Yew in the Viking imagination as a whole. But in that description - I’d say yes.
      Hope that helps, and thanks for watching my videos. I’m pleased they are finding an audience in China. What a great body of Myth and Folklore there is in that part of the world.

    • @FisherYw
      @FisherYw Год назад +1

      @@TheStoryCrow Thank you very much for your response! It deepened my understanding of this story. Exploring ancient cultures is truly fascinating, even if sometimes there are no definitive answers. The process of exchange itself brings joy. I salute the bards, as it is the stories you convey that uphold this world. I wish you all the best in the future, which is expressed in Chinese as "万事顺意" (May everything go smoothly).

  • @BenjyaminSaturnHaunebu777_3
    @BenjyaminSaturnHaunebu777_3 Год назад +1

    Thank you for this Video. The Eye that was the Price is the Optic Thalamus The Third Eye the Pituitary Gland and the Pineal Gland , the Pineal Gland produce the GOD Molecule DMT Dimethyltryptamine.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +1

      I enjoy comments like this. Happy journeys in inter dimensional hyper space friend 👾 👁️ 🧠 😉

  • @ashleyking3385
    @ashleyking3385 Год назад +2

    the audio needs to be cleaned up a bit love.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +1

      Yes, I don’t think my mic was connected 🤦 the second half with the story is better. Thanks for stopping by ☺️

    • @ashleyking3385
      @ashleyking3385 Год назад +1

      @@TheStoryCrow I like your stuff. I'm Irish decent (almost entirely) but I always love the retelling of the trees people do.
      May I make a request as maybe a side project with your content? I love hearing about lore and old sayings behind plants from all over the world. There is ALOT of straight forward knowledge attached to them. Could you throw In a few videos of folk lore on trees and plants? As an example it is said that after May the Devil uses stinging nettles to sew his shirt. This is actually true in regards to stinging nettles is a plant that was used by all the First Nations tribes in Canada and the US as thread for sewing. yet many have no idea about this.

    • @TheStoryCrow
      @TheStoryCrow  Год назад +1

      @@ashleyking3385 Thanks again Ashley. I’m also of Irish descent, hence why I do like to lean into the Celtic mythology and folklore. Thanks also for your request. I will continue to make videos on plant and tree lore, as I find it fascinating. Watch this space ☺️ I also did not know that about nettles. Will revisit that when I make a nettle video 😅 thanks again

    • @hotelsierra86
      @hotelsierra86 10 месяцев назад

      It is said that if you have a yew tree in your garden you will never be poor.

  • @kaloarepo288
    @kaloarepo288 Месяц назад +1

    The word "toxic" comes from the Latin and Greek words for the yew tree as it is poisonous in most of its parts!