What Is the Symbolic Meaning of a Birch Tree?
About 100 species of birch trees are in the world. They are largely in temperate climates and confined to the Northern Hemisphere. The birch tree has symbolic significance in many cultures, both modern and mythological.
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Renewal and Purification
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Following the last Ice Age, the robust and weather-hardy birch tree would have been among the first to re-colonize ice-ravaged landscape. In botanical terms, it is known as a pioneer species. In Celtic mythology, therefore, the birch is a symbol of renewal and purification.
Steps to Heaven
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The birch tree is one of the national trees of Russia. In Siberia, shamans use the tree for initiation rituals. A candidate carves nine notches in the trunk of a birch to represent the nine steps to heaven of shamanic folklore.
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State Symbol
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The white birch is the symbol of the State of New Hampshire. Also, Native Americans revered the birch tree for the many uses of its bark.
Love
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In German folklore, the birch is regarded as a tree of life and was traditionally used to make maypoles, around which lovers danced. Welsh folklore associates the birch tree with love, too; lovers met under a birch tree.
Protection
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In the Swedish city Umea, according to popular legend, the silver birch tree halted a fire that nearly burned the city to the ground in 1888. Silver birch trees are now planted all over the city. In Celtic mythology, the birch was used to protect against evil. Babies' rattles and cradles were made of birch.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit birch tree in spring image by Calin Tatu from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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is it unlucky to cut a silver birch tree down.
