Ogham script, represented by the lines and slashes in the accompanying graphic, correspond to the English letters directly beside the Ogham lines and slashes. Naturally, the letters do not appear in actual Ogham script. Scholars determined that the various lines corresponded to the various letters when they set about translating the Ogham scripts found in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Ogham script was used to inscribe names on tombs, ceremonial sites, and so forth.

Most Ogham script inscriptions that have survived over the ages are etched in stone but, undoubtedly, were carved into wood as well. The Celts thought trees were links to the netherworld with their great heights and roots that penetrated so far into the soil. It may be because of these beliefs that Ogham script was linked to various types of trees. The B for instance is related to the Birch tree, A is linked to the ash, and so forth. These trees have unique properties/meanings that are conveyed along with the literal letter (sort of like a message within a message). The birch tree for instance stands for, among other things, new beginnings.

When written, Ogham script uses a solid vertical line with the letters jutting out very much like the trunk and branches of a tree. A typical Ogham script appears in the second graphic accompanying this entry. The word it represents is “Failte” in Gaelic (welcome in English). By comparing the “Failte” script with the alphabet you can work out which lines represent which letter. I think you’ll find the direction of the word somewhat different than you might expect. Have fun!

       

  In subsequent sections of this chapter we present a variety of trees and their properties as well as their Ogham connection.