In Celtic lore, trees were seen as ancestors of human beings, a concept which has actual parallels in the science of evolution. Trees gave people wood to create homes and tools, and firewood to keep them warm, cook their food and sterilize water to make it potable. Birds, insects and small animals sheltered in its branches and trunk, as did humans in inclement weather. The role of the tree as the giver and protector of life also played a significant part.

The march of the seasons, which first gives the tree its leaves, then strips them, before repeating the cycle alludes to the belief in the cycle of Life to which the Celts ascribed. The choice of the tree as this means of communication is heavy with symbolism.

Together, the tree became the channel and conduit between the will of the divine world and the mortals who lived below. Celts realized that the absence of greenery would be the absence of life itself.Ĭeltic mythology expanded on this idea by illustrating the branches as reaching up into the sky, the realm of the gods, while the roots settled deep into the soil, anchoring the tree to the earthly realm. Their ability to create life from the sunlight and water abundant in the air and the soil fed the herbivorous and omnivorous species, including Man. The answer is simple: they recognized that trees were the center of all that occurred. So, why did these designs come to be a part of Celtic culture? How is it that they made the tree a central part of all they knew?

It is not just the tree that is represented in that motif – it is all of life on the planet. Often, the Tree’s design is symmetrical in the horizontal plane – it is identical viewed from above or below. This design projects the branches and roots in such a manner that they weave around the center and one of each connects with one of the other, creating a circle. In the thousand years (ending in approximately 500 A.D.) that they were the dominant pagan tribe in Ireland and other parts of Northern Europe, the Celts left created and behind enough evidence of their deep reverence of nature for us to understand their perception of the Universe.Ĭrann Bethadh was depicted as a tree with a stout trunk, its many branches swirling up to meet the sky above while its equally numerous roots expanded into the earth below.Ī very interesting variation – and one that has become ever so popular today – is the Tree of Life Knot. No, for the Celts, a people who were intimately bonded to the Earth around them, the Tree was a tangible part of everyday existence. The Celtic Tree of Life Symbol and Its MeaningĬrann Bethadh, the Celtic Tree of Life was more than a mythical idea spoken of around campfires and alluded to during certain ceremonies.

The Tree of Life in Mesoamerican Beliefs.

The Tree of Life in Judaism and Kabbalah.

The Tree of Life in Hinduism and Buddhism.

The Celtic Tree of Life Symbol and Its Meaning.

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