The
Oak - Quercus
spp There
are several hundred species of Oak. In the UK the Sessile
Oak, Quercus
robur is the most common. Throughout
the major cultures of Europe the Oak tree has been a very special
tree. It has been worshipped and respected by many religions and
faiths. Many civilisations associated the Oak as representing their
God(s). The Greeks - Zues, the Romans - Jupiter, the Celts – Robor.
Each of these gods also had dominion over rain, thunder and
lightning, and it is surely no coincidence that oak trees appear to
be more prone to lightning strikes than other trees. No one is
totally sure why this is the case. It could be because of the wood's
low electrical resistance or the fact that they were frequently the
largest, tallest living things in the landscape. In Norse legend,
the God Thor, sought shelter from a violent storm by sitting under a
mighty oak tree. Today, people in some Nordic countries believe that
acorns on the windowsill will protect a house from being hit by
lightning. The
Druids (the word Druid was probably a Gaelic derivation of their word
for oak, Duir, and meant 'men of the oaks') are believed to have held
rituals in Oak groves, and certainly where Mistletoe was to be found
on oak trees. According to legend, mistletoe was placed on the Oak
tree by God via a lightning strike on the tree. Rulers
often wore crowns of oak leaves, as a symbol of their connection to
the deities. Roman generals were presented with oak crowns upon
returning victorious from battle. Famously the images of Julius
Ceaser. The oak leaf is still used as a military symbol of leadership
today. It's
not hard to see why the Oak was and is thought of as a tree with
masculine energy – Strong, mighty, enduring and steadfast. Indeed,
it is one of our longest-living trees, living as long a 500 years and
up to 1000 years if coppiced.Oak
is a very slow growing tree and hence has a dense hard wood. Much of
its legend could have come from the Oaks hard wood. Until man
discovered metal cutting tools most of the primitive stone and bone
tools were not strong enough to cut the wood. The only wood early man
would have been able to use from the Oak would have been that from
branches snapped off by lighting or high winds. In other words given
to them, by God. Two
ancient Somerset Oaks Gog and Magog (named after the last male and
female giants to roam Britain), near Glastonbury, were cut down in
1906 to make way for farm land. They made up an avenue of Oak trees
that led to the Glastonbury Tor. When cut down Magog was eleven feet
in diameter and had more than 2000 growth rings. There are still two
ancient oaks in Glastonbury now called Gog and Magog. These
magnificent trees hang are just about still hanging on to life and
are still visible today. The
Oak wood was also favoured for its strength and durability in ship
building and in the construction of timbered houses. The bark was
valued by the leather tanning industry because of its high tannin
content and during the industrial revolution large oak woodlands in
Scotland were managed and the bark harvested for this purpose. The
bark would also produce a brown dye. A tonic derived from boiling the
bark was used to treat harness sores on horses. An
Oak will not start to produce acorns until 70-80years old and
although relatively young in the life of an Oak it is already a
mature tree. This is mind is partly why acorns were considered to be
a starvation food. Because the Oak is so strong and resilient it will
still produce acorns even though the worst drought. Because of the
high tannin content Acorns are not edible without processing. They
are extremely bitter and although woodsman would make a tea from
unprocessed acorns its best to roast the acorns then rinse the
crushed acorns in a river or barrel to flush out the tannins. The
acorns can be then be crushed to make acorn coffee. Once rinsed and
dried the acorns can be crushed into a flour and use to make bread
and biscuits. The leaves have been used to make beer and wine. |
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