Alder trees live near the water. You may find them in moist grounds near rivers and lakes, with their roots helping prevent soil erosion, or in marshes and wet woodlands, where they may thrive to form alder woods or carrs. Sometimes mired in several inches of water, with the wide base of alder trunks, from which emerge the young shoots of alder, rising up from the damp soil up to 20m high and opening to a leafy dark-green canopy; these woodlands and their mysterious atmosphere have been know to be chosen by fugitives, bandits and mischievous spirits as ideal places to hide. From the flowers a green dye can be derived which gave colour to the clothes of outlaws, as Robin Hood, as well as to the fairies’ ones, providing camouflage and concealing those from human eyes. The alder has been since associated with the Sidhe, the faery realms or underworld in the Celtic lore, and is said to be protected by the alder king or elf king. In the depths of its mystique, alder element is the water and its roots dive into the subconscious, as such themes of hiding and secrecy around it recur throughout mythology.
Perhaps for that reason, it was considered unlucky by the Irish to pass by an alder tree on a journey; but also, as the alder white living wood turns to red when cut, such bleeding wood led to be considered unlucky to cut one of these down, while at the same time feeding all sorts of negative superstitions around the tree. Historically, the unlawfully felling of an alder was a punishable offence, as it was categorised as a one of the seven Peasant trees in the Brehon Law; the second more important category. Nonetheless, its wood becomes stronger when left immersed in water and, for that reason, has been used since the Bronze Age on the foundations of buildings. Most of Venice and Lisbon are actually laid on piles of alder wood. Outdoors and outside water its timber rots easily and it is not an ideal fuel either. Despite that, its charcoal burns with intense heat, being used by the Celts to forge their best weapons and later in the manufacture of gunpowder. It was also named the ‘Scots mahogany’, as the richer brown seasoned wood was sought by furniture makers. But not only crafts-man found it attractive, it’s wood is also preferred by female wood-worms to lay their eggs and english folk tradition advices to place an alder branch inside cupboards as a lure for wood worm.
Alder is the tree of the warriors, called airenach fian or ‘vanguard of warriors’ in the Ogham of Morann mic Moín. It has protective properties, din crídi, or ‘protection of the heart’ in the Ogham of Culainn, although mostly the type of protection a warrior might need when stepping into the unknown. Its symbolism includes both the fire, as its red wood signals, and the water, as its preferred living habitat suggests. The alder is a symbol of balance between the fire, strength and courage to move forward and face any challenges; and the water qualities, the spirit in celtic lore, the inner intuition and receptivity that may guide your actions. In Celtic mythology appears as a fighter, the one who takes up challenges and faces what have been hidden below the surface, in the underworld or underwater. It is a symbol of balanced qualities - the receptive and the active; water and fire; feminine and masculine, and its positioned at spring equinox in the wheel of the year, when day and night are the same length.
In Brythonic lore, Alder is associated with the gigantic ancient hero Bran the Blessed, originally a deity of bards and poetry, who travelled to the otherworld, Annwn, the realm of Arawn, from where he wasn’t able to return. Arawn, the king of the underworld, every year fights with Pwyll, a conflict as a personified struggle between winter and summer. Amaethon, brother of Gwydion, was originally a god of agriculture, the ‘plowman’ or ‘divine farmer’, who succeeded in tilling an untillable field. But he was a celtic hero too, as he was able to bring back objects from the underworld. In fact, long long time ago, is said that he went to the underworld and stole from Arawn a dog, a lapwing and a roebuck, bringing these back with him to the world. Arawn led his forces against Amaethon, starting a battle known in Celtic mythology as Cad Goddeu, the ‘Battle of the Trees’. The poem, contained in the Book of Taliesin, describes how Gwydion transformed all families of trees into warriors, to fight on their side against Arawn.
But there was a man in battle, who unless his name was known could not be overcome and, on the other side, there was a woman who unless her name was known could not be overcome; her name was Achren, ‘Trees’. And in the mist Gwydion, brother of Amaethon, recognised the man: Bran the Blessed and from the alder twigs on his shield he was able to know. By naming him, he had his power and so the battle was won, victory gave to Amaethon. But as one reads this poem, a riddle may come forth. The poem is itself an encoded array of verses and letters drawn from the Celtic tree alphabet, and its message rising from the power of words and language is bound to be a spell, a druidic magic charm - ‘under each tongue root’. By naming the trees, one after the other, their meaningful powers are invoked and enchanted trees will thus come to the battle.
Under each tongue root A fight most dread, And another raging Behind, in the head.
The alders in the front line Began the affray. Willow and rowan-tree Were tardy in array.
The holly, dark green, Made a resolute stand; He is armed with many spear points Wounding the hand
Alder has been a symbol of regeneration and resurrection too and, in Norse mythology, the first human couple was created from the union of Ash and Alder. Alder is a pioneer tree which can also grow in drier land and will easily colonise bare ground and poor soils due to a symbiotic relation with nitrogen-fixing bacterium, providing this nutrient to the soil while, by doing so, helping other plants and trees to grow. As most pioneer trees, their life span is usually short and may live up to 60 years. It can be found throughout Europe and as far as Siberia, with between 20 to 30 species in the genus Aldus, although A.glutinosa being the only native to UK. It’s catkins provide an early source of nectar and pollen to the bees, it’s a food plant for several moths and the seeds are eaten by different birds. The alder is also valued for its medicinal uses, against rheumatism and itching, the bark used to soothe burns and the leaves would be placed in the shoes to cool the feet in long journeys and prevent swelling. Some alders in the UK have been affected by the alder dieback, an infection caused by a fungus Phytophthora common in broadleaf trees, which leads the roots to rot and to stem lesions.