Ogham Alphabet ~ Rune Witch Mysteries

As the Rune Witch Mysteries is coming to an end with Unbroken, the fourth and final installment out in the next month (Although, who knows, I may revisit Summer and Thomas in the future), I thought it might be nice to learn some more about the story and also some of the creatures and myths I have incorporated into the story. So, over the next few weeks, I will write a series of posts on these influences.


When I first started writing about Summer and Thomas it was for a short story in an anthology that I had been invited to take part in. This set, which is no longer available, was titled Rebels & Runes. So, I began by researching runes.



You may have noticed that I like to set my stories in Wales. I’m Welsh, Wales is my home and when I learnt that Wales has the greatest number of stones inscribed with Ogham runes than any other country outside of Ireland, I knew I had found my magic system, one that already existed and had a very interesting lore behind it.


I began to read a lot about the Ogham Runes and the trees associated with them. Yet, despite reading hundreds of articles and a fair few books, one resource I have gone back to over and over as a quick guide to their properties is a fabulous site by a lady called Avia. Avia has gathered a wealth of resources at What’s Your Sign, where there’s “a universe of information on interpreting signs and symbols” – one that I am sure that I will refer to for future books.


The Ogham alphabet consists of twenty letters and a further five supplementary letters. The twenty letters, seen to the left, are the ones I used for Summer’s magic. In the books, I have used the Celtic names for the runes and not their Welsh names, as the Celtic names are more well known.



 



Seasons and Trees

“Not everyone can tap into the magic of trees and use it as their own, but everyone feels the cleansing of their spirit as they stand beneath a canopy dappled with yellow, red, and orange. They can’t help but embrace the ancient song of the birds singing, the wind whistling, and the leaves rustling. The woody incense seeps into their soul and caresses them like the fine morning mist that entwines the thick underbrush and lichen-encrusted trunks in its ghostly veil. Everyone feels a tree’s longevity, its peace. But nothing, nothing compared to the feeling of an ancient woodland, and Wentwood was the largest of its kind in Wales.”


~ Summer, Taken ~


 


Each rune in the Ogham alphabet represents a tree and each tree has it’s own moon cycle covering 28 days. This starts with the Birch on 24th December, and follows with Rowan, Ash, Alder, Willow, Hawthorn, Oak, Holly, Hazel, Vine, Ivy, Reed and Elder. British Druids used the runes as a system to measure the cycle through the lunar months and as a celebration of the four Solstices. This passage of time is something I have tried to subtly incorporate into the Rune Witch Mysteries. Taken occurs in Autumn, Hidden in Winter, Forgotten in Spring, and the final story, Unbroken leads up to Summer – or more specifically, ends on Beltane, the Gaelic seasonal festival which marks the beginning of the pastoral summer season, you’ll see why when the book comes out

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Published on October 24, 2018 06:39
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