The Rowan

-Botanical

Latin name: Sorbus Aucuparia
Rowan tree is a little tree, growing in forests and woods, most of time in altitude. Its natural living area is in Europe and in Western Asia. But we can find it also in North America. It likes temperate and humid climate. It's possible to find it as high as 700 meters of altitude, and that's explaining its name, "Lady of he Mountain".
It's a small tree, rarely higher than 15 meters. It has flowers in May and June, and fruits in summer. The particularity of this tree is that its fruits are on it during a very long time, until summer, which is a chance for the birds, which are crazy about them.
The rowan can live until 100 years. Its bark is grey and smooth, and in May its flowers are white.

-Customs, Legends and Mythology

Gaelic name: Luis
Month: December
Color: Grey and Red
Letter in the Ogham: L
Magical properties: controlling your life, protection against control by others.

For Celts and Germans people, rowan tree is a sacred tree, protecting the cattle against lightning. Scottish people thought that it have the power to keep malicious spirits far from the houses. And in the countryside tradition, the rowan tree is a chance symbol for lovers.
According to a Scandinavian myth, rowan tree is the feminine equivalent of ash tree, because the first woman was born from rowan, and first men from ash.
This tree is present in numerous myths and legends in Greece, Iceland and Ireland, or else in the Christian religion, most of time because of this attractive color of its fruits.
In Ireland, the rowan is associated with a very important ancient Goddess: Brigid of Ireland. She was renowned as a poetess, and was the Muse of the poetic and divinatory atmosphere which surrounds the rowan, especially in autumn, when the birds are attracted by the fruits.

-Healing

During a long time, the rowan was used as an astringent and antibiotic. But the only parts of this tree which can be used are the fruits and the leaves. Rowan's fruits have some diuretic and laxative properties.
Rowan as also spirit properties: people used to think that to be sitting under the branches of this tree allowed to keep calm, and to evacuate stress and tensions.

-Physical uses

Fresh fruits are not good to be eaten. But they contain different sugars. One of them is used to the elaboration of a sweetener, useful for diabetic people.
The fruits can only be eaten when they are very mature, and then they need to be cooked.
Sometimes they can be used to realize marmalades, and an alcoholic drink.
Because of the interest of birds for these fruits, they were used to catch them. Rowan's wood, strong and white, was appreciated for the construction of cart's wheels and toll's handles, and it's searched by the sculptors.
Its leaves can be used to feed the cattle.