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Fir
Keywords
Birth, Cleverness, Protection, Prosperity, Rebirth, Transformation,
Vitality
Historical
Background and Folklore
Fir trees are evergreens of the genus Abies and native only in the
northern hemisphere. Their cones are responsive to sun and rain
by opening and closing respectively.
In Scandinavian folktales, fir was associated with the spirit of
the forest. It was also believed to have a strong connection with
the person on whose land it grew. Any catastrophe that befell the
tree was a bad omen for the landowner.
Fir has been called the birth tree and used for protection spells
for mothers and babies by burning a few needles during childbirth.
Adorning evergreens during winter may have been done simply with
symbols of life and springtime as a way to manifest intentions for
abundance and good crops in the year ahead. Various cultures adapted
and evolved this into the present-day Christmas tree. |
A way to tell a fir tree from a spruce is to remember the saying:
“Firs are friendly; spruces are not.” Firs are soft to
the touch whereas spruce needles have tiny points that scratch.
Associations
Element: air
Energy: masculine
Goddesses: Audhumla, Artemis, Diana, Elate, Frigg, Iduna, Inanna,
Isis, Persephone, Sif
Gods: Adonis, Attis, Bacchus, Dionysus, Osiris, Pan
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Other
Beings/Characters: dwarves, elves, faeries
Zodiac: Aries
Celestial Bodies: Mars, Saturn
Color: green
Gemstones: green amber, jade
Ogham Character: Ailm – Letter: A
Dates: January 2 - 11, July 5 - 14 and December 22
Other Associations: attract prosperity; inner workings and change;
far sightedness; the underworld; Thursday; sabbats: Beltane, Yule/Winter
Solstice
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© Llewellyn - Whispers from the Woods
For more information, refer to the full text in Whispers from
the Woods.
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