European Oak
Quercus robur
Status: Increasingly becoming vulnerable due to to pests, disease, and climate change. Weather stress is causing damage to the bark, which in turn leaves the trees susceptible to ravages of insects, fungi, and disease.
The Celtic word for Oak is daur, the origin of the modern English word door, and thus the concept of doorways to otherworlds was bound into the very meaning of oak trees for the Ancient Celts. The Tree of Life (Crann Bethadh) is a tree in a graphic representation of harmony and balance, nature&qpos;s power coming together in an intertwined lacework of beauty, symmetry, and resilience. Oak trees, with their impressive size, longevity, and strength were worshiped and seen as sacred beacons for the gods. The Tree of Life embodies the interconnected nature of the world. The branches spread in a canopy of sky, while the roots reach down into the earth, and both meet in the trunk as well as the boundaries of the symbol in a singular weaving.
References:
McKillop, James (1998). "Oak" A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press
The Tree of Life: An Archaeological Study. (1966). Netherlands: BRILL pg 61.