Post by wren on Sept 5, 2006 12:34:10 GMT -5
Tinne (Holly), pronounced CHIN-yuh)
Botanical name: Ilex aquilolium. Status: shrub. Sound: t.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Tinne: Holly, a third of a wheel is Holly.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Another thing, the meaning of that today
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Holly equals a third of weapons, an iron bar
Word Ogham of Óengus: Holly equals fires of coal.
Duration
A holly tree rises from the flames of a fiery forge, adorned with blood red berries.
Tinne is a tree-letter of challenge and defense. Its appearance suggests that you will be tested, perhaps to the limits of your strength and courage. You must face the matter squarely, taking measures to defend and protect yourself. Though this is a sore trial to go through, you will emerge stronger and wiser from it.
It has been suggested that the original identity of this ogham was actually ‘an iron bar or weapon’ rather than a tree. However, if the identification of Tinne with holly was later one, it is still profoundly meaningful, on account of holly’s link to weapons and wounding. Holly, left to itself in the world, may attain a height of up to seventy feet, though this is seldom allowed to happen. The tree is generally treated as a type of shrub these days and cultivated to diminutive proportions in gardens and hedges. This was not always so, for holly once formed part of the vast primordial forests that covered much of central and southern Europe.
The most striking feature of holly is undoubtedly its profusion of spiny leaves. These have many lobes ending in sharp points, especially on the lower branches. Thus holly often forms a type of natural thicket. Also notable are its berries – the ‘fires of coal’ – which turn red in autumn. This links holly to the Celtic Otherworld and to the forge of the god of smiths, Goibniu. Its wood was once used as the spokes of chariot wheels and spear shafts, contributing to its associations of challenge and defense. And, the ‘third of a wheel’ may also refer to the sacred wheel of the three Weaving sisters of European mythology, reflected in the Greek Fates and Norse Norns.
Tinne has traditionally been linked closely with Duir (Oak). In folklore the connection is expressed in the ancient drama of the Oak King and the Holly King battle each other for supremacy over the turning wheel of the year. Holly, with its aura of challenge and darkness, marks the beginning of the waning half of the year, culminating with the Winter Solstice. This is why, to this day, holly is associated with Christmas, whose dates corresponds to mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Long after the pagan significance of this ancient rite became obscured, mummers and maskers continued to dramatize the ritual battle of holly and oak in pantomimes and fetes.
Tinne brings challenge. In all our lives there are times when circumstances seem to conspire against us. Whether it is at work, in love or some other area of your personal life, challenge lies everywhere. Your positions is being either openly attacked or insidiously undermined and it is time to take action. You have strengths to draw upon; enter into your power and meet the adversity. There is nothing else for it.
It may also be that some inner turmoil is buffeting you or bartering your progress. Perhaps your state of mind is the challenge to be overcome. Emotionally, you could get burnt or be afflicted by the fires of passion. Spiritually, you may be amidst the flames of the forge of transformation. Yet, felled by a fighting spirit, you will arise anew from the ashes.
This trial is par for the course of life’s winding pathways: no one can expect to escape without fateful brushes with hostile forces and such as you are not alone. The illustrious company of your ancestors and all others who have stood against and weathered such assaults goes with you. Arm yourself with the magical weapons of courage and endurance that they gift you.
Reversed, Tinne suggests that fate is raining blow after blow upon you and your strength is not standing up to the onslaught. Emotionally, this is a slash and burn scenario. Try to get yourself out of the situation as quickly as possible. If your position cannot be defended, flee it; there is no shame in this. You need to escape the fray of battle and pick yourself up again. Time will rebuild your strength.
Botanical name: Ilex aquilolium. Status: shrub. Sound: t.
Elaborations on the Ogham Name Tinne: Holly, a third of a wheel is Holly.
Word Ogham of Morainn mac Moín: Another thing, the meaning of that today
Word Ogham of Cú Chulainn: Holly equals a third of weapons, an iron bar
Word Ogham of Óengus: Holly equals fires of coal.
Duration
A holly tree rises from the flames of a fiery forge, adorned with blood red berries.
Tinne is a tree-letter of challenge and defense. Its appearance suggests that you will be tested, perhaps to the limits of your strength and courage. You must face the matter squarely, taking measures to defend and protect yourself. Though this is a sore trial to go through, you will emerge stronger and wiser from it.
It has been suggested that the original identity of this ogham was actually ‘an iron bar or weapon’ rather than a tree. However, if the identification of Tinne with holly was later one, it is still profoundly meaningful, on account of holly’s link to weapons and wounding. Holly, left to itself in the world, may attain a height of up to seventy feet, though this is seldom allowed to happen. The tree is generally treated as a type of shrub these days and cultivated to diminutive proportions in gardens and hedges. This was not always so, for holly once formed part of the vast primordial forests that covered much of central and southern Europe.
The most striking feature of holly is undoubtedly its profusion of spiny leaves. These have many lobes ending in sharp points, especially on the lower branches. Thus holly often forms a type of natural thicket. Also notable are its berries – the ‘fires of coal’ – which turn red in autumn. This links holly to the Celtic Otherworld and to the forge of the god of smiths, Goibniu. Its wood was once used as the spokes of chariot wheels and spear shafts, contributing to its associations of challenge and defense. And, the ‘third of a wheel’ may also refer to the sacred wheel of the three Weaving sisters of European mythology, reflected in the Greek Fates and Norse Norns.
Tinne has traditionally been linked closely with Duir (Oak). In folklore the connection is expressed in the ancient drama of the Oak King and the Holly King battle each other for supremacy over the turning wheel of the year. Holly, with its aura of challenge and darkness, marks the beginning of the waning half of the year, culminating with the Winter Solstice. This is why, to this day, holly is associated with Christmas, whose dates corresponds to mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Long after the pagan significance of this ancient rite became obscured, mummers and maskers continued to dramatize the ritual battle of holly and oak in pantomimes and fetes.
Tinne brings challenge. In all our lives there are times when circumstances seem to conspire against us. Whether it is at work, in love or some other area of your personal life, challenge lies everywhere. Your positions is being either openly attacked or insidiously undermined and it is time to take action. You have strengths to draw upon; enter into your power and meet the adversity. There is nothing else for it.
It may also be that some inner turmoil is buffeting you or bartering your progress. Perhaps your state of mind is the challenge to be overcome. Emotionally, you could get burnt or be afflicted by the fires of passion. Spiritually, you may be amidst the flames of the forge of transformation. Yet, felled by a fighting spirit, you will arise anew from the ashes.
This trial is par for the course of life’s winding pathways: no one can expect to escape without fateful brushes with hostile forces and such as you are not alone. The illustrious company of your ancestors and all others who have stood against and weathered such assaults goes with you. Arm yourself with the magical weapons of courage and endurance that they gift you.
Reversed, Tinne suggests that fate is raining blow after blow upon you and your strength is not standing up to the onslaught. Emotionally, this is a slash and burn scenario. Try to get yourself out of the situation as quickly as possible. If your position cannot be defended, flee it; there is no shame in this. You need to escape the fray of battle and pick yourself up again. Time will rebuild your strength.