We will now turn to each of the twenty original ogham trees in turn. They are traditionally grouped into four aicmes or tribes, each named after the first tree in their group.
We therefore have the aicme of beith, or birch; the aicme of huath, or hawthorn; the aicme of muin, or blackberry; and the aicme of ailm, or pine. For each tree we will be covering their kennings (word oghams)—poetic clues to their meanings and significance, their botanical description, lore and legend of each tree, practical and magical uses, a tree’s uses in healing, and its divinatory meaning. We should remember that each tree is a distinct being, and each type of tree will have its own general attributes with variations present in each individual plant of its genus. While practical, magical, and herbal attributes remain constant for each type of ogham tree, every tree spirit we encounter will in addition have its own personality and unique qualities. Let this guide to the ogham trees be just that—a guide to help you in understanding and elucidating your own experiences with the trees themselves.