Paganism: The Significance of Acorns and Oaks

The acorn is a symbol of strength and power. In the fall, these tiny yet hardy little nuggets drop from the oak trees to land on the ground. Most will be eaten by passing wildlife, but a few will survive to form a new tree in the spring. Because the acorn only appears on a fully mature oak, it is often considered a symbol of the patience needed to attain goals over long periods of time. It represents perseverance and hard work.

In Norse legend, Thor found shelter from a violent storm by sitting under a mighty oak tree. Today, people in some Nordic countries believe that acorns on the windowsill will protect a house from being hit by lightning. In parts of Great Britain, young ladies followed a custom of wearing an acorn on a string around their neck. It was believed that this was a talisman against premature aging.

The Druids are believed to have held rituals in oak groves, and certainly mistletoe was to be found on oak trees. According to legend, mistletoe was indicative of a god stopping by via a lightning strike on the tree. Certainly, oak trees seem to be more susceptible to lightning strikes than other trees, although this could be because it's often the tallest tree around.

Author and artist Carl Blackburn writes,

"One thing that seems to tie together much of the ancient reverence for the oak tree is lightning... As the oak is generally one of the tallest trees in the forest, it is well known as the tree most prone to lightning strikes. Once struck, it will continue to thrive. The Druids believed that when mistletoe grew in an oak tree it was magical and sacred—it had been placed there by a lightning strike and was therefore the most powerful of all the mistletoe that grew in the forest. The mistletoe was cut from the oak by a white cloaked priest with a golden sickle, and two white bulls sacrificed. The religious ceremony culminated with the rendering of an elixir that was said to cure infertility and be an antidote to all poisons."

Rulers often wore crowns of oak leaves, as a symbol of their connection to the divine. After all, if one were a living god, personification of the god on earth, one had to look the part. Roman generals were presented with oak crowns upon returning victorious from battle, and the oak leaf is still used as a symbol of leadership in the military today.

Paul Kendall at Trees for Life says,

"Perhaps because of the oak's size and presence, much of its folklore concerns specific, individual oak trees. Many parishes used to contain what became known as the Gospel Oak, a prominent tree at which part of the Gospel was read out during the Beating of the Bounds ceremonies at Rogan tide in spring. In Somerset stand the two very ancient oaks of Gog and Magog (named after the last male and female giants to roam Britain), which are reputed to be the remnants of an oak-lined processional route up to the nearby Glastonbury Tor. The Major Oak in Sherwood Forest is purported to be the tree where Robin Hood and his Merry Men hatched their plots, and is now a popular tourist attraction (though this particular tree probably does not predate the 16th century)."

Around the reign of King Henry VIII, oak became popular for its use in construction of homes for the wealthy. Managed oak forests in Scotland supplied thousands of pieces of timber for use in London and other English cities. The bark was used as well, to create a dye that was used in ink-making.

Today, many modern Pagans and Wiccans continue to honor the oak. It is found in the Celtic Ogham symbols, and contemporary Druids still celebrate its power.