The Battle of the Trees (Cad Goddeu) - Chieftain Trees - Part 1

Robert Graves discussed the Battle of the Trees (Cad Goddeu) in some detail and even wrote a more poetic (in English) translation.
http://1734.com/battle_of_the_trees.shtml

Here I have taken the eight chieftain trees and tried to write verses which talk about the virtues and associations of each tree. I may get around to writing about the eight peasant trees and eight bushes.

Lots of research done for this song, here are some of the sources:
http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk/myogham_applepage.html
http://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/
https://www.snapdragonlife.com/news/blog/the-magic-of-the-alder-tree/
https://speakingofwitchwands.net/2018/03/13/the-magickal-gorse-tree/
https://web.archive.org/web/20170608140936/http://www.shee-eire.com/magic&mythology/Ogham/OghamTract/ogtract.htm

Ogham (ovam) fonts:
https://www.babelstone.co.uk/Fonts/Ogham.html

Rudyard Kipling also wrote a 'tree catalogue' song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bRajLHZwD0&t=4s

We don't know much about the druids, but we know they loved music and poetry and trees, and that there training was long and arduous. It is likely that putting knowledge into recited poetry/song was a good tool for remembering.

Lyrics here:
https://www.folklounge.org/portfolio/cad-goddeu-the-battle-of-the-trees/

#druids
#celtic
#ogham