Alder: Celtic tree month Meaning

Alder (Fearn), month 4 of the modern 'Celtic tree calendar', 18 March – 14 April.

The alder grows by water, and its wood, which does not rot when wet, was used for piles and foundations; when cut, its pale wood turns red as if bleeding. In Graves' scheme it is the tree of the spring equinox and of steadfastness.

The thirteen tree months come from Robert Graves' The White Goddess (1948), not from ancient sources. The tree associations of the Ogham letters do go back to medieval Irish scholars, but there is no evidence for an ancient Celtic tree calendar.

Personality

confident · steadfast · courageous · charming · driven · outgoing

In the modern 'Celtic tree calendar', a person born in the Alder month (18 March – 14 April) is described as confident, steadfast and courageous, a natural pathfinder. The scheme was devised by Robert Graves in The White Goddess (1948) and expanded by later writers; it is not an ancient Celtic calendar. Alder corresponds to the Ogham letter Fearn and in Graves' scheme to the spring equinox.

Modern tree-calendar writers draw on the alder's character: it grows by water, its wood does not rot when wet and was used for foundations and piles, and its pale cut wood turns red as if bleeding. Alder people are therefore said to be dependable foundations for others, energetic, charming and driven, able to lead and to hold their ground. Their challenges are described as impatience, a combative streak and a tendency to push ahead without considering others' views.

In love Alder people are portrayed as warm and generous, though they need appreciation; in work, as leaders, builders and those who start projects and see them through. Like all tree-month portraits, this is a modern reading of the tree's symbolism.

Sources and further reading

The White Goddess — Robert Graves, 1948
A Guide to Ogam — Damian McManus, 1991
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles — Ronald Hutton, 1991