Birch Tree Symbolism, Myth & Folklore

Explore birch tree symbolism, myth, meaning and folklore as part of my Celtic Tree Calendar art project...

If you want to find out more about what the Celtic Tree calendar actually is, click here!

The Celtic Tree Calendar month of the Birch tree - 24 December to 20th January

Birch Tree Symbolism, Myth and Folklore

Birch is one of our most beautiful native British trees and one of the most mystical!

Birch is often seen as a ‘pioneer tree’ – it was the first tree to start to recolonise the land after the last Ice Age and is, even now, often the first to start to grow on cleared lands or wastelands – and it provides nourishment for the plants and trees that come after to allow the natural ecosystem to regrow. Because of this, birch is often associated with renewal and new beginnings.

Birch tree

Tree of the World

The Gaelic words for birch – ‘beith’, ‘bith’, or ‘beth’ – mean ‘inception’, ‘world’, ‘existence’, ‘enduring’, and ‘shining one’, showing us something of how this beautiful tree was viewed in the Celtic world.

In the northern hemisphere, it is believed that early cultures saw the birch as the ‘world tree’ – while it is also suggested that in India and the Near East, the birch was seen as the original ‘tree of life’.

In the Tartar culture, the birch tree stands at the centre of the world…

And the Siberian Buryat people name birch ‘the guardian of the door’ and believe that the birch can provide access to the nine great celestial realms.

Tree of Knowledge

The word ‘birch’ is believed to stem from the word ‘bhurga’ – a Sanskrit word meaning ‘tree whose bark is used to write upon’.

We know that the king of Rome in the 7th-8th century BC, Numa Pompilius, is said to have had his own birch-bark books buried with him in his grave, so showing how even at this early date, the bark of the birch was highly prized for book making.

Birch tree

Tree of Light

The Siberian Yakut culture associate the birch with ‘Ai Toyou’ the ‘bringer of light’ who lives in a birch tree with its branches filled with nests of children.

The association of birch with light is a powerful one – the beautiful silver-white bark reflects light and appears particularly striking and ethereal by moonlight, especially on those dark winter nights when the trees stand bare of leaves.

Birch is associated with the Celtic god of light, Lugh.

In the Celtic world, birch trees are also associated with the Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis – you can imagine the ethereal beauty of the scene with these dancing lights reflected in the silver birch bark – and through this association, with the Celtic goddess Arianrhod who has her throne in the ‘corona borealis’, ‘the crown of the north wind’.

Celtic women are thought to have traditionally used birch to ask for Arianrhod’s assistance in childbirth (a time of new beginnings).

Tree of Love and Fertility

Birch is also connected to Freya, the Norse goddess of love and fertility, and Frigga, considered the goddess of married love.

In fact, birch has associations with traditional folk love rituals – in Wales, a man would present the woman he loved with a garland of birch to show his feelings – and would know that she shared his feelings if she gave him one back.

In Wales, too, a newly married couple would step over a birch broom to enter their new home together, representing a wish for fertility.

In the Celtic Basque country, a gift of a birch twig could initiate a courtship, while birch oil was used for love spells.

Birch tree

Tree of Renewal

Birch was also considered to bring luck and protection, especially in springtime.

Birch is one of the first trees to leaf in springtime, so again is associated with renewal, rebirth, and new starts. Birch is connected with Blodeuwedd, the Welsh goddess of springtime and flowers.

At the Celtic festival of Beltane (May Day or May 1st) birch was used as a living maypole as it was thought to protect against the evil eye.

At Beltane, too, birch was gathered as wood to fuel the Beltane fires and the villagers and their animals would pass through the fires to provide protection, cleansing from negative energies and hope for a fertile year ahead.

Young birch trees were also often decorated with red and white ribbons on this day, and placed at stable doors for luck and to protect the horses from being ‘hag-ridden’ by witches – the birch trees would be left in place all year.

Garlands of birch (often with rowan, may blossom, and cowslip) would also similarly provide protection and luck over cottage doors, hearths, cradles, gardens, and even in hat bands.

Later in May, at Whitsuntide, from at least the 16th century, birch branches were brough into churches to decorate them for the festival.

At the end of the year, too, the birch features as a popular Yule log, clearing the Old Year away to make way for the new.

Birch branches were used to ‘drive out’ the Old Year on 31st December – to clear negative energies for the year ahead. And in the Rogationtide ritual, birch branches were also used to beat the bounds of the parish and to enforce and protect the boundaries of the parish to clear negative influences.

Sometimes, naughty boys or lunatics were also beaten with birch to cleanse of negative energies or demons! We know the term ‘birching’ today, referring to a purifying beating or flagellation to remove toxic thoughts or energies.

As recently as the early 20th century, even, birch boot-scrapers were found outside cottage doors – a ritual boot-scraping as you entered would bring luck and keep all within safe from witches!

Birch tree

Tree of the Witch

Witches are inexorably associated with the birch tree…

Birch twigs were said to make the best witches’ broomsticks (‘besoms’) – the magical light that the twigs contained were said to help the broomstick to fly well, and birch allowed the broomstick to be used to ritually sweep and cleanse an area of negative energies.

The birch is also associated the red and white spotted fly agaric mushrooms which grow at the foot of the birch tree. The fly agaric mushroom is hallucinogenic and is said to be used in the ‘flying ointment’ used by British and European witches to ‘fly’ in shamanic-style vision. (Fly agaric is also used in the Soma, a vision-inducing drink mentioned in the Rig Veda of the Hindu tradition.)

With these connections, the birch is therefore also associated with autumn and Samhain (Halloween) – the night of witches!

Tree of Healing

Birch is also valuable as a healing tree – the ‘birch water’ (sometimes called ‘birch blood’) is bored from a hole the trunk and carefully collected. It’s traditionally been used to precent kidney and bladder stones, treat rheumatic diseases and as a tonic for skin.

Birch bark has been used as a folk remedy for eczema and fevers, while the leaves were traditionally used to help flush toxins from the system, including to help with urinary tract infections and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, and gout.

The active ingredient in birch, betulinic acid, has been found to be antiseptic, astringent, anaesthetic (kills pain), and anti-inflammatory. Modern medical research even suggests that it may be able to destray cancer cells and help to treat HIV, leukemia, and herpes.

The flower essence for birch is to promote renewal and a fresh energy. It has a purifying energy and brings hope, encourages clarity of thought and purpose, and a pioneering attitude to new adventures.

Birch tree

Birch Tree Meaning

The meaning of birch is about:

• Cleansing and purification

• Renewal and rebirth – fresh beginnings

• Hope and light

• Love and fertility

• Connection between earthly and otherworldly realms

Celtic tree art - Birch

Birch drawings

Birch tree calligraphy

How to Buy my Celtic Birch Art

I've actually created two versions of my Celtic Birch art:

• the standard version (undated)
• a Celtic Tree Calendar version with dates added (24 December – 20 January) which correspond to the month for the birch - ideal for birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions between these dates (learn about the Celtic Tree Calendar here...)

You can buy my Celtic Birch art as wall art prints and home products from my Redbubble store:

• wide variety of products including T-shirts, cushions, throws, shower curtains, mugs, phone/tech cases, clocks, pouches, bags and much more...
• fast international delivery from your closest manufacturing location
• customs refund if you're charged

DATED birch art

Buy birch art (with date)

Buy dated birch art

(with the dates of the Celtic Tree Calendar month of the birch - 24th December to 20th January)

UNDATED birch art

Buy birch art (without date)

Buy undated birch art

Here are just a few products to give you a taster of what's available.

You can click on each image to see that particular product, or click on one of the main links (above, also duplicated at the bottom of the page for convenience) to see the whole range in either the dated or undated option.

Mini art print - click to see!

Jigsaw puzzle - click to see!

Apron - click to see!

Laptop sleeve - click to see!

Tote bag - click to see!

Acrylic art block (mini) - click to see!

Buy my Celtic Birch Art

Remember there are two versions of my Celtic Birch art:

• the standard version (undated)
• a Celtic Tree Calendar version with dates added (24 December – 20 January) 

Browse all products for both versions at the links just below...

DATED birch art

Buy birch art (with date)

Buy dated birch art

(with the dates of the Celtic Tree Calendar month of the birch - 24th December to 20th January)

UNDATED birch art

Buy birch art (without date)

Buy undated birch art

See more of my Celtic Tree Calendar art here...

All the info about the Celtic Tree Calendar (history, explanations etc.) here...

More of my Celtic art here...

Discover more British nature folklore in my Folklore Hub here...

Explore my current art collections here!

Further Reading

• Celtic Tree Magic – book by D. Forest
• Tree Wisdom – book by J.M. Paterson
• Vickery’s Folk Flora – book by R. Vickery
• Discovering the Folklore of Plants – book by M. Baker
• Plant Lore and Legend – book by R. Binney
• The Healing Power of Celtic Plants – book by A Paine

Please note that the information in this piece is for entertainment only and should not be used to diagnose or prescribe for health purposes.