Celtic Trees for Autumn, Halloween, and Samhain

Autumn is beautiful, but Celtic folklore about the trees that rule during the season is magical.

An autumn dream. You’re walking alone through a dark wood. Something unseen scurries through the shadows cast by the rising crescent moon. Leaves shiver and crackle as a chilly wind wraps around the tall trees. You hear someone muttering behind you. Glancing back, you see no one. Wait! Has that willow moved? It seems to be following you. Oh, relax! A tree following after you and muttering? That can’t happen. Right?

Yes. In Celtic folklore, it can. Trees are magical.

Especially in autumn. In real life, trees are central to autumn. Yes, the days get shorter, darker, chillier. But it’s the transformation of tree leaves from calming green to flaming reds, oranges, and golds that signals the arrival of the harvest season. Admit it. This vibrant and dramatic change in the landscape every year is magical. But, in Celtic folklore, trees play a much more important role.

The druids believed that trees contained powerful magic, and they attributed specific characteristics to each type of tree. Further, they determined that thirteen trees ruled successively during each year. Anyone born during a particular tree’s rule would share those characteristics. For example, the druids classified holly trees as a royal tree. A person born during the time of the holly’s influence (July 8-August 4) would, therefore, be a leader.

Stand by Ukraine.

This belief system is now popularly known as Celtic astrology. If you’d like to learn more about it, click here to read my post, “Celtic Tree Symbolism.” It has links to posts on each of the tree signs. For this post, however, I want to focus on the characteristics, magic, and folklore of the trees that rule the time during which autumn, Halloween, and Samhain occur. You may be surprised by how well they fit the themes, symbolism, and vibe of this supernatural-focused time.

Which Tree Rules Autumn?

Such a simple question…that has a completely complex answer.

First, another question needs to be answered. When does autumn begin? You’d think this would be easily answered. But it’s not. Meteorological autumn starts on September 1^st (in the Northern Hemisphere). The “official” first day of autumn, according to the Gregorian calendar. This date is determined each year by the autumnal equinox. This year, the equinox fell on September 22^nd in the Northern Hemisphere. On the Celtic calendar, autumn begins at

Lughnasa (August 1^st).

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to focus on the Gregorian calendar and touch on the Celtic calendar. Let meteorology take care of itself!

The season ends, according to the Gregorian calendar, at the winter solstice (December

21^st this year). By the Celtic calendar, autumn ends and winter begins at Samhain (October 31^st) at sunset to November 1^st).

Whew! Now that that’s established, let’s talk trees.

The Winter Tree that Starts Autumn

Holly is associated with the Christmas season, but as a Celtic tree, it exerts its influence at Lughnasa, the start of autumn.

The tree that rules at the start of autumn on the Celtic calendar (August 1^st) may be a bit of a surprise. It is the Holly. Of course, many of us associate holly with the winter season and Christmas. Even in Celtic folklore, the Holly King rules the dark half of the year, which begins at Samhain, the Celtic festival that marks the beginning of winter. So why the holly tree’s time of influence set in summer (July 8-August 4^th)? I have no idea. Nevertheless, the tree fits beautifully with autumn. Why? There are two reasons.

First, in Celtic lore, the holly represents transformation. Autumn transforms the landscape. This is true not only with the vibrant change of color, but also because of the falling leaves. By the end of the season, the trees are bare. The outdoors becomes stark, looking almost lifeless. But fall brings with it more than a visual transformation. The amount of sunlight decreases during the season along with a corresponding drop in temperature. Throughout autumn, the atmosphere prepares us for the cold dark of winter.

So, the second connection of the holly to autumn is important. Each Celtic tree has a companion symbolic animal. The holly’s is the white horse. And the white horse is on a journey of transformation, just like the season. It will become a unicorn. In Celtic folklore, unicorns are guides through the darkness. And the unicorn arrives just in time to help us through the coming dark half of the year. How perfect!

The Autumnal Equinox and the Tree that Isn’t a Tree

The tree that rules at the start of autumn by the Gregorian calendar likely will be more surprising than the holly. It is the Vine (September 2-29^th). I can hear you saying, “A vine is a plant, not a tree.” I won’t argue with you. But the druids would. The druids classified anything with a woody stem as a tree. So, vines, reeds, and even mistletoe were included in their list of trees.

Now, “vine” is a rather general term, so which specific vine rules this time? Scholars aren’t sure. They say it wasn’t grapevines, as these were brought to the Celtic lands by the Romans. And it isn’t ivy either. Ivy has its own period of influence. (More about that shortly). So, which vine? No one really knows.

The Celtic spiral, symbolizing eternity is inspired by the Celtic "tree" called "the vine." Scholars think the druids likely meant blackberry brambles.

In fact, many scholars say that the Celts likely were referring to brambles, such as blackberries or raspberries, rather than vines. Brambles and vines share some characteristics. The most important, for our purposes, is that both types of plants grow in a spiral, and the spiral became a significant Celtic symbol. A quick glance at Celtic art demonstrates that. It symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, as well as eternity.

These themes are strongly linked to autumn. It’s harvest time. The seeds that were planted (birthed, if you will) earlier in the year have grown to completion. At the harvest, they are cut down (death). But new will be planted, and the cycle will continue. This never-ending cycle implies eternity, but autumn also hints at eternity in another way.

On the Celtic calendar, autumn is the final season of the year. The season of light (May 1^st to October 31^st) is fading. It will end at Samhain as the dark half of the year begins. Winter, the season of cold and darkness, can be seen as a metaphor for death. But note that Samhain is both an end and a beginning. It is the Celtic New Year.

This concept may require a little bit of mental readjustment. Most of us think of days as starting in sunlight and moving towards nighttime. The ancient Celts thought differently. Celtic days begin at sunset and go to the next sunset. So, the movement is from darkness to light and back to darkness. The Celtic year as well begins in darkness, moves towards the light, then fades. But light always follows darkness. Death is followed by rebirth. And this eternal cycle is represented in Celtic art by the spiraling vine.

There is much more that can be said about the symbolism of the vine—growth, fertility, bountifulness—all again in sync with autumn, but I’ll just mention one more thing. The vine’s corresponding animal is the swan. Picture a swan gliding across a lake. It’s seemingly the personification of graceful effortlessness. But, beneath the surface, the swan’s feet are paddling, paddling, paddling. There often is more going on in life than our eyes perceive.

This is an excellent reminder for the season during which Halloween and Samhain occur. Both holy days / holidays feature the supernatural merging with the natural world. So, let the swan and the vine nudge us into an awareness that, as Celtic spirituality teaches, the Otherworld is all around us. The veil prevents us from seeing it. But it’s there. Always. As are our loved ones who have passed to that side. This connects with Samhain which, in part, is a celebration of our ancestors. 

Ivy: Evergreen and Indestructible

The Celts believed that ivy, an evergreen that is hard to destroy, contained powerful magic, magic that might protect their families during the cold of winter.

As we continue our journey through autumn, ivy begins to exert its influence. It rules from September 30 to October 27^th. Because the plant is an evergreen, vibrantly alive through the winter frosts, the druids believed it contained powerful magic. Celtic families brought ivy (as well as holly) into their homes during the winter, hoping the plant’s magic would keep them alive and healthy through winter, too.

Ivy is persevering and difficult to kill. If it’s cut, it will grow back. Great characteristics and good energy to tap into during cold and flu season. Think about ivy on days when you feel

miserable but still have to go to work, it’s nine degrees out, and there’s an inch of ice on your windshield.

Also, think about the butterfly, ivy’s companion sign. I know you might feel like crawling back into your cocoon but take encouragement from the butterfly’s symbolic meaning. It represents not only transformation, but resurrection, movement into a higher state of existence. Try to take hope from that. You’ll do more than survive. You’ll emerge better and stronger than ever.

Whistling in the Dark

The “tree” that rules at Halloween is the Reed (Oct. 28-Nov. 24). Remember, the druids classified anything with a woody stem as a tree. Apparently, being a woody stalk qualified too. And I’m glad because Celtic folklore connects such wonderful characteristics to reeds. They are associated with mystery, keeping secrets, and psychic awareness. How perfect for Halloween—and Samhain! They make pretty cool flutes too. Just in case you want to play some music to take your mind off all the ghosts and other supernatural beings that flood into our world on All Hallows’ Eve.

The reed’s animal companion is the Wolf. Just like the unicorn, the wolf is ideal for this season. In Celtic mythology and folklore, wolves are guides to the Otherworld. But they’re also shapeshifters, so you may need the reed’s psychic gifts to recognize a transfigured wolf.

Death and Spirits

The final tree of autumn appropriately is a symbol of death and endings. It is the

Elder (November 25 to December 23^rd). Despite its scary symbolism, the elder isn’t all doom and gloom. The druids considered the tree to be an entrance to the Otherworld. Scottish folklore says that, if you stand under an elder on Samhain, you’ll see faeries. Which could be fun. Or not. Celtic faeries are not always benign. They are, however, dependably capricious. So, go faerie hunting at your own risk. Flutes made from elder wood also have been used to summon spirits. If you’d like to try that one out, I can only again caution you to be careful what you wish for.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post and any of my others you check out. Please LIKE and SHARE.  To SUBSCRIBE for FREE, just click on the “Sign Up” button in the upper right of the page.

All artwork for this post (except for the Ukranian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing Image Creator.

Slán go fóill

Looking for a guide along your writing journey? Click here for a description of my writing and tutoring services. Questions? Just click here to contact me.