29/11/2025
Thanks to a very dear friend I now have a Taxus Baccata guarding my house and welcoming my guests.
🌲🎄🌲
The Yew – The Ancient Tree of Mystery, Death, and Rebirth
The Yew tree (Taxus baccata) is one of Europe’s oldest and most symbolically powerful trees. Often found in churchyards, graveyards, and sacred landscapes, the yew has long been associated with eternity, protection, transformation, and the thin veil between life and death. Some yews in Britain and Europe are believed to be over 2,000–4,000 years old, making them among the oldest living organisms on the continent.
Odin’s Tree – The Forgotten Myth
Though most people today repeat the belief that Odin hanged himself on an Ash tree (Yggdrasil), there is a strong scholarly theory that the original world tree was actually a Yew, not an ash.
Several arguments support this theory:
In old Norse texts, the tree that bends and twists but does not rot fits the yew better than the ash.
The description of “needles” and evergreen qualities aligns with the yew.
The world tree was said to have roots in the realm of the dead — fitting the yew’s ancient association with graveyards.
The yew’s toxic, psychoactive, and death-linked qualities align with Odin’s shamanic sacrifice.
Because of this, many researchers believe that Odin’s nine days and nine nights of hanging took place not in an ash, but in a great, sacred Yew—a tree symbolically tied to death, rebirth, and the gaining of hidden knowledge.
The Yew as the Real World Tree
The idea that Yggdrasil was a yew instead of an ash is growing in acceptance among historians and linguists.
The yew:
is evergreen (symbol of eternal life)
grows slowly and lives extremely long
regenerates itself when old branches root into the ground
is deeply connected to burial sites
was considered mystical by Germanic and Celtic peoples
These qualities make it a more fitting “World Tree” than the short-lived, disease-prone ash.
Medicinal Benefits of the Yew
Although extremely poisonous, the yew also contains compounds with powerful medical value. Modern medicine has learned much from this ancient tree.
Known medicinal uses include:
Paclitaxel (Taxol) – a chemotherapy medicine for several cancers, originally derived from the Pacific yew.
Anti-inflammatory properties in controlled, purified forms.
Traditionally used in tiny, carefully prepared doses by healers (with great caution) for:
rheumatic pain
respiratory issues
calming extreme agitation
Modern use is strictly regulated, and raw plant material is never consumed.
A Beautiful but Highly Poisonous Tree
Every part of the yew tree except the red fleshy berry (aril) is highly toxic:
leaves
bark
wood
seeds
The poison: taxine alkaloids
These compounds can cause:
rapid heart arrhythmia
breathing difficulties
seizures
sudden cardiac arrest
The only non-toxic part is the soft red fruit, but the seed inside is deadly if chewed or crushed.
Because of this dual nature—deadly poison and powerful medicine—the yew tree has always been surrounded by awe, fear, and deep spiritual respect.
Conclusion
The Yew is a tree of contradictions: ancient but evergreen, deadly yet healing, feared yet sacred. Whether standing watch in an old graveyard or rising as the true World Tree of Norse myth, the yew continues to symbolize death, rebirth, wisdom, and the eternal cycle of life.
