The Grand Old Oak Tree

source: publicdomainpictures.net

Why are Oak Trees One of our Favourite Trees?

Why do we feel an emotional connection with certain trees more than others? Why does the mention of an Oak tree bring to our minds certain emotions of nostalgia and history? Maybe the Oak perfectly meets the simplistic mental image that a child has in her mind as she draws her first tree picture: the big trunk and round canopy in a lovely visual symmetry. Also, Oak trees are steeped deep in our religious beliefs and folk stories. Many fairy tales that we knew as children had Oak trees in them.

There are about 600 Oak species. The grandeur of this tree is mainly from its ability to produce a tall, well-shaped and spreading canopy. Everyone knows the famous David Everett couplet about Oaks, “Tall oaks from little acorns grow”, and every time we hear it, we think about life and its hopes and possibilities. However, all Oak trees do not necessarily grow tall. In the open, Oak trees spread out their branches, but in the forest, where there is competition for sunlight, they grow tall.

The Mythology of Oak Trees

The Roman God of thunder and sky, Jupiter, was believed to have been born under the shade of an Oak tree. Dodona, a town of Chania, was believed to have a forest dedicated to Jupiter and in it, it was said, stood some Oak trees that were oracles having the ability to speak. In another Roman town, Arcadia, Oak leaves and branches were offered to Jupiter to summon rain. The ultimate Roman decoration of a brave warrior was always a crown made of Oak leaves.

Homer, in Iliad, wrote,

“As two tall oaks, before the wall they rise;

Their roots in earth, their heads amidst the skies:

Whose spreading arms with leafy honours crown'd,

Forbid the tempest, and protect the ground;

High on the hills appears their stately form,

And their deep roots forever brave the storm.”

The emotions that a majestic Oak tree evokes are captured to perfection in these lines. The two mighty soldiers wearing crowns made of Oak leaves with their heads in the sky and their feet rooted in the earth is an unforgettable picture of valour and strength.

In the Bible, Absalom, son of David, dies, caught up in the branches of an Oak and then slain by Joab. The story leaves a lasting gloom in every reader’s mind. In ancient Celtic culture, the Druids, the priestly leaders, got their name from the Celtic word for Oak, which is ‘Drew’. Many Celtic rituals are held under the Oak tree.

Ten miles away from London, there was an Oak tree called Fairlop Oak. The village fair was annually held under its shade. Many similar fairs were conducted under Oak trees in Europe.

The Slavic ‘Tree of Life’ is an Oak. The Slav culture, dispersed in more than 15 countries of Europe, did not build many places of worship out of brick and concrete but used to gather around an Oak tree to pray and worship. Calling the Oak tree the Tree of Life and regarding it as a temple, an abode of God, they invented a whole new realm of spirituality where the Oak was seen as the World Tree.

As recent as until 2019, Abraham’s Oak or the Oak of Mamre, stood the test of time and had been worshipped by Jews and Christians. This ancient Oak tree, the trunk of which remains, is considered by many faithful Jews and Christians as the same tree where Abraham met the three angels.

The Oak Tree Ecosystem

An Oak tree lives for 1000 years or more, and even in death, it is a unique ecosystem. The universality of this tree also contributed to its popularity- it is found in as many diverse ecosystems as possible across the planet. William Bryant Logan, the renowned writer of the brilliant book on Oak trees, ‘Oak: The Frame of Civilisation’, reminisces in the book how this feature of Oak struck him as the most unique one as he was searching in vain for a world record held by Oak. He had initially thought, or rather hoped, when he started researching this tree, that it would belong to the strongest-tallest-oldest or any similar categories of the tree world. However, in this journey, he found the most amazing fact about the tree- its adaptability and flexibility to live in various climates and ecosystems.

Oak and Human Culture

How many of us know that Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings were drawn using oak gall ink? This ink was made using the gallotannic acid extracted from Oak gall and the gall of some other trees and plants. The oldest manuscript of the Bible available was written using this ink. The story of Oak Gall in itself is a riveting tale. Oak galls are brown peanut-sized balls that can be seen attached to Oak leaves, and they are a parasitic colony, a breeding nest, of the Pea Galler Wasp, also known as Gall fly. Come spring; these Gall flies lay eggs on the newly budding Oak leaves. Once the larvae hatch, they secrete a chemical that makes the Oak leaf enclose it with a Tannin-rich tiny gall. The Tannin and Phenols present in the gall repel predators, and once the larvae turn into wasps, the gall is abandoned. Since 2000 years ago, during the Roman times, humans had learnt to make ink using the Tannin-filled galls of the Oak tree.

The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls, da Vinci’s drawings, Bach’s symphonies, and America’s Declaration of Independence were written using gall ink. Incredible, isn’t it?

This ink does not fade and darken over time. The gall extract is mixed and boiled with an iron tonic to make the ink.

The Greek poet Hesiod’s poems and Roman poet Ovid’s poetry suggest that ancient people ate the acorns of Oak as a regular food before they started doing proper agriculture. Even after corn became the staple diet, people used to store dried acorns and make flour from them for times of famine and food scarcity.

Acorn flour and jelly are still eaten in countries such as Korea, China and Turkey.

Manna is the sweet jelly that oozes out of the leaves of the Oaks in June and July, and Iranian and Iraqi people consume it and mix it with their cakes and spices. It is certain aphids that eat the soft part beneath the Oak tree bark and produce this substance.

Old Oak trees still evoke awe and amazement to onlookers, most having names given to them by anonymous tree lovers many generations back and mirroring the obstinate love of life that keeps each one of us going. To name a few, here is a list-

The Crouch Oak of Addlestone, Surrey, England (thought to have been part of the Windsor Forest)

The Marwin McGraw Memorial Oak, Near the Mississippi River

The King Offa’s Oak of the Windsor Great Park, England (belongs to 710 AD)

The Seven Sisters Oak in Mandeville, United States

The Pechanga Great Oak Tree in Temecula, California, United States

The Major Oak in Edwinstowe, England

The Granit Oak in Granit, Bulgaria

The Bowthorpe Oak in Bourne, England

The Stelmuze Oak in Stelmuze, Lithuania

The Jurupa Oak in Jurupa Mountains, United States

The Kongeegen Oak in Jægerspris North Forest, Denmark

Not only Oaks but all the ancient trees that are still alive and have witnessed the history of humanity for many human generations instil us with a deep reverence just like the thoughts of our ancestors do.

References

William Bryant Logan, Oak: The Frame of Civilisation, 2005.

The Inky Story of the Dinky Oak Gall, Ken Sulak, 2014, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Tony Hall, From Ancient Oaks to Walking Yews: The Story of Britain’s Great Trees, Forests, and Avenues, April 30, 2022, The Guardian.