Celtic Tree of Life

For the Celts, the Tree of Life is a symbol of an entity which connects the upper and lower worlds. The Druids, or the priestly class of the Celts, believed gods in heaven used to communicate with humans through trees of life.

Celts worshipped the oak tree for the different qualities it possessed. Its towering height and expanse associated it with endurance, nobility, longevity, wisdom, power, and honor. It was an integral part of their rituals and was also used as a meeting place.

Major Oak, pictured here, lives deep in the 450-acre Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. The English oak is estimated to be up to 1,000 years old and said to weigh up to 23 tons with a massive girth of 10m, making it the biggest oak in the UK. Its immense weight now requires it to be held up by poles.

Image credit: Shutterstock