The ancient Irish alphabet of strokes and notches: where it came from, all twenty letters with their trees and meanings, and how to make and read your own Ogham set

Ogham is the old Irish alphabet carved as short strokes along the edge of standing stones. It is often called the tree alphabet, because each letter carries the name of a tree or plant: birch, rowan, oak, hazel, yew. Today many people use it as a gentle way of reading guidance, much like runes or tarot. Here is where Ogham really came from, the full alphabet with its meanings, and a simple way to make a set and read three staves.

Ogham at a Glance

What it is: an early medieval alphabet used to write Old Irish, made of strokes cut along a central line
How to say it: OH·um, or OG·um; in modern Irish it is spelled ogham and in Old Irish ogam
When: the stone inscriptions date from around the 4th to the 7th centuries AD
Where: mostly in Ireland, especially the south, with more in Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Devon
Letters: twenty, in four groups of five called aicmí (singular aicme), plus five later extra letters
Named after: trees and plants, starting with Beith, the birch
Said to be invented by: Ogma, the Irish god of eloquence
Used today for: divination, meditation, journalling and spellwork

What Is Ogham?

Ogham is the only writing system made by a Celtic people. Rather than curved letters, it uses straight lines: one to five strokes cut to one side of a central line, to the other side, or straight across it. On standing stones, the corner edge of the stone itself serves as that central line, called the stemline. The writing usually starts at the bottom and runs upwards, sometimes turning over the top and down the other side.

Each letter has a name, and each name is linked to a tree or plant. The first letter, Beith, is the birch. That is why Ogham is so often called the Celtic tree alphabet, and why it feels so close to the natural world.

Where Does Ogham Come From?

The oldest Ogham inscriptions are carved on standing stones and date from around the 4th to the 7th centuries AD. There are several hundred of them, most in Ireland, with the greatest numbers in Kerry, Cork and Waterford. Others stand in Wales, where many are carved in both Ogham and Latin, and in Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Devon.

Most of these Ogham stones carry a simple message: a person’s name and the name of their father or family, in the form “of so and so, son of so and so”. They were probably memorials or markers of land, set up where everyone passing could see them.

No one knows exactly how Ogham began. Some scholars think it was modelled on the Latin alphabet, which was known in Ireland through contact with Roman Britain. Others suggest it grew from a system of tally marks, or that it was simply a clever invention of its own. The medieval Irish had their own answer. A learned treatise on language, the Auraicept na nÉces, says Ogham was created by Ogma, the god of eloquence and poetry, and named after him.

Ogham in story

Ogham does not only appear on stones. Medieval Irish tales mention messages cut in Ogham on sticks of wood. In one story, The Wooing of Étaín, a druid named Dalán cuts four wands of yew and writes Ogham on them to discover where the lost Étaín has been taken. It is a tradition many keep that the ancient Celts used Ogham for magic and for casting divination sticks, and stories like this one show how closely the letters were bound up with hidden knowledge.

The Tree Meanings: Old and New

The tree names come from medieval Irish manuscripts, written centuries after the first stones. These texts give each letter a tree and also short riddling phrases, called the Bríatharogam or word oghams, which hint at each letter’s meaning. Whether the tree names go back to the very beginning of Ogham or were added later by scholars is still debated. Either way, they have been part of Ogham for well over a thousand years.

Many modern books also give each letter a month of the year, starting with Beith in November. This tree calendar comes from the poet Robert Graves, in his 1948 book The White Goddess. It is beautifully written and has been very influential, but it is a modern creation and does not appear in any medieval source. Plenty of people still enjoy working with the months as a modern tradition. It simply helps to know where they came from.

How the Ogham Alphabet Is Built

The twenty letters fall into four groups of five, each called an aicme, meaning “family”, and each named after its first letter. Within each group, the letters are told apart by the number of strokes, from one to five.

Aicme Beithe (B, L, F, S, N): strokes to the right of the stemline, or below it when written across the page.
Aicme hÚatha (H, D, T, C, Q): strokes to the left of the stemline, or above it.
Aicme Muine (M, G, NG, Z, R): longer strokes slanting right across the stemline.
Aicme Ailme (A, O, U, E, I): the vowels, short straight strokes or notches across the stemline.

So Beith, the birch, is one stroke to the right; Nuin, the ash, is five strokes to the right; Ioho, the yew, is five notches across.

The Ogham Alphabet: All Twenty Letters and Their Meanings

Spellings vary between books (Beith or Beth, Sail or Saille, Ngetal or Ngetel), so do not worry if you see slightly different forms elsewhere. The meanings below are the ones used for divination.

Letter	Sound	Tree	Meaning in a reading
Beith	B	Birch	Purification, change, new beginnings
Luis	L	Rowan	Gaining control of your life, protection from the control of others
Fearn	F, V	Alder	Help with choices, spiritual guidance and protection
Saille	S	Willow	Finding balance in your life
Nuin	N	Ash	Locked into a chain of events, binding
Huathe	H	Hawthorn	Being held back for a short time
Duir	D	Oak	Security and strength
Tinne	T	Holly	Energy and guidance, with problems to come
Coll	C, K	Hazel	Creative energy for work or projects
Quert	Q	Apple	A choice must be made
Muin	M	Vine	Inner growth is happening, but take time to rest
Gort	G	Ivy	Time for soul searching, or wrong decisions may be made
Ngetal	NG	Reed	Upsets or surprises
Straif	Z, ST	Blackthorn	Resentment and confusion, refusing to see the truth
Ruis	R	Elder	The end of a cycle or of a problem
Ailim	A	Silver fir	Learning from past mistakes
Ohn	O	Furze (gorse)	Information that could change your life
Ur	U	Heather and mistletoe	Healing and growth on a spiritual level
Eadha	E	White poplar or aspen	Problems, doubts and fears
Ioho	I, J, Y	Yew	A complete change in direction or attitude

The five extra letters, the forfeda

A fifth group, the forfeda or “extra letters”, was added later to cover sounds the first twenty did not. Their tree links are less certain, and many readers leave them out of their sets. If you would like to include them, the meanings often used are: Koad, the grove, wisdom gained by seeing through past illusions; Oir, spindle, finish your obligations so life can move forward; Uilleand, honeysuckle, proceed with caution; Phagos, beech, new experiences and information coming; and Mor, the sea, travel.

Tree Lore Woven Through Ogham

The trees of Ogham carry a great deal of old folklore, and knowing a little of it adds depth to a reading.

Oak, ash and thorn were known as the fairy triad. Where all three grow together, it is said the fairies still live there.
Hawthorn blossom was thought unlucky to bring indoors, and many people still follow that rule. Beltane Eve was the one time a hawthorn branch could be cut without inviting bad luck.
Elder should never be cut without first asking the tree’s permission.
Rowan has long been planted by doors and gates in Ireland, Scotland and Wales as a protection for the home, which fits its meaning in Ogham.

How to Make Your Own Ogham Set

Making your own set is the best way to learn the letters. By the time you have finished, they will be in your hands and in your voice as well as in your head.

Choose your material. Wooden staves are traditional: twenty small, smooth sticks of about the same length and width. Flat pebbles of a similar size, or cards cut from stiff paper, work well too. If you gather wood, take fallen twigs and give thanks, rather than cutting living trees.
Decide how many letters. A traditional set has the twenty letters in the table above. You can add the five forfeda if you wish.
Learn the associations. Read through the trees and meanings before you begin, so you understand what you are marking.
Mark the letters. Draw a straight stemline down the centre of each piece, then add the strokes for one letter with a fine pen, a paint pen or a small carving tool. Check each one against the stroke groups above.
Speak as you make. As you finish each piece, say the letter’s name and its tree aloud: “Beith, birch”, “Luis, rowan”. Run your finger along the strokes so you learn each letter by touch as well as by sight.
Personalise it. You might add a small symbol or a touch of colour that means something to you, or write the tree name on the back.
Cleanse and bless it. Pass the set through incense smoke, sprinkle it lightly with salt water, or leave it out in moonlight for a night. Many people like to do this on a full or new moon; avoid eclipse nights. Hold the set and say why you will be using it, for guidance and for learning.
Keep it safe. Store your staves in a cloth bag or a box on your altar.

Autumn is a lovely time to begin. As the year darkens towards Samhain on 31 October, many people of many paths turn to divination and quiet reflection.

How to Read Ogham: A Three Stave Reading

Reading Ogham takes practice, and it grows richer the more you use it. This simple layout follows the shape of a tree.

Settle yourself. Find a quiet moment. Light a candle if you like and take a few slow breaths.
Write your question. Write it clearly in your journal. A question such as “What do I need to know about this new job?” works better than a simple yes or no.
Mix the staves. Shake the bag, or stir the staves gently with your hand, so that you draw without choosing on purpose.
Draw three. Take out three staves one at a time and lay them in a row from left to right.
Read the positions. The first is the roots, what lies behind the situation. The second is the trunk, where you stand now. The third is the branches, what is growing and the guidance for what comes next.
Look at the links. Notice how the three relate. Do they agree, or pull against each other? Are two from the same aicme?
Trust your own sense. The set meanings are a starting point. Pay attention to any thought, feeling or memory that comes as you look at each letter.
Record and reflect. Write down the letters and your thoughts, then snuff your candle. Look back at the reading in a week or two and note what made sense.

An example reading

Say you ask about starting a new creative project and draw Huathe, Beith and Coll. In the roots, Huathe, the hawthorn, speaks of a time you felt held back. In the trunk, Beith, the birch, says you are at a fresh start now, clearing the way. In the branches, Coll, the hazel, promises creative energy for work and projects. Together they suggest the waiting is over and this is a good time to begin.

One stave a day

For a gentler way to learn, draw one stave each morning for a week. Say its name and tree aloud, carry its meaning with you through the day, and write a few lines about it each evening. By the end of the week, those letters will feel like old friends.

Questions People Ask

What is the Ogham alphabet?

Ogham is an early medieval alphabet used to write Old Irish. It is made of one to five strokes cut along a central line, usually the edge of a standing stone, and each of its twenty letters is named after a tree or plant, which is why it is called the Celtic tree alphabet.

How old is Ogham?

The surviving Ogham stones date from around the 4th to the 7th centuries AD. Ogham went on being used and studied in Irish manuscripts for many centuries after that, and the tree names come from those medieval texts.

Where can you see Ogham stones?

Most are in Ireland, especially in Kerry, Cork and Waterford, where some still stand in fields and churchyards. Others are in Wales, often alongside Latin, and a few are in Scotland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall and Devon. Many are now kept safe in museums.

Is the Celtic tree calendar ancient?

The idea of giving each Ogham letter a month comes from Robert Graves’s book The White Goddess, published in 1948. It is a modern system rather than an ancient Celtic one, though many people enjoy using it alongside the older tree meanings.

Can anyone use Ogham for divination?

Yes. Ogham is open to anyone who approaches it with respect and a willingness to learn its history. Making your own set and drawing one stave a day is a simple way to start. For more Celtic signs to work with, see our guide to Celtic symbols and meanings.

How do you write your name in Ogham?

Spell your name by sound, then match each sound to its letter in the table above, writing the strokes along a single line from bottom to top. Letters like J, V and Y borrow from the nearest sounds: Ioho for J and Y, Fearn for V.

Keep reading: Celtic Symbols and Meanings · What Is a Sigil? · Samhain Meaning · Celtic Circles and Ancient Crystal Magic