Ogham is an ancient Irish alphabet that appeared at least 1,600 years ago, with some scholars dating it to the 1st century AD, while others believe it originated in the 4th century. The script was primarily used to inscribe Primitive Irish onto stone monuments, representing the oldest known form of the Gaelic languages.

Origins and Development

The Ogham alphabet originally consisted of twenty distinct characters called feda (“trees”), arranged into four groups called aicme (“families”). These characters were formed by lines stemming from or crossing a central line, usually the edge of a stone. The alphabet was later expanded with five additional letters called forfeda, which were introduced mainly in the manuscript tradition several centuries after the peak of Ogham usage.

The name “Ogham” itself may derive from Ogma, the Celtic God of Elocution or fine speech. According to mythology, Ogma “Sun-Face” was credited with inventing the script, as recorded in the Book of Ballymote.

The Tree Connection:

Trees figured prominently in the naming of the Ogham letters. Originally, eight letters were definitively named after trees: birch, alder, willow, oak, hazel, pine, ash, and yew. This selection gives us clues about which trees were most important in early Irish society.

During the medieval period, scholars expanded on this tree association, leading to what became known as the “Celtic Tree Alphabet.” They interpreted the remaining letters as also representing trees, even though many of these associations were likely later fabrications. This connection was reinforced by the fact that the letters themselves were called feda (“trees”) or nin (“forking branches”) due to their shape.

The Ogham is read from right to left and from bottom to top. An ancient text compares reading Ogham to climbing a tree: “Ogham is climbed (i.e. read) as a tree is climbed, i.e. treading on the root of the tree first with one’s right hand before and one’s left hand last”.

Theories of Origin:

There are several theories about the origin of Ogham:

1. Cryptic Alphabet Theory: Scholars like Carney and MacNeill suggest Ogham was created as a secret writing system by the Irish to hide their meaning from those who used the Latin alphabet, possibly for political, military, or religious reasons.

2. Christian Origin Theory: McManus argues that Ogham was invented by early Christian communities in Ireland who wanted a unique alphabet to write Irish, as the sounds of Primitive Irish may have been difficult to transcribe into Latin.

3. Welsh Origin Theory: Some propose Ogham was invented in West Wales in the fourth century BCE to combine the Latin alphabet with the Irish language.

4. Gaulish Druid Theory: MacAlister suggested Ogham was invented in Cisalpine Gaul around 600 BCE by Gaulish Druids as a hand signal and oral language, though there’s no evidence supporting this theory.

Druids and Ogham:

The connection between Druids and Ogham remains somewhat speculative. The word “Druid” likely comes from Old Celtic derwos (“true,” from PIE root deru- meaning “tree,” especially oak) and wid- (“to know”). This etymology suggests Druids were “those with knowledge of the oak” or “Forest Sages”.

While there’s no definitive historical record of Druids using Ogham for divination, they may have used it for legal, ancestral, or ceremonial purposes. As tribal historians, scholars, and advisors, Druids would likely have been familiar with Ogham if it existed during their time.

Druids seem to have predated the Classical Ogham period (5th to 7th centuries), but some scholars believe Ogham could have been suited for the language as early as the 1st or 2nd centuries CE.

Today, modern Druids use Ogham as a method for communicating and remembering tree knowledge. The system is described as consisting of “twenty-five simple strokes centered on or branching off a central line,” similar in purpose but separate in origin from Nordic runes.

In contemporary Druidic practice, the Ogham is viewed as more than just an alphabet—it represents “a way of looking at the world” and is considered central to Druidic memory and magic.