Ogham Tuesday: Coll/Hazel

Enlightening, Inspiring, Knowing

Holly/Coll is the ninth letter of the ogham alphabet.

Representing the /k/ sound, this ogham is the 9th letter in the alphabet. All of the popular Word Oghams focus on the tastiness and nutrition of the nuts that grow on the tree. I  personally detest hazelnuts, but you’re welcome to enjoy your latte if you like that sort of thing.

From a lore perspective, we have the famous story from the 3rd Century C.E. Fenian Cycle of Irish warrior hero Fionn mac Cumhaill (anglicized as Finn McCool.) Fionn goes fishing with his friend, an old man named Fingas. Fingas has a plan to catch and eat the famed Salmon of Wisdom. Whoever is the first to taste of the flesh of the salmon will have all its wisdom and knowledge of the world conferred  on them.

Fingas catches his fish and gives it to Fionn to cook. Fionn accidentally burns his finger on the fish and sticks his finger in his mouth to soothe the burn. And that’s how Fionn got so wise by being the first to eat the fish.

What does all this have to do with hazel, you might be asking. The fish got so smart by eating the hazelnuts that fell into the water where it lived. Thereafter, Fionn had this knowledge to draw on as he served as the captain of the Fianna, which served as the king’s private guard in the early Middle Ages.

When you draw Hazel as an omen, it’s communicating that wisdom and knowledge are available for you to tap into. Conversely, it could be a harbinger of a situation that will require all that wisdom and knowledge to manage successfully. I leave it to you to decide whether or not a hazelnut latte will aid your brain function in that endeavor.