The Rowan Tree: The Legend and Biology of Mountain Ashes

[@NoSabine]

In Germany, the tree is officially called "Eberesche" or Boarash, which has nothing to do with the male pig, but comes from the old German aber, which simply means other ash. To distinguish the tree from the real ash. More than 60 species of birds appreciate the small apple-like fruits, which is why the tree is also well known under the name Birdberry. In our myths, too, the tree is a protective tree that wards off harm. And some hunters told me, that they think that roe deer selfmadicate with rowan to get rid of worms. Deer love the tree and a mature tree withstands browsing damage much better than most other trees. It copes well with pruning and also grows on very poor or boggy soil, which has made it popular as a pollarding tree. In the past, people used to make wagon wheels out of wood because it is very elastic. Bevor modern sweeteners were invented, sorbitol was extracted from the tree and used as a sugar substitute. The tree lives together with the fungus Glomus intraradices and can thus activate nutrient even on poor soil. So yes, a cool tree.

[@UntamedScience]

Thanks for the additional info!

[@fromoakandrowan2794]

I have rowan all over the woods in my area. I found that if you snip the leaflets, wash and hang them, and let them dry, you can make an incense from them that smells like white sage. Big fan of this tree.

[@colinharper3714]

Great video….I’ve got a Rowan tree in our garden and never had a problem with witches so guess it’s working.

[@joeljoel5061]

I have one too. And it has attracted the most amazing witch within a thousand miles of me. Thank the old gods for the blessings of my mountain ash tree.

[@ClutchSmada88]

The amount of work that goes into making these awesome educational videos can't be understated. Shines through in the quality content!

[@UntamedScience]

Thank you. I do appreciate that astute observation.

[@georgygogiya4037]

In Lithuanian langue this tree called Šermukšnis. In our folk it believe has healing properties and saving from spirits. And it is seccond important tree after Oak.

[@Tsuchimursu]

one reason rowans are on property edges is that they're easy to pollard. One of the best trees for pollarding that grows in the North. People had lots of uses for straight sturdy poles. Pollarded rowan hedges just made a lot of sense. Birds would also spread them at the edges of fields.

[@jessicasinclair323]

In UK known as the Witching Tree because each berry has a 5 pointed pentagram at the end opposite to it's stem. Pentagrams and red are an ancient symbols of protection. The rowan, elder and hawthorn have white flowers which are all associated with The White Goddess and known as the Goddess's flowers. Rowan twigs are used in divination. Rowan berries and bark are used to turn garments black. And the bark is used in the tanning of leather goods. It is taboo to cut rowan with a knife. Rowan is used to make protective charms and against rheumatism and sewn into garments with red thread. But must be made without the use of a knife. Rowan is planted in cemeteries to guard against evil spirits and the undead. Those who cut down a rowan, brings bad luck upon themselves. Rowan boughs are hung in barns and dairies to protect the animals and milk from enchantment. In the Isle of Man they make Cuirn Crosses out of picked (never cut) rowan twigs on on May Eve to hang inside of the front door lintels, tied together with fresh sheep wool. Rowan berries cooked with crab apples makes a sharp jelly traditionally served with lamb Rowan wood is excellent for walking sticks

[@mjolnir1964]

Thanks for this, my daughter is named Rowan. I really enjoy your videos.

[@UntamedScience]

Thanks Randy. Much appreciated. Beautiful name too!

[@ltm28]

My grandson is named Rowan and I heard the song and ended up here.

[@inspire283]

I really thank you for providing us such great knowledge.

[@jeffreyarnold2626]

we have Rowan all over here. I'm a bowyer, and never heard it was suitable. now on my list to find out.

[@Stridsflygplan]

Here in Sweden a more modern folklore that might be old but is still very common today is if the Rowan has lost of berries the winter will have a lot of snow. But far north in Sweden its the reverse. If there are a lot of berries there will be little snow.

[@SunFlower-jr2qh]

Very informative thanks

[@Veptis]

I feel like legends like this originate in some crazy story that maybe kinda happened. But got told more and more over and over to somehow become part of the identity.

[@m.pearce3273]

Totally love this Channel and learning Bout the Rowan Trees

[@sagopalm279]

Informative and interesting as always. Love the videos 👍

[@algernoncalydon3430]

In Southeast alaska one has to be careful in the fall when the ash berries have had time to ferment on the bush. Brown bears love the fermented berries and will get drunk on them. If you encounter a bear drunk on ash berries he will act even more aggresssively than usual and maybe harder to kill as he is drunk and doesn't feel pain..

[@annabackman3028]

Not as dramatic, but anyway 😂, if the ripen berries fall on asphalt, or any hard surface, they are incredibly slippery! Do NOT step on them. You won't be eaten, but a broken wrist or ankle, or a concussion you could probably do without.

[@mitchconnerandsometimesjlotoo]

They say when a sorbus is full of berries it means a bad winter is due. I have one planted next to my evil neighbours. They haven't moved yet.

[@artjaazz1]

Thanks for another great video, inspired me to look up information on how to make something edible from them, thank you

[@sonjanelson7399]

Enjoyed the video. Always enjoy the science behind the plants you film. Keep showing us the magic and beauty in God's creation.

[@daveballjoint5285]

Curiosity triggered. Mountain Ash in North America are also Sorbus. Birds definitely leave the berries alone until mid winter. Interested in the mechanism that makes them more sweet. Is the sugar level the same but the acids are damaged by the cold so they appear to be sweeter? Or are enzymes active once tissues are damaged by ice crystals and long chain starches are broken into individual sugars? Oh and sorbic sorbic sorbic but no mention of the vitamin C ascorbic acid. Related? Unrelated? I’m off to do some reading, great jumping off point as usual. Oh, and not for nothing, but did Thor point out a natural remedy for urinary tract infections or other groinal issues? Is not the lore surely more interpreted guidance for life?

[@UntamedScience]

Lots of good questions. I wish I had all the answers to that. If you find out, let us know here in the comments!

[@SonOfVulkan]

I made a really delicious Rowan Berry jam a couple years ago 😋

[@deniserowley8549]

My Rowan is on the boundary of my garden

[@rtists82ud]

This new White Board Texture is cool. And the Titles animation of cutting a box in the other half and adding the subheading there, nice. Cool text and animation. I miss the video editing videos.

[@eerieforest9188]

In the Appalachian mountains we call them, or their American Sorbus cousin, mountain ash.

[@cheryldove4984]

I have a rowan tree front left corner!

[@TheSlowNordicLife]

In Norway you can find rogngele --> Rowan jelly in well stocked supermarkeds

[@annabackman3028]

You can find it in Swedish stores too! 😅

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it

[@sassybakaulala8437]

I'm Rowan. My Parents named me ,not for myths but because...mountain ash trees, are strong. I've almost died...a lot..but I'm so glad I'm a Rowan!

[@UntamedScience]

Hey Rowan! So nice you found this video. Such a great name. My sister n law is also a Rowan. ;)

[@flyfin108]

freezin will chop sugar molecules and make it taste less bitter, the fact about sugar molecules is that smaller they are sweeter they taste

[@ElisandeWalters]

(if you make a liquor and let it sit for at east 1 year, you will taste quite a bit of chocolate-y overtones. perfectly lovely, I promise)

[@petertuckergoettler5720]

Have One (Rowan Tree), merci.

[@colinyoung3685]

I've got some Rowan berry in the freezer (rather than waiting for frost). They are quite abundant and luckily the birds aren't as keen on these as they are in the wild cherry.

[@mitchconnerandsometimesjlotoo]

They're not edible.

[@colinyoung3685]

@@mitchconnerandsometimesjlotoo They are with sufficient processing. Bletting followed by cooking breaks down the extremely bitter parasorbic acid in sorbic acid. The high pectin content makes it a good candidate for jam (you need to add a lot of sugar to make it palatable). Rowan jam works well with game meat.

[@mitchconnerandsometimesjlotoo]

@@colinyoung3685 thanks. You always hear in horticultural circles they're not edible.

[@ruthbrendon7221]

I just read a really good book called.....Haven, in which a Rowan tree was mentioned. Thanks for this video cos now I know what it was.

[@st-qp4mr]

Great vid!.....love to see a video with ur research on Goji berries

[@Sheepdog1314]

Bodily functions and sexuality were viewed differently in my ancestor's days (Germanic). One good indicator is the function of having sex as more of a means of procreation, making babies - unlike today, where having sex without making a baby seems to be on top of everyone's list. Every culture has what we now perceive as "weird" mythology...several Northwest Coast tribes in North America have a hero story of a "snot boy" - a woman sneezes, and the expelled mucus forms a human boy who goes on to be a hero, but ignored because he's made of....mucus. There are many other really gross stories found all over the world, all are fascinating, and one wonders how they came into existence.

[@bellaann4942]

Very interesting. The berries were/are used medicinally to stop bleeding. So the story could be giving a remedy. 😉

[@cianmoriarty7345]

Great comment! Thanks! I was wondering what medicinal uses it must have. My guess was to slow urination or abnormally high menstrual flows. But figured that must be at least one point of the story, to impart a remedy. Anyone that says such stories are ridiculous nonsense clearly is missing the point. They are thousands of years old ways of passing down knowledge in a way that is guaranteed to engage and be remembered. Usually multiple different layers of knowledge. Often layered with extra meanings over time. But what they were supposed to mean is often very obscure now. I think that many other religions apart from the Norse religion, Christianity for instance, must have been the same. But now people either usually take it as, well, gospel, or discount it entirely. What if the point always was that it was a mythology, like Aesop's fables. One would be completely missing the point if one insisted that their once was a tortoise and a hare and one day they had a race, and that was a historical fact. Why is so hard for people to suppose that such a thing might also be true about the Christ? That questions about whether or not He did this or that act that is listed in the bible or even whether or not He existed as an actual historical person might actually be completely missing the point? In exactly the same way arguing about how physically improbable the story about the giantess Gjálp and Thor is or questioning whether or not the Gjálp or Thor were historical people misses the point the story existed in the first place. Being to at the very least effectively communicate the belief or knowledge that rowan berries stop bleeding. In a way that is interesting and memorable so even a child will remember and never ever forget it in their entire life.

[@bellaann4942]

@@cianmoriarty7345 I enjoyed the video. The first thing that popped into my head was to research berries. The bible also included various and herbs. But only five heal. Fig, Nard, Hyssop, Balm of Gilead and Mandrake. As with any book that mentions these things, it is easy to see some hidden meaning. How it works into the story or why it's mentioned at all when it seems not to fit.

[@crystalcat1317]

Thanks for your video. I wanted to know about the flowers but you only mentioned them for i second. Some people perceive their scent as unpleasant and some perceive it as pleasant. There doesn't seem to be much information about this aspect.

[@Dubhfinna420]

In Ireland we call it mountain ash

[@Agapy8888]

I have been enlightened.

[@HumblyNeil]

And there I was thinking the myth of these trees was to offer poor shade and horrible stains on parked cars. Little did I know!! ;-) Nice video Rob & Jonas, well done, I want to hear more about Jonas's smelling skills!

[@f5tornadeau]

Contemporary art? Is that what it is? I think I have some of that hanging on my fridge. Cool video about those trees. I’d never heard about them before.

[@robertplautz9722]

two men teaching life 😊

[@UntamedScience]

🙏✌️🤓

[@lindatyler3372]

Isn't there a book of natural remedies and it shows stuff like this? Or if you have some resources to share, or we can buy.? I would like more information about this. I live in the northwest part of Washington state.

[@trenastidham5581]

Have you done a show on muscadines ? They grow everywhere here in Alabama. We also have beautyberries , and elderberry. Would like to see those too.

[@janne2744]

I'm in the U.K. my rowan tree is dripping with berries....until the starlings descend. Passers always comment on how they look forward to seeing it in fruit. It only fruits every other year but literally drips with fruit .

[@gaz8891]

That was really interesting, thanks. Liked the information about Sorbic Acid and having to wait for a frost to sweeten the berries. What I'd like to know more about is the Finnish creation myth which I've read somewhere involved Rowan trees. The goddess called Raun (or something like that) created a Rowan tree and from this tree, she created all women. While men were created from Ash trees (the normal ash, not mountain ash/rowan). I think in later myths, she is called Ran or Rani, a powerful sea goddess, or is that a different goddess? Do you know about this myth and does the name of the rowan tree come from the Raun goddess, do you think ? Here in the UK, our gaelic language names for this tree are similar to "rowan", eg. the Scottish gaelic is pronounced 'choroon' (the 'ch' like in 'loch'). We also have a name for a red-brown or orange-red-brown colour called 'roan', pronounced rather like 'rowan' tree ... I guess named after the rowan tree berries. Perhaps roan/rowan is also the origin of other words, like the "Roe Deer", which is a rusty red-brown or orange-red-brown colour. And fish roe (fish eggs) are also orangey-red in colour ... And could even the 'Rose' bush originally be from 'roes', ie. the 'roan' colour of the rose berries (the edible hips) ?

[@deniserowley8549]

Birds like the berries.

[@superwildside4585]

Can you do somethingon, I think it was "White pine?" (Did I just make that up? Hmm?) well, anywho, Native Americans introduced it to sailors to end scurvy. This info, from what I've read, was brought back home and it took like 300 years of debating before the cure was recognized by Europeans.

[@kirstynnjoseph]

Pine needle tea is full of vitamin C! :)

[@Djurberg74]

Vodka spiced with rowan berries is very tasty!

[@deepquake9]

Awesome. Did you mention the saga that Thor tail came from? 🤙🏽

[@flyfin108]

Sorbus? edit: for those non finns that couldnt catch this joke, Sorbus was the go to drink for hobos and punk´s due its cheap price and high alcohol content back in the 80´s and early 90´s in finland. it was thought cheap and bad but was (is?) actually pretty well made and rewarded drink

[@christopherellis2663]

Freezing 🥶 temperatures 🌡

[@draigwolf3627]

that's where the phrase put a cork in it comes from!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@UntamedScience]

hah...

[@coolhashluke]

All this nature hippie witch magik!

[@jimkelly1829]

Is the Rowan tree related to the mountain ash trees. It looks very similar to the mountain ash.

[@Sheepdog1314]

I believe it is - the North American version of the original.

[@AndreaDingbatt]

I believe that the Mountain Ash is another name for the Rowan. Perhaps it's on Google search?! Kindest Regards, Andréa and Critters. ...XxX....

[@UntamedScience]

It is a Sorbus. You bet

[@colinyoung3685]

I believe it is the leaves (or leaflets as this video points out) that is responsible for the name. They are unrelated to the ash, but both have a similar appearance at a distance before the berries/keys come out and make them readily distinguishable.

[@gaz8891]

Yes, it's the same tree.

[@flyfin108]

so sorbus berry jam could help with excess bleedin?

[@nakrul987]

were the berries used historically to preserve food?

[@richardburguillos3118]

Great and educational again. Another amazing video. Now… you missed one more lesson… Is not Thor properly pronounced Tor with a silent H? Thanks again for helping to broadening our minds.

[@UntamedScience]

You'd pronounce it that way if you're in Scandinavia. In the English speaking world, you generally pronounce the TH. It's much like pronouncing Hawaii and Mexico sound pretty dumb if you throw that accent on it in the middle of a sentence. Jonas is with a "GGG" when he is in the states. It's more like a "y" in Sweden.

[@jeremybertram5575]

Is it the same as a spice bush? I have a lot of spice bush. It looks like that.

[@raphlvlogs271]

will their fruits look and taste different when grown in places without frost?

[@Madonnalitta1]

They are orange in the UK.

[@gaz8891]

We have them in the UK and they look the same, orangey-red. However, they are only common in the colder, higher and poorer soil places, ie. the oakwoods of the west and the pinewoods of the northern Highlands. They are very rare in central and south-eastern England. So perhaps they don't naturally grow in places without regular frost.

[@JordanMoyerFit]

These look like I’ve seen them in canada

[@colinprior7588]

is the rowan related to the sumac that is everywhere in Ontario Canada

[@UntamedScience]

No, but the leaves look similar!

[@jackbauer7613]

Good thing I didn't eat this Rowan Berries while I ambin Norway. I love berries and I love Rowan!

[@mikemason4758]

@4:43 I want to compare red sumac. The original Mt. Dew.

[@rogermilholland2341]

Is it similar to Locust trees in the midwest of the US

[@UntamedScience]

Actually they are very different

[@raphlvlogs271]

various other types of trees are also found growing in the crotches of other trees as well

[@UntamedScience]

Very true...

[@nancymcleveland115]

Are there any here in southeast America??

[@LovacDotCH]

🙏

[@cianmoriarty7345]

Leafs :D

[@gruboniell4189]

U couldn’t head a brittle tree to climb out of the river. Notice the wood is used as bows or other flexible items

[@superwildside4585]

The legends aren't as weird as what is taught as fact, like yoou can feel earthquakes, but you can't feel the entire world spinning. "Bendy" oceans? lol...

[@globalphotobank]

Looks like mountain ash

[@UntamedScience]

Yep. Spot on.

[@mumbairay]

Sorbus domestica is best sorbus

[@LittlePrincess96]

Surt sa räven om rönnbären 😜

[@JamieHumeCreative]

Druids...

[@kirbyshumay3577]

im sorry but I thought the Rowan tree is a Moutan ash thats what I have called here in moosejaw sask canada,

[@gaz8891]

Yes, that's the same tree. I think he said that. Many trees have several local names.

[@mikemason4758]

If the Rowan preserves food you can save food. Next comes breeding. I could apologize for such a concept being so primitive, couldn’t I. Block the flood with your rocks.

[@torbjornlekberg7756]

Concerning the strange story, you must take the old Norse sense of humor into account. Many of the old myths are full of comedy.

[@ilikelampshades6]

These old legends sound so weird and made up. Meanwhile most americans believe in god, jesus, the devil, heaven and hell haha

[@trenastidham5581]

Why should anyone get their britches in a bunch over legends of old gods ? Christians god, had a burning bush lol .

[@jonesthestone]

rowan berry and crab apple jelly great with any meat and a some in your porridge, thank me later,