Ogham – The Druids' Equipment

I first heard about the Ogham alphabet about 15 years ago, and I became so curious. Back then there were not many books on the subject, but I was online with three people who were in the process of learning about druids and Ogham.

The Irish pronounce Ogham like this: "o-haem," but in Norwegian I say "ogg-hamm." So you can pronounce it however you like. The nice thing about the Norwegian language is that we can pronounce the words however we want. If you want to say "schino" for "kino" (cinema), you are allowed. It does not sound pretty to hear "kino" pronounced this way, but you are allowed. So, ogg-ham or o-haem, take your pick :-)

And as usual when I write, I go off on tangents! :-/

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I became so enthusiastic about Ogham that I brought a friend along and traveled to Ireland. On the bus from Dublin to Kilkenny we discovered that the Irish like to sing while riding the bus. We heard everything from "It's a long way to Tipperary" to "Whisky in the jar." We belted along!

I was so lucky that I got to meet some druids who could tell me a little about their "job," among other things they had a close relationship with the egg. I became wildly enthusiastic, because eggs have always fascinated me. Whether it is the Slavic Rod who descends into an egg, or Easter eggs, or just eggs, there is something special about the egg, you could say :-)

I myself own a stone egg, a mini crystal egg and three "Fabergé eggs." I love them!

What do I use them for?

Well, I focus on the egg when I meditate. The egg grounds me. I actually feel that I have a connection with the planet when I hold the egg ... there is truly something mysterious and magical about the eggs.

Stones do not say much. Stones are like snails. They are slow, they take their time. They remind us that we do not always need fast food, the internet, a fast pace, many TV channels, quick answers and AI ...

It is good to have all this fast stuff, but the stones remind us that we CAN take our time, be patient, be thorough ...

Of course we can buy runes on Temu. Plastic. But we will not have the same relationship with the runes as when we make them ourselves.

Of course we can buy 1000 crystals, but if we do not take the time to listen to the crystals, we miss out on much wisdom.

The stone eggs, the crystal eggs and all the others remind us of TIME!

When the chick is ready, it pecks its way out of the egg. When we are ready to receive knowledge and wisdom, something happens inside us. Do you understand what I mean?

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The old druids wrote nothing down. Stubborn, old ... grumble!

As a result, there are no records from olden days of what the druids used the eggs for.

The best-known account is from the Roman scientific author and naturalist Pliny the Elder, in his Historia Naturalis (Natural History). Pliny devoted three paragraphs to his speculations about the egg.

Pliny's account of the druids' egg, like so many other stories about everything to do with druids, is fantastic.

As far as I understand, a druid told Pliny the story of how they made the eggs and then gave him an egg to study.

This story sounds like a kind of mythology to me.

Or let us be realistic, they may simply have made it up to create mystique around themselves and to tease poor Pliny. At the same time, they had to keep Rome calm. For as long as Rome did not fear the druids, they would be left in peace.

Pliny's description of what a druid's egg looks like reads as follows:

"I have, however, myself seen one of these eggs; it was round, and about as large as a small apple; the shell was cartilaginous and pocked like the arms of a polyp."

What on earth was the druid's egg made of?

No one knows. But taking Pliny's eyewitness description that they were round, encased in cartilage and pocked with something like tentacles?

Was it a fossilized sea urchin that Pliny described as a druid's egg?

Stuart Piggott suggested in his work on druids that the druid's egg was an empty shell from a Roman snail (Helix pomatia). But these were so common in Europe that they were even used as food, so Pliny would have recognized them.

Was it a fossilized sea urchin? Since Pliny is a naturalist, I find it hard to believe that he would not recognize a sea urchin for what it was.

Perhaps that was all they were, but perhaps he was so terrified of the druids' reputation that he did not dare say anything. Who knows?

No, history has drawn its veil over the old druids' eggs. Unfortunately.

What can the druid's egg be used for?

In antiquity it was said that the druid's egg "ensured success in lawsuits and a favorable reception with princes," according to Pliny.

Oh really? But it was not common to have an audience with princes, and the druids used the eggs for many other things, but we do not know what.

For a modern druid, the use of the egg is to develop focus.

This is precisely why a druid's egg is most often made of stone.

Why? I repeat: stones contain ancient wisdom and they know how to wait.

We so sorely need to learn this art. Why cling to the past, why dive into the future, we live here and now.

We can learn from the past, we can plan for the future, but we and the stones live here and now.

Like the building material for stones and other druidic tools, it can take time to find what you need.

Keep your eyes and ears open until you come across a stone that "speaks to you."

Just as wood from a particular tree can give of itself and provide you with materials to make a staff, you will know whether a stone is meant for you when you come across it, the stone will "tell" you. Try it yourself! I meet stones in nature that almost say: "Come here, rest, have a chat" and other stones that radiate: "Do not disturb!"

Keeping the stone in the natural form you found it in is entirely right. But if you want to make it smaller, you will quickly feel whether it is right or wrong.

Small stones are of course easier to carry around, mind you :-)

How do you use a druid's egg?

Since we have no instructions from "olden druid days," we have to work out the use ourselves. Meditation is, as mentioned earlier, a good way to use a druid's egg.

Lift the egg up and study it when you want to concentrate.

When you have a lot on your mind and cannot concentrate, you should focus strongly on the egg until all these other distractions disappear.

This can clear your mind for use toward a single purpose, such as divination or to become more present in meditation.

This is a good use of what being focused truly is.

The Symbol of Alban Eilir / The Spring Equinox

As bringers of peace and harmony, we naturally want to make fair decisions.

By lifting your egg when you have to make a decision in a dispute, you can harness this focus to help you gain clear thinking about what is important in order to achieve a fair and rewarding outcome.

And for yourself, holding your druid's egg in your hand, or lifting the egg up, when you have to make a decision on your own. This will keep you grounded.

The Spring Equinox Festival

Eggs and snakes are ancient symbols of fertility, new life and the possibility of eternal rebirth.

The spring equinox festival in druidism is Alban Eilir, which means "Light of the Earth."

This is the time for balance, and the sun returning to the world, life-giving, much like the egg. So at the equinox we look upon the egg protected by the hare, that is, a symbol of Alban Eilir, this is reflected in the Easter bunny's distribution of Easter eggs.

Everyone is included, everyone shall receive, this is for everyone :-)

A Few Words at the End About Alban Eilir / The Spring Equinox

The wheel of the year turns toward the light side!

Alban Eilir / The Spring Equinox falls sometime between 20/3 and 22/3.

I am very fond of these "sun feasts" and celebrate every one of them.

The spring equinox is a feast of renewal, awakening and harmony with the energy of the land.

The Earth shakes off its winter sleep and awakens. The animals start families. The buds pop out. Wonderful!

There are no right or wrong ways to celebrate the spring equinox.

This is what I do:

1. I make myself an altar with eggs, green or yellow candles, a few sprigs of "pussy willows" and perhaps some "signs of spring." I like to have some chicks on the altar.

2. I sit down, reflect on the light and the dark, and I go for a walk and take in the shifting energy of the world.

I give a gift to nature. Last spring I offered birdseed and fresh water.

3. I paint an egg. A pleasant pastime :-) Then I bury it in the snow or the earth.

4. I get up before sunrise, go outside and greet the sun as it rises on the spring equinox.

Then I make a "chant" or a "mantra" in honor of the sun.

How you celebrate is entirely your own business :-)

Just remember that Alban Eilir is not only a feast, it is a reminder of the energy that is now awakening around us, and hopefully within ourselves.

Remember that you are a tiny part of the great whole, but you are important!

Have a pleasant spring equinox :-)