The salmon is leaping out of the water - a classic image of the Celtic Salmon of Wisdom, holding a hazelnut (microcosm) in its mouth. The sun sits behind the Hazel covered mound, likely rising, and the stones near the well itself are marked with the spiral (for he Otherworld journey?), solar and lunar symbols, and symbols that mark the passage of time, familiar to the Irish mound at Newgrange. This is a place of power, knowledge and wisdom.
There are a few aspects to this card that relate to the stories of the Salmon, the Well of Segais and the 9 hazel (Coll) trees that grew on the mound above it. There are reeds in the foreground which have been considered by some to be Ngetal, but much of my research indicates that Ngetal is actually broom, not reed, so I won't deal with it here.
The Well of Segais is said to be the source of the Boyne River in Ireland, the river which passes Newgrange, the Winter Solstice Solar temple. Water from underground carries the wisdom of the Otherworld to the surface and the Salmon were the transmitters of that wisdom.
The well or fountain was said to have five streams, for each of the five senses. One would need to drink from all five and the fountain itself or eat the salmon who have eaten the hazelnuts from the tree in each stream to be wise, for the fountain was inspiration and intuition and when mixed with the five senses, was true knowledge.
A Celtic prophecy by a Druid called Finn Eces led him to believe he would catch and eat the Salmon of Wisdom and gain its knowledge. The hero Fionn came across him as he was cooking the fish and when Finn Eces asked Fionn to watch it for him, juice from the fish splashed on his thumb. Fionn licked the burn and gained the wisdom of the Salmon.
The Salmon represents the shaman's quest. The salmon is the 'oldest animal' and all of history is in its memory. Since all Druidic knowledge was orally transmitted, memory was very significant. Druids would chew on hazelnuts to find something that was lost or forgotten. It was also considered the 'poet's tree', being a source of inspiration. The Word Ogham of Aeongus is "friend of cracking" suggesting the secrets and enlightenment of the hazel were found in the flesh of the hazel. The shell was the kenning or riddle to be solved to be worthy of that knowledge.
The Hazel and the hazelnut are highly sacred to the Celts, much like the Apple. It was the only other tree other than the Apple that brought a punishment of death for cutting one down unnecessarily.
A wand of hazel could be used for dowsing and is carried by the god Mercury. Healing and communication represented by the hazel and the snakes that intertwine it to become the Caduceus.
Hazel besides having so many magical properties was used for medicine. The tree, however, like the number on the mound, takes nine years to bear nuts. Coll is the ninth letter of the Ogham.
More on the Salmon of Wisdom and Newgrange
here.
