Ogham Study Group - Tinne

Tinne

Name: Tinne
Pronunciation: (TYIN-uh)
Sound: T
Tree: Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Few: three strokes to the left or up from the stemline
Tree web site: http://www.2020site.org/trees/holly.html

Traditionally Holly has been thought of as a male plant while Ivy is female. In the summer the leaves of the Holly are soft but in the winter the leaves harden and spines appear. This helps protect the Holly from being eaten by hungry animals. If allowed to grow naturally, the Holly tree could reach a height of 70 feet (a bit more than 20 meters). It is mostly kept trimmed and used as a hedge. The wood of the Holly was used for spokes of chariot wheels and as spear shafts. The green leaves and red berries are often used as Christmas decorations. In the Celtic calendar however, the eighth month (June) is named for the Holly tree. This is a month of weddings and family celebrations.

Meaning:
Defense, trials, challenges, testing, strength

Reversed:
Being overwhelmed, assault, running away

SIU

In 1973 the school I was attending planted a large area with new bushes.
They were right over by one of the big dormatorys, and so I passed them
several times daily ~ I was really curious as to what they were...

Well, I met a girl who was upset because her bicycle had been stolen,
especially since it had sentimental value ~ her father had fixed it up.
She described it as one of those old rusty looking bikes with baloon tires.

Then one day I noticed the bushes were leafing out, and on closer
inspection could see that they were in fact Holly bushes, as I'd suspected.
But lo and behold, there in the midst of all those bushes was her bicycle!

Someone had simply tossed it in there as a joke, but from all that we
became very good friends, happily then and still today.