Tree Symbolism and Runes

[wintercreek]

There's some interesting subtle information showing up in Muggleborn journal use, I think - here's my research attempting to untangle it.

Once upon a time, I was intrigued by Dennis's userpic keywords, all of which are names of trees. A while ago I made the following list, in a comment on an earlier alt_fen post.

About Dennis: I've been looking at his userpic keywords, which are all names of trees, and I did some Googling for tree symbolism to see what would turn up as a translation. I pulled from three different sources (none of which are what I would call reputable, but they were top hits on Google) and got disparate answers. Links are provided in the first set of answers; the order of sources remains consistent throughout.

birch - meekness, grace; new beginnings, cleansing of past, vision quests; and growth, renewal, stability, initiation, adaptability.
rowan - Tree of Life, prudence; [no entry]; power, vision, balance, healing, mystery, connection, protection, divination, transformation
ash - grandeur; sacrifice, sensitivity and higher awareness; growth, expansion, and higher perspective.
alder - [no entry]; [no entry]; giving and nurturing.
willow - forsaken love; magic, healing, inner vision, dreams; imagination, psychic ability, flexibility.
hawthorn - contentment, hope; [no entry]; balance and duality, contradictions.
oak - hospitality, endurance and triumph; strength and courage, conjugal fidelity and fulfillment; life, strength, wisdom, nobility, family, loyalty, power, longevity, heritage, honor.
holly - [no entry]; protection, overcoming of anger, spiritual warrior; style, dignity and honor even in the midst of great challenge, protection.
hazel - [no entry]; hidden wisdom, dousing, divination; knowledge.
vine - [no entry]; [no entry]; regeneration, continuation, opportunity, connection, expansion, fertility, bounty.
ivy - [no entry]; [no entry]; growth, renewal, connection, friendship, opportunity.
reed - [no entry]; [no entry]; purpose, protection, purification, clarification, communication.
elder - compassion, zealousness, sorrow, death; birth and death, fairy realm; death, cycles, rebirth, renewal, creativity, regeneration, transformation.

Unfortunately, I've not been able to suss out the pattern of Dennis's use. Thoughts?

Now, Hermione's using coding as well! I noticed her tagging scheme this morning (it seems to be a recent addition - please correct me if I'm wrong) and did some Googling there as well. With the exception of the pre-existing "word of the day" and "mum and dad" tags, Hermione's new tagging system seems to be runes. Here's what turned up for their meanings, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Straight-forward runes:
ansuz - Proto-Germanic: "Ansuz" means "god"; Anglo-Saxon derivatives: "Ós; Ác; Æsc" mean "god"; "oak"; "ash"
berkanan - Proto-Germanic: "Berkanan" means "birch"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Beorc" means "birch"/"poplar"?
ehwaz - Proto-Germanic: "Ehwaz" means "horse"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "E(o)h" means "horse"
gebo - Proto-Germanic: "Geƀō" means "gift"; Anglo-Saxon derivatives: "Gyfu; Gar" mean "gift"; "spear"
hagalaz - Proto-Germanic: "Haǥ(a)laz" means "hail" [precipitation]; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Hægl" means "hail" [precipitation]
isaz - Proto-Germanic: "Isaz" means "ice"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Is" means "ice"
jera - Proto-Germanic: "Jē₂ran / *Jē₂raz" means "year, harvest"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Gēr" means "year, harvest"
kaunan - Proto-Germanic: "Kaunan" meaning unclear; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Cen" means "torch"
mannaz - Proto-Germanic: "Mannaz" means "man, human"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Man" means "man, human"
naudiz - Proto-Germanic: "Nauđiz" means "need, hardship"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Nyð" means "need, hardship"
othalan - Proto-Germanic: "Ōþalan" means "heritage, estate"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Éðel" means "heritage, estate"
raido - Proto-Germanic: "Raiđō" means "ride, journey"; Anglo-Saxon derivatives: "Rad" means "ride, journey"
thurisaz - Proto-Germanic: "Þurisaz" means "giant"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Þorn" means "thorn"
wunjo - Proto-Germanic: "Wunjō" means "joy"; Anglo-Saxon derivative: "Wynn" means "joy"

More complicated:
ingwaz - The Wikipedia entry says Yngvi, Yngvin, Ingwine, Inguin are names that relate to an older theonym Ing and which appears to have been the older name for the god Freyr (originally an epitheton, meaning "lord"). Proto-Germanic *Ingwaz was one of the three sons of Mannus and the legendary ancestor of the Ingaevones and is also the reconstructed name of the Elder Futhark ŋ rune. Freyr "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals".
perth - No relevant Wikipedia article(s) found, but a British runes site says Perth is the rune of mystery. The Vikings were troubled by mysteries like why some should die in battle while others survive. The symbol depicted on this rune is said to represent a dice cup tipped to reveal the die.
tiwaz - The Wikipedia entry says Tiwaz is named after Tyr, and was identified with this god. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Tîwaz or *Teiwaz and other variants. Etymologically *Tîwaz is connected to Latin Deus and Divus and to Celtic Divos. "Tyr is the god of single combat and heroic glory in Norse mythology, portrayed as a one-handed man." He lost his right arm as a sacrifice to secure the binding of Fenrir, the great wolf. "As a result of this deed, Tyr is called the "Leavings of the Wolf"."

Hermione's rune use patterns:
"Ansuz" (god? ash, oak?) (2 uses): Halloween? Not the LP - other posts mention him without this tag.

"Berkanan" (birch) (5 uses): Seems to be about work - the first is Hermione's introductory post in which she explains that she is an indentured worker, and the others mention her work on the Pretiosissimum Donum Dei.

"Ehwaz" (horse) (3 uses): All uses mention Crookshanks, which is interesting, since Hermione says Terry made her a tag for Crookshanks that says his name in runes. Does not occur on the most recent post, in which Crookshanks-as-Kneazle is mentioned.

"Gebo" (gift) (5 uses): Does what it says on the tin. Uses are on posts about gifts to Hermione.

"Hagalaz" (hail [precipitation]) (8 uses): Any connection I make between these posts is a real stretch. Don't know.

"Ingwaz" (Freyr, who "bestows peace and pleasure on mortals"?) (4 uses): Protection, maybe? Used on posts where Hermione has been protected/defended (mud in Percy's bed, fighting off the troll at Halloween), wants to protect someone else (asking Madam Pomfrey not to risk getting potions supplies), or asks for protection (asking McG to see if she can ward off Carrow's creepiness).

"Isaz" (ice) (3 uses): Possibly about the camps? Posts mention the camps and (in two cases) Hermione's parents.

"Jera" (year, harvest) (4 uses): Used on posts about the Pretiosissimum Donum Dei - PDD as "harvest," perhaps?

"Kaunan" (torch? thorn?) (5 uses): Hurts? - some references to the Carrows and their mistreatment of Terry, one reference to Hermione's need for bruise salve and one to falling asleep in the soapsuds after a cold night in the hall.

"Mannaz" (man, human) (6 uses): Students, in a neutral way, maybe? Used on posts about helping students and what it would be like to be a student. Not clear if similar posts are not tagged thusly.

"Naudiz" (need, hardship) (1 use): Used only on the most recent post about the Carrows' destruction of Terry's clothes in the Great Hall and the cruelty of students to Muggleborns. Hermione's one real venting post, I think.

"Othalan" (heritage, estate) (3 uses): Learning, probably - used on posts about learning runes, mixing potions, and learning magic secretly from Madam Pomfrey

"Perth" (mystery? chance, as associated with bad luck?) (6 uses): Terry, specifically his mistreatment?

"Raido" (ride, journey) 4 uses): Reading? Uses are on posts about books, both fixing and reading.

"Thurisaz" (giant? thorn?) (2 uses): Used on two most recent Order Only posts where Hermione is upset with Professor(s) Carrow, but not used on an earlier post which mentioned Madam Pomfrey's anger at Carrow's treatment of Terry, also under Order Only.

"Tiwaz" (Tyr, who lost his right arm to the wolf Fenrir) (4 uses): Uses are on posts that mention Lupin; not used on the Halloween post, which mentions Lupin being cross.

"Wunjo" (joy) (5 uses): Used on posts where Hermione is happy. :)

Comments

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for "vine", "ivy" and "reed", I'd wonder if Dennis weren't longing for a wand - the others all being wand woods.

[wintercreek]

I didn't even think of that! I wonder if that's part of what inspired the choice of wood words.

[brimtoast.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for doing this work. I noticed those tags of Hermione's, but hadn't really figured out what they meant, beyond that they were runes. Did they pop up before or after Arthur chastised Hermione (http://alt-ron.livejournal.com/2900.html?thread=23380#t23380) about needing to be careful with her words?

I really don't know what to make of the Dennis ones. If he has some hidden layer behind what we see (loyal to Harry, 100% rule-following, happy to serve) then he's really good at keeping it secret. I suppose it's more likely that he's not being subversive but instead just knows a lot about trees, maybe enough that he actually thinks about things in terms of trees instead of simpler adjectives sometimes? If that's so, I wonder where he learned all that.

Actually, I'd be interested in knowing how icon keywords are supposed to work in-game. Do the characters choose their pictures and put the keywords with them? Or do they just reflect the states of mind at the time but in some way that is out of the conscious control of the characters writing? Can other characters read the icon keywords, or is that just an extra bonus for the readers that gives us insight into their state of mind that other characters don't get (like how we can read crossed-out words even when none of the other characters are supposed to be able to)?

[wintercreek]

Actually, I'd be interested in knowing how icon keywords are supposed to work in-game.

Agreed! In nocturne_alley I was a crazy keyword checker and the habit has persisted. I tend to treat them as contributing to the image in the userpic, but I have no idea if this is what the players/characters intend.

A few interesting keyword shout-outs here: alt_draco has alliterative adjectives, alt_terry has gerunds (only!), alt_theodore has what I think are Lewis Carroll poems and alt_narcissa has only numbers. This is not an exhaustive list; just the ones that have stuck in my mind as unusual keyword schemes.

[brimtoast.livejournal.com]

Keywords were really important in TIN as well, especially towards the end. It seems like it starts to get really important when characters have more than one keyword for the same icon (so that there's info in the keywords that can't be differentiated just by looking at the pictures). So far, it looks like the only character in Alternity who has that is Susan (http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=alt_susan). I'm not sure she's made much use of it yet, though.

[wintercreek]

Speaking of icons, Terry's icon of boots is gone, just like his actual boots. which is a nice piece of paralleling, but on a meta level it points out that late-comers to the game are definitely going to miss some things on earlier posts.

[longstrider.livejournal.com]

Note that depending on the journal style, if you are in a character's actual journal instead of the long friends list, you can see the pic keywords next to the icon.

[wintercreek]

I'm not sure of the timing with regard to Arthur's chastisement of Hermione. I read the whole thing this morning (and then lost four hours to runes research - oops). They very well could be a way for her to organize her journal entries along certain lines without giving away what she's writing about.

I think "Creevey" is an Anglicized Celtic name, so perhaps the tree symbolism, some of it Celtic in origin, is a way for Dennis to hold on to his heritage? Or! I suspect, since he's so house elf-like, that he was taken from his family young and raised by house elves, so it could be something that the elves taught him.

[alt-player.livejournal.com]

"Mannan" was a flint for "Mannaz" and has been melded into "Mannaz."

[wintercreek]

Well thank you, player! That's a relief to hear - I couldn't figure out how Susan could be a god of the sea. :D

[qwerty88.livejournal.com]

Check out Zacharias' keywords. All poisons or medicines or both except for Hellbore, Google wonders if it should be hellebore.

http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=alt_zacharias

Keywords: hellbore
Keywords: wormwood
Keywords: mandrake (huge amounts of potential symbolism here)
Keywords: dittany (Dittany is first mentioned when Harry Potter is looking it up in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi for his Easter homework[1] although the information doesn't seem to have sunk in as in the last book it is Hermione who knows how to use essence of Dittany to treat minor wounds, such as Ron's Splinching, or to prevent scarring, such as Malfoy's from the Sectumsempra curse.)
Keywords: belladonna (belladonna, the Deadly Nightshade, was the Devil's favorite plant)
Keywords: knotgrass
Keywords: asphodel (a white flower that symbolizes death, as ancient mythology holds that it covers the Elysian fields)
Keywords: aconite (Very pretty and very hardy, and succeeds under the shade of trees; but being very poisonous should not be grown where there are children.)