Yew

Yew is a variety of coniferous shrub from the genus Taxus. It is an evergreen shrub with small, hard acorn-like cones that develop into red berries.

Yew is the type of wood that Lord Voldemort's original wand was made of. Interestingly, Voldemort is the only known wizard whose natural wand does not follow his wand on the Celtic chart.

Connection to Europe
The longbow, a weapon developed in northern Europe during the Middle Ages, was made of Yew, as the nature of the wood allows it to withstand compression and is so elastic that it may bend back and forth without losing its integrity. Other woods used in bowmaking during the Middle Ages were Hazel, Ash, and Laburnum, but were all considered inferior to Yew.

In 1562, the Bavarian government sent a plea to the Holy Roman Emperor to stop the harvesting of Yew, citing deforestation. By 1600, forestry records did not mention Yew, due to deforestation. Around this time, longbows were replaced by guns, which allowed the Yew to reestablish itself in European forests.

The Fortingall Yew
The Fortingall Yew is a tree estimated between 2000 and 5000 years old. It is located in the Fortingall churchyard in Perthshire, Scotland. It is the oldest tree in Europe.

Connection to Celtic Mysticism
The Yew tree was sacred to the ancient Celts and Druids. The Eburonian tribe took its name from the Yew tree. In the Irish myth Tochmarc Etaine, Dalan the Druid inscribes four Yew wands with Ogham characters and uses them as divination tools. Early Christian congregations built their churches on sites with sacred Druid Yew trees. Because of the nature of the Yew tree, the merging of old wood with young, new shoots has led the yew to be associated with reincarnation and immortality.

Connection to Death in Literature
The following are some quotes in literature with significant references to the Yew.

"No sooner had they told this hellish tale But straight they told me they would bind me here Unto the body of a dismal yew."

- Tamora the Goth Queen

"Make not your rosary of yew-berries, Nor let the beetle, nor the death moth be Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl A partner in your sorrow's mysteries."

- Lines 5-8

"Old yew, which graspest at the stones That name the underlying dead, Thy fibres net the dreamless head, Thy roots are wrapped about the bones."

- A tree above Arthur Hallam's grave is addressed

"The silent sister veiled in white and blue Between the yews, behind the garden god, Whose flute is breathless, bent her head and signed but spoke no word... Till the wind shake a thousand whispers from the yew... Will the veiled sister between the slender Yew trees pray for those who will offend her... But when the voices shaken from the yew-tree drift away Let the other yew be shaken and reply."

- The yew is mentioned five times

Behind the scenes

 * Yew Dales was the home of Ull, the Norse god of winter.
 * The cancer treatment drug Paclitaxel was originally derived from Yew leaves. It is now produced synthetically (Docetaxel).