What is a folk tale, but a tangled woodland of words, where anything could happen? Ever since the last ice melted, trees have been our constant companions. Trees have transformed us, protected us, inspired us and created bridges for us. They will continue to shape our lives as we walk into an uncertain future. The islands of Britain and Ireland hold a rich heritage of folk tales, history, knowledge and song about trees. It is a living heritage, changing all the time through the circling year as oak and rowan are joined by spruce and plane, and as old stories are reworked and new ones created. Following the wheel of the year, storyteller and ecologist Lisa Schneidau brings our trees alive through their stories and songs, whether they are rooted in rural magic or modern myth. Take a fresh look at the tree folk you share your life with, and discover their stories.
"'Lisa Schneidau has the cultivated and perfected the language and storytelling that we so greatly need for these times we are living through. If the trees themselves could speak I suspect the tales and wisdom contained within Tree Folk would resinate deeply with our arboreal friends. An essential book for lovers of trees, of nature and anyone who loves the songs, lore and legends of Britain and Ireland.'"
Artist, author and composer.
"'Deeply enjoyable, wry and wise, Tree Folk is a joy and guide in uncertain times, that we can keep returning to. I treasured it. Rooted in real ecology and the folklore of the past, yet alive to our changing cultural heritage and the challenging weather of our future, this is the re-enchantment we can all invest in, root, branch, canopy, magic.'"
nature writer, author and regular columnist for The Guardian and the RSPB's magazine.
