The Celts were the only people to use ogam, using it as a form of secret communication, yet it was also used for divinatory purposes. Examples of Ogam can still be seen today, carved on stones scattered throughout the British Isles and the European mainland. Some of the stones are only name tags referring to great heroes in history or used to mark boundaries, but some are clearly of more mystical purpose. Ogam itself is a very complex language capable of many different subtle layers, some of which are lost to us, through its associations with trees different elements and colours one word could mean several things and in the hands of a true bard many political undercurrents could be construed that could crush the mightiest conqueror.
The celts themselves were a fiery creative people, quick tempered and renowned as fearless warriors. This stemmed from their religious beliefs which the afterlife was an integral part of. This belief also had a proficient effect on their culture and most notably their art. The Celtic mythology and art made a profound impact and influence through out Europe. Celts still survive to this day their descendants can now be found in Scotland, Ireland (which has always been the centre of their world), Wales and parts of Brittany and Spain.
 

The word ogham (pronounced OH-am or OH-yam; the former pronunciation is probably most common, but a native speaker of Irish has claimed that the latter is correct) has been used to refer to:

• An alphabet of twenty-five characters used for stone and wood inscriptions in Celtic Ireland and Britain.

• A group of twenty sacred trees that give names to the letters of the ogham alphabet.

• A calendar of thirteen months named for some of the trees.

• A purported system of hand-signing used by Druids that relates to the alphabet.

• A system of divination in Celtic paganism that may or may not relate to the alphabet.

The ogham alphabet is often called "beth luis nion". This is somewhat like the word "alphabet"; it comes from the names of the first, second, and fifth letters. The letters consist of one to five perpendicular or angled strokes, meeting or crossing a centre line. The form of the letters allows them to be carved easily on objects of wood or stone, with the edge forming the centre line. Most ogham inscriptions come from Ireland and Scotland.

The Ogham Alphabet

The alphabet consists of 20 letters, arranged in 4 groups of five, though five more letters were added at a later date. The letters themselves were constructed from a series of straight lines incised across a single stave(a.k.a druim). These were usually written using the edge of a stone as a stave from the bottom > up they would then run right over the tip and down the other side(they were read from left to right)...this sometimes makes ogam very difficult to translate.
Branch ogam was usually carved on a branch of the specific tree it is related to, the way it is inscribed is in the same vein as the stave version. This is the most commonly used for divination purposes, for those of you that wish to create your own ogam set, gently collect a branch from the specific plant, stave the end of slightly and carve into the exposed wood. These would then be cast or picked from a bag. If they are cast the relation between the overlapping twigs and the ogams meanings are to be integrated.

 

	OGHAM LETTERS					TREES
	Standard name	Graves	Pennick	Thorsson	Everson	English name	Scientific name
	Beith	Beth	Beth	Beithe	Beith	birch	Betula pendula
	Luis	Luis	Luis	Luis	Luis	rowan	Sorbus aucuparia
	Fern	Fearn	Fearn	Fern	Fern	alder	Alnus glutinosa
	Sail	Saille	Saille	Sail	Sail	willow	Salix alba
	Nion	Nion	Nion	Nin	Nuin	ash	Fraxinus excelsior
	Uath	Uath	Huath	Huath	hÚath	hawthorn	Crataegus spp.
	Dair	Duir	Duir	Duir	Dair	oak	Quercus robur
	Tinne	Tinne	Tinne	Tinne	Tinne	holly	Ilex aquifolium
	Coll	Coll	Coll	Coll	Coll	hazel	Corylus avellana
	Ceirt	Quert	Quert	Queirt	Cert	apple	Malus sylvestris
	Muin	Muin	Muin	Muin	Muin	vine	Vitis vinifera
	Gort	Gort	Gort	Gort	Gort	ivy	Hedera helix
	nGéadal	Ngetal	Ngetal	Ngetal	nGétal	reed	Phragmites australis
	Straif	Straif	Straif	Straiph	Straif	blackthorn	Prunus spinosa
	Ruis	Ruis	Ruis	Ruis	Ruis	elder	Sambucus nigra
	Ailm	Ailm	Ailim	Ailm	Ailm	white fir	Abies alba
	Onn	Onn	Onn	Onn	Onn	gorse	Ulex europaeus
	Úr	Ura	Ur	Ur	Úr	heather	Calluna vulgaris
	Eadhadh	Eadha	Eadha	Edad	Edad	poplar	Populus tremula
	Iodhadh	Idho	Iodho	Idad	Idad	yew	Taxus baccata
	Éabhadh			Ebad	Ébad
	Ór			Oir	Ór
	Uilleann			Uileand	Uilen
	Ifín			Iphin	Ifín
	Eamhancholl			Phagos	Emancholl
	Eite				Saighead	feather or arrow
	Spás				Bearna	space