Ceirt, also written Quert, is the tenth letter of the ogham alphabet, written ᚊ, and it is linked to the apple. It carries themes of beauty, choice, and wellbeing, along with a strong link to the Otherworld of Celtic myth. This page covers the letter, the apple in Celtic tradition, and what Ceirt is taken to mean. For the whole alphabet see the ogham letters guide, and for every symbol at a glance, the ogham symbols page.
The letter Ceirt
Ceirt is the fifth few of the second group, or aicme, written as five strokes set to one side of the central line: ᚊ. Its sound is a Q, a hard K-like sound. In the traditional order it follows Coll and closes the second group.
The apple in Celtic tradition
The apple held a special place in Irish and wider Celtic myth. It was the fruit of the Otherworld, and the blessed islands of the dead and the immortals were named for it, most famously Avalon, the isle of apples, and Emain Ablach. A silver branch bearing apple blossom was a token that could open the way to that Otherworld. On a more everyday level the apple stood for beauty, abundance, health, and the sweetness of choice, a fruit of both this world and the next.
What Ceirt means in ogham
In modern ogham practice, Ceirt is read as beauty, choice, and wellbeing, and sometimes as a doorway to deeper or hidden things. The reading draws on the apple’s ties to health, abundance, and the Otherworld. As with every few, the fruit’s old associations are genuine while the tidy one-line meaning is a modern reading. See the ogham symbols and their meanings page for the full set.
Apple in the Celtic tree calendar
The apple is not one of the thirteen monthly trees in the Celtic tree calendar, so it does not mark a birth-month sign. Its place in ogham comes from myth and folklore rather than from the calendar. For the trees that do form the modern system, see the Celtic tree calendar and find your birth tree guides.
FAQ
What does Ceirt mean in ogham?
Ceirt, also written Quert, is read as beauty, choice, and wellbeing, with a strong tie to the Otherworld. The meaning comes from the apple, which in Celtic myth was the fruit of the blessed islands and a symbol of health and abundance. The old associations are genuine, while the specific one-line meaning is a modern reading.
What tree is Ceirt?
Ceirt is the apple. In Irish and Celtic tradition the apple was the fruit of the Otherworld, giving its name to blessed islands such as Avalon, and it stood for beauty, health, and abundance in everyday life as well.
Why is the apple linked to the Otherworld?
In Celtic myth the apple was the fruit of the immortal lands, and those lands were named for it, as in Avalon, the isle of apples. A branch of apple blossom could serve as a passport to that world, which tied the fruit, and the letter Ceirt, to the Otherworld.