“Gort” represents the letter “G” which is the twelfth letter in Ogham. There is some minor speculation that Gort refers to Honeysuckle, but most scholars believe it most likely refers to Nepeta hederacea or Ground Ivy. This perennial plant is found in abundance throughout Ireland, Europe, and the eastern and western coastal states of the U.S. It thrives particularly well in shady areas but can also survive full sun. Although not technically a tree, Ivy was respected as a tree by the Celts because of its sinister ability to overwhelm and kill even the strongest oak tree. The unusual stem is four sided, up to 2 feet in length, with roots growing from nodes across its length. This wide spread root makes it very difficult to pull out of your garden. The hairy leaves have scalloped edges and are either kidney shaped or nearly round. Blue-violet, two-lipped flowers bloom from April until July. A member of the mint family, ground ivy has a distinctive sweet, almost floral, scent when crushed. Today, ground ivy is sometimes grown as a houseplant and occasionally as a ground cover to prevent hillside erosion. However its medicinal and culinary uses are what caused early European settlers to bring ground ivy to America.

The first noted medical use of ground ivy was by the legendary Physicians of Myddfai. A fresh herb tea of ground ivy and honey is naturally rich in vitamin C - which explains why the Myddfai found it useful combat consumption and coughs. A snuff from the leaves was used for asthma as well as severe headaches and hangovers. Leaves soaked in vinegar helped remove corns. The Celts especially appreciated an ointment made from ground ivy twigs as a marvelous salve for moderate burns. It was also considered excellent in the treatment of snake bites. The sap from ground ivy was a panacea to the Celts, believed to be a cure for ringing in the ears, congestion, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, bladder irritation, indigestion, and eye irritation. Today, respected modern herbalists like John Gerard recommend ground ivy for the very same reasons as the Myddfai. The ursolic and rosmarinic acids in ground ivy are used as anti-inflammatory components in modern medicine for ulcers and the Epstein Barr virus (which causes skin tumors). Because ground ivy can be poisonous, I am not listing any specific dosages here. Please do not use ground ivy as medicine without consulting with your physician first. Ground ivy should not be used by epileptics, pregnant/lactating women, or anyone suffering from kidney or liver disease.

Ground ivy is also found in magic and folklore. For example, in the Highlands, ground ivy was braided with rowan and woodbine to make a lucky wreath. This was placed under the milk storage jugs, pails and churns to prevent the milk from being stolen by the sidhe and later to prevent witchcraft. I also found several notations from modern Wiccans on how ground ivy is used today. One interesting suggestion is to place ground ivy at the base of a yellow candle and burn it on a Tuesday in order to discover who is working negatively against you. (Hmmm… sounds a lot safer than listening in on water cooler talk!) Another option is to burn an ivy plant to the ground in order to exorcise people who aren’t agreeing with you. (Somehow, this idea disturbs me.) However, as Ogham is used in runes, Ivy has a very specific meaning. Just as ground ivy is a persistent plant that grows under adverse conditions, it symbolizes tenacity when faced with difficulties in the pursuit of a goal. That said, it also warns one to carefully determine if the goal is worthy of your efforts.

Finally, ground ivy is used as a dye for fabrics. The berries produce a beautiful gray-sage green dye. The leaves produce a creamy yellow dye when blended with alum as a mordant. Boiled ivy creates a dark navy to nearly black dye. There is even some suggestion that the boiled ivy dye can be used to restore color to a policeman’s uniform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Source List ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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