Elder (Ruis) - Hand cast statue
This beautiful statue is first in the line of our Dryads, or tree spirits, that honor the very essence of the trees held so sacred by the Celts.
Elder is 'The Lady’s Tree' and one of the most revered by the Celts. To cut one down or even burn its wood was considered to be a taboo which would bring certain bad luck or misfortune to the transgressor.
In the language of the Ogham, Elder is called Ruis, the symbol of which is depicted at her base.
It the Celtic Lunar Zodiac – (mentioned in The White Goddess By Robert Graves), Elder rules the 13th Lunation and ends just before Yule or Alban Arthan.
In a verse of The Wiccan Rede, written by Doreen Valiente, we also find a warning that Elder should never be burned.
Nine woods in the Cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow....
...Elder is the Lady's tree
burn it not or cursed you'll be.
Envisioned by Lisa and sculpted by the insanely talented, Joe Laudati, she stands approximately 11" tall by 4" wide.
Each statue is individually hand cast, finished and painted by the artist himself in antique white.