Ur (Heather) Gaelic U – Christmas Ornament

2 inch high same on both sides

Designed by Angus MacLeod

Handcrafted by Piper Pewter

18th in The Gaelic Tree Alphabet Series –

Ur (Heather) Heather is perhaps as much a botanical symbol of Scotland as the famous thistle, especially in the Highlands where it grows in such profusion. Heather was put to many practical uses. Where long leggy stems could be harvested it was used for durable thatching. In the Highlands the medicinal properties of an infusion of heather tops were used to treat coughs, consumption and to soothe the nerves, and heather tea and ointments were used to treat arthritis and rheumatism. The idea that white heather is lucky was popularised by the Victorians and their love of Scottish traditions. Indeed white heather?۪s luck appears originally to have been associated mainly with battles; in 1544 Clan Ranald attributed a victory to the fact they had worn white heather in their bonnets, and Cluny of Clan MacPherson attributed his escape after Culloden to the fact that searchers had overlooked him whilst he slept on a patch of white heather.