Yew trees are powerful and long-lived, capable of reaching a millennium in age. Although scarce and protected, some of them reign supreme in Asturian nature, boasting an almost infinite history. For example, two specimens in the Allande municipality, in the villages of Santa Coloma and Lago, claim to have witnessed the passage of time since before the discovery of America.
As an English saying goes: the life of a yew tree, the length of an era.
Because it lives for so long, hundreds of symbols and even mythologies have developed around it. It's a totem associated with either life or death (possibly both, and even eternity). Some maintain that the sap of the yew tree was used by the Astures to inspire their ritual dances. Since those times, the custom of planting a yew tree next to the house, church, or hermitage has become ancient.
This tradition remains alive even today. Asturians remain faithful to a tree that once shaped their beliefs and values, their culture and territory, and whose shade sheltered assemblies and celebrations. On this side, we have the tree of life. The tree of death derives from its symbolism and the poison of its leaves. In every European country, the finest bows were crafted from yew wood. The Romans learned this from the Greeks, as did the modern states of the Roman Empire . This military function emphasized the tree's deadly nature. Furthermore, it is likely that the Latin name for yew, taxus, is related to toxon, the Greek word for bow, and to toxicon, the Greek name for the poison used to coat arrows.
How are the yews?
A long-lived, evergreen and slow-growing tree. It gives you time to witness several wars and peace treaties, thousands of storms and calm in a single life. Imagine, reaching 15 meters high means more than 500 years of contradictory experiences and tons of rainwater. In his growth he seems to be assimilating everything slowly, slowly, without being afraid of anything: very slowly. Hence the expression "pa shadow pa when it is vieyu", which usually cites the one who decides to plant one.
Its dual connotation, death and life, and its religious past, remain evident today in two of its most common locations: cemeteries and churches (sites where more than 200 specimens have been recorded throughout the region). While it is true that this location also serves a practical purpose: with its dense, evergreen foliage, it protects the building's roof from the wind, provides shade, and creates a healthy microclimate.
The yew tree in Asturias rarely grows wild, forming forests, except in localized areas of the Sierra del Sueve, Muniellos, and Aramo. Areas where yew trees are particularly abundant are generally referred to as yew groves or tejedas. These, however, are usually scarce and coincide with the demanding habitats the tree requires: medium altitude, calcareous soils, and high rainfall . It is more likely to be found in other types of woodland, and even more so to live as a solitary individual. It prefers to grow in solitude, surrounded by crags and waterlogged. Even in communities, it lives alone, accompanied by the occasional historic but silent building. It is common on private estates and provides shade for rural homes.
Yews: sacred trees
Its wood is highly prized in cabinetmaking, especially for its hardness and elasticity, but it cannot be touched: the yew is a protected species . Felling or uprooting requires administrative authorization. Conservation measures are strict, and some specimens have already been declared natural monuments. From being a halo of protection, a guardian of time and the rooftops of civilizations, it has become protected from enemies it never knew before.
It's true that they are still planted with respect, but they are no longer cared for as they once were. The reconstruction of nearby buildings, the asphalt at their base, power lines, signs, tacks, staples… all contribute to their premature aging. Meanwhile, wild yews face the same enemies as other trees: unsustainable logging practices.
The designation of Natural Monument helps protect the oldest trees so they can enjoy a dignified old age. In the Principality of Asturias, several of these trees hold this designation, including the yew trees of Santa Coloma and Lago (Allande), the one in Salas (near the town of Salas), Bermiego (Quirós), and Santibáñez de la Fuente (Aller). The latter, like the first two, is over half a millennium old, measuring 12 meters in height and 15 meters in diameter.
The trunk of the yew tree doesn't reveal its age. It's striated, thick, with grayish-brown bark, and produces numerous spreading, drooping branches at its tips. Its foliage is somewhat withered, but it also flowers , doing so at the end of winter and beginning of spring, with the seeds maturing in autumn. Today, in the region, the cultivation of native yew trees is encouraged, using cataloged genetics and Asturian nurseries that safeguard these seeds.
Plant a yew
A good way to fulfill the saying, almost the obligation, to plant at least one tree in each person's lifetime would be to plant a yew tree . In this case, the good ecological deed also becomes an act of faith in the God of Time. We plant a tree that can see generations upon generations pass, even witness a change of era. Certainly, we can think of no better way to perpetuate our memory and safeguard nature for such a long period of time . Even the universe, for an American legend tells how the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and all the animals of the heavens rose from the earth on the back of an arrow shot from a yew bow.
In the following link you will find detailed, step by step, how to touch immortality with a seed in your hand.
Trashumando tells us how to plant a yew
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
