๐ท๐๐ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ก๐๐; ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ก๐ -๐ธ๐ฆ๐๐; ๐ถโ๐ฬ๐๐ ๐ท๐ ๐ต๐๐ข๐ฆ๐; ๐ท๐ ๐โ๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐๐; ๐ท๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐.
These are the named oaks on Renรฉ Stevensโ map of the Forest from around 120 years ago. I have kept his spellings.
They must have been remarkable, old oaks.
Today is the feast day of Saint Boniface, known for felling the sacred oak of Thor (Donar) at Geismar in Germany where he was on a mission. According to the traditional account, local people expected the god to strike him down for the act. When nothing happened, many were persuaded to abandon the old religion and the wood from the tree was reportedly used to build a church dedicated to Saint Peter.
Only one of the five oaks mentioned above still stands. Understandably it carries no marker, no sign. Perhaps with no human intervention it will survive for some more years. Perhaps forest oaks are not so lucky.