The name ‘Panash’ stems from several different sources….of course we like to think we add a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ to our trips – it eez, ow we say, a little Panash. And yes, we know PaNash is normally spelt panache, but we have taken artistic licence as the founders surname happens to be Nash.
The name Panash also comes from the conjoining of ‘Pan’ and ‘Ash’. In Greek mythology ‘Pan’ is the God of the wilds, shepherds and flocks, nature and mountain, hunting and rustic music. He is also recognized as the God of fields, groves, and wooded glens. A wonderful place to be and at the heart of all of Panash Adventures trips and courses. We try to take on or support those in the role of shepherd or wildlife custodian in all of our wildlife related work and encourage people to spend more time immersed in nature in the place that Pan felt most affinity to. In Roman religion and myth, Pans counterpart was Faunus which links strongly to our desire to support the conservation of the fauna and flora through our events. Pan is also associated with fertility and with sexuality….hmmm, we haven’t quite worked out where that fits into Panash’ ethos yet!
The ‘Ash’ part of Panash comes primarily from the tree Mountain Ash, also known as Rowan or the Travellers tree and it is thought that it prevents those on a journey from getting lost. An ideal guide for a travel company then! For those of you who are interested in folklore (where so much information can be gleaned as to historical uses of plants) the Mountain Ash is considered helpful in clearing the mind and attuning us to nature, broadening perspectives and providing a deeper understanding of our place in the universe. To the Celts (Panash Adventures is based primarily in Cornwall) Mountain Ash was a symbol of the hidden mysteries of nature and the awareness of life force energy. So powerful is the magic associated with Mountain Ash, that Scottish tradition did not allow for the use of Mountain Ash wood for any other purpose than ritual.
Other species of Ash tree are so versatile in their uses and it is the tree that is most used for the craft that we create on our workshops, from carving bowls to bows, and of course there is ash from the fires we create to support the basic essentials of keeping us warm and feeding us.
Mountain ash is a tree that is able to thrive in extreme conditions which is the ethos that we carry forward to our trips. Let the Panash passion for the wilds fuel your imagination and join us on our Adventures.