It is thought to be between 3,000 and 9,000 years old - at the Millennium, its age was decided to be 5000 years - as old as the Pyramids.
The yew stood for sacred mystery in the Druid tradition; yews were planted systematically about the places, often wells, that held sacred truths - it was viewed as a natural emblem of everlasting life. Fortingall is at the intersection of several ley lines.
It has connections to early Christianity in Scotland - there has long been a story that Pontius Pilate was born at Fortingall.
It is believed to be the oldest living organism in the UK, and one of the oldest living things in Europe.
In 1769 the circumference of the yew’s multiple trunks was measured at 52 ft, but this has vastly reduced over time and what remains are the relics and offshoots of the original tree.