tree

Temple of the Dark Moon

TREES IN MYTH AND LEGEND

Often taken for granted and even considered to be a nuisance in today's technological age, there is an aspect to trees that we might not have even considered. While rooted deep within the Earth and with branches reaching skyward, trees have long been considered as a link to the Universe. In numerous ancient cultures trees were considered to be symbols of power, wisdom, fertility, and even of life itself. Even in our modern world, these symbols continue to reflect something innate within us, if only we take the time to notice.

Probably the most famous of all trees in the Western world are those mentioned in the Biblical story of creation. This story recounts the Christian God planting within the Garden of Eden beautiful trees laden with delicious fruit, two of which were the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, which was symbolic of immortality. The concept of the latter tree, the Tree of Life, is not unique to Christianity and can be found in other early religious beliefs. In ancient Palestine, for example, the worship of sacred trees was common before the arrival of the Israelites, being sacred to the Goddess Astarte. In the ancient Hebrew mystical system of the Qabalah (which is still practised today), the Tree of Life was a key factor as it illustrates the underlying unity within the Universe. It acts as a model connecting the Universe with God (or divinity) and humankind, with the branches spreading throughout creation reconciling the individual leaves, representing the unified whole.

In Norse mythology the great ash tree, known as the Yggdrasil, was considered to be the axis of the world, with its branches reaching out over both Heaven and Earth. The roots of the Yggdrasil held the lower world of the earth spirits together, its trunk maintained the middle world of man, while its branches were the home of the upper world of the Gods. The Yggdrasil is said to draw water from the springs and wells at its base, which was the source of hidden wisdom, and supports a host of supernatural beings within its branches. On the highest branch sits an eagle scanning the world for the chief Norse God, Odin. It was also from the branches of the Yggdrasil that Odin hung himself upside down for nine days and night for the purpose of gaining knowledge of the runes which led to his own rejuvenation.

From Africa, there are several myths which state that man was born from a tree. The Herero people of southern Africa believe that the first humans, as well as cattle, came from a tree called Omum-borombonga, which is found in the grasslands south of the Kuneno River. Even today, people are said to still leave offerings of small green twigs at the base of this tree as they pass by. To the nomadic Hottentot tribe of south west Africa the name of their great hero, Heitsi-Eibib, comes from the word "heigih" which means "the great tree".

In ancient Egyptian paintings often depicted a sacred tree above and beside a spring, which contains the water of life. Sometimes a woman is shown embodied in the tree and it is her task to provide food and water for the inhabitants of the Underworld. The Bodhi Tree under which Buddha sat when he attained enlightenment is both a classic representation of the axis of the world and a tree of life, and in the early iconography represents Buddha himself.

Because they lived in the forest, the early Vedic teachers of India attached great importance to trees such as the banyan and peepal, which symbolised patience and tolerance. "These trees are completely dedicated to the welfare of others. How great they are that they bear the storms, rains, snow and scorching sun, and then they protect us." This tradition was passed on in to Indian culture and ultimately led to a relationship between human communities and the forest community of trees, plants, and animals which recognised the rights of the trees, forest-dwelling animals and plants to a life of their own, free from the exploitation by humans.

For the Ismailian Shi'ite Muslins, the tree that reaches beyond the seventh heaven is the symbol of "hakikat", the state of beatitude in which the mystic is reunited with the supreme reality. In Indian tradition, however, God, which is the source of all life, is the root of the tree, while the trunk and the branches symbolise the earliest communities which grew up with a pure spirituality close to the creator. The leaves represent human beings.

The annual cycle of deciduous trees provides a visible proof of the creative force within nature. Many cultures have the tradition of planting a tree when a child is born. As the tree grows toward the sky it acts as a reminder of the qualities of uprightness, maturity and responsibility. At the other end of the cycle, trees are also planted to commemorate person's life, creating an ongoing memorial to their spirit.

This cycle of unfailing renewal has been seen as a symbol of fertility. In parts of the Middle East, it is not uncommon to come across a solitary tree by a spring, which is decorated by red handkerchiefs place there by barren women wishing to alter their fate. In southern India, a custom of the Dravidians is to "marry" two trees as a mirror of a marriage. The couple plant two sacred trees side by side, one male and one female. They then make an enclosure around the trees so that they may flourish and their fruitfulness reflects that the fertility of the human couple. Using a tree as a symbolic representation of a betrothed couple can also be found amongst the Sioux of North America, and the Bushmen and Hottentots of south west Africa. Usually, a tree that bears fruit is chosen for the ceremony, so that the couple may share in its fertility.

The Yarralin people of the Northern Territory have a Dreaming site for their "karu" (initiated males) at a billabong, which is surrounded by trees supposedly, sprang from the semen of the group of karu who stopped there. Women also have Dreaming trees, some of them at sites where they can receive the spiritual seed necessary of birth. The Waramunga people believe that certain trees harbour the spirit of a child, which may leave its tree to enter through the navel into the woman's womb.

Trees also remind us that death plays an important part in the life process. Yew trees are still a familiar sight amongst older English cemeteries as this tree is representative of the life in death aspect. To the ancient Celts the yew was burnt for purification when the old year died and the new year came forth, which occurred at the ancient festival of Samhain that marked the Winter.

The Celtic peoples greatly revered the tree. To them, trees held a specific significance for they were guardians of great wisdom. Living so closely to nature as the Celts did, they were able to see their lives mirrored in the natural world around them. One example that is still relevant today is that each tree aims to achieve the greatest height so that it may get more light. In our lives this can reflect the need to achieve in life. A tree's growth depends on the strengthening of its trunk to support and the anchoring of its roots firmly in the soil. Again, mirrored in our lives, this shows us that to be able to grow and progress (whatever path we decide to take), we require firm foundations just like the roots of a tree. These foundations are then strengthened from experience, like the truck, if our aspirations (the leaves) are to reach the light.

Whichever way we look at them, trees can offer us a range of benefits aside from providing us with shelter from the elements and producing the very oxygen we breathe. Maybe if we took some more time to reflect of these majestic giants in the natural world, we will not be so ready to destroy them - after all, remember the tree's revenge in the "Lord of the Rings" ...

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