Trees of Ancient Religious History
Trees were probably some of the first plants to be worshiped by man. They’re large, grand, and seemingly eternal. They appear to die every winter and resurrect themselves in the spring—a miracle every year. They bore fruit and supplied many of the necessities of early life. Truly the tree was an ideal representation of life itself and worshipped as such.
It is believed the Tree of Life was invented in ancient Chaldea and one of the oldest sacred tree symbols is the Assyrian Tree of Life. These symbols spread throughout the world and the Tree of Life was taken up by nearly all beliefs and religions at one time or another. They ranged from the oak and ash of the Teutons, Norsemen, Celts, and Druids to the palm and cedars of the Assyrians, Hebrews, and Christians, the sycamore of the Egyptians, and the cassia and bo of the Far East. The Tree of Life even exists in many Mesoamerican cultures; the Tule Tree of the Aztecs is today considered one of the single largest biomasses on the planet
The Tree of Might/Life (Christianity)
The Tree of Might was a tree in the Garden of Eden whose fruits provided immortality to those who ate of it.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Christianity)
The Tree of Knowledge existed in the same garden as the Christian Tree of Life. The Serpent used the Tree to deprive man of eternal life on earth.
Game play: The characters find the gate to a beautiful garden (angel with flaming sword optional) and enter to find two trees atop two hills.
The Tree of Life for the Christians might be a cedar (the species name of cedar, arbor vitae, means “tree of life”) and, since cedars are toxic, would probably cause a lot of pain and agony before granting eternal life.
The Tree of Knowledge would more likely be a date, fig, or pomegranate-type tree and, for a human whose ancestors already granted them that knowledge, this tree may either grant nothing but tasty fruit, or now grant knowledge as decided by the GM.
Another alternative is that the garden is destroyed, barren, twisted, and very dead, except for the two trees on the hill. For those groups who are in worlds where Christianity is not a major religion, the Tree of Knowledge could grant the entire history of this one religion’s people and its god AND their destruction to the consumer, all in one ear-bleeding instant. Or, the Tree of Life turns them all into zombies; that’s irony right there. Even better, in any event, the second they become immortal, the characters are immediately cast out and sent to a new realm, Or Wisconsin. Wait, that’s been done….
Yggdrasill (Nordic)
The Norse have the World Tree, an evergreen ash tree that overshadows the whole universe. The roots are in Hel, the subterranean source of matter. The trunk splits into three as it grows upward. The middle trunk runs up through Midgard—the Earth—and supports it. This mid-trunk erupts out of the top of the mountain Asgard, where the gods assemble at the base of Valhalla. This heaven can only be reached via Bifrost, the bridge of the rainbow. The mid-trunk spreads its branches over the entire sky.
The second trunk of the Yggdrasill springs up in Muspellsheim, the warm south where the three Norns dwell and the gods sit in judgment. The third trunk rises in Nifleheim, the cold north where all the knowledge of mankind flows from the fountain of the frost giant, Mimir, the personification of wisdom.
The ash tree itself is considered the Tree of Life because the first Norseman, Ask, sprang from an ash tree.
Game play: Using the tree to get from one region to another in Norse mythology would be entertaining at the least. There a Demon in Hel supposedly trying to gnaw through the roots of Yggdrasill that can be defeated by the brave souls. A trip to Muspellsheim or Nifleheim could be represented by traveling a staircase inside either of the two side trunks. Finding a hidden pathway through Midgard into Asgard and above would bring the characters into Valhalla and beyond. The ash itself is a blessed tree usable in both wands and staffs for any Nordic character. Considered a tree of life in itself, the staff or wand of this tree may have resurrection or creation/animation magic, especially if taken from Yggdrasill itself.
The Rod of Aaron (Judaic)
Aaron was the first high priest of the Hebrews and his rod was supposedly an amazing piece of work. By the Middle Ages, the “professional” sorcerors all used a staff as the symbol of the magician’s efficacy.
Game Play: Aaron’s rod is certainly a worthy find in any era of the world’s history. Even GMs of modern-day settings could reveal this treasure’s location for characters to hunt for, or have the “bad guys” locate and prepare to use to do evil that must be stopped. Like the Ark and the Grail, the Rod of Aaron could be a quest object, complete with maps, booby traps, and high-risk monsters. The Rod’s powers would most likely include, turning into a poisonous hungry serpent, creating springs of water when struck, cracking open the ground, and all sorts of other fun stuff. The rod itself is mostly likely of cedar or perhaps even acacia, as seen below.
Austras Koks (Latvian)
Also called the Tree of the East or Tree of the Dawn, it was a tree that grew from the start of Saules’ (the sun’s) daily journey across the sky. Believed to be a birch or oak, Austras Koks has silver leaves, copper roots, and gold branches, and is located on the shores of the Daugava River (Kurzeme), Vidzeme, or Latgale.
Game Play: This is a treasure tree, one that many less-savory souls would hack apart to resell its gold branches and silver trees. However, once dead, this tree may mess up the sun’s journey, which would certainly put a damper on all living things. One way to start this adventure is for the characters to awaken one morning to perpetual night. Turns out that (fill in the blank with a known enemy of the characters) stole the tree, roots and all, and is hiding it in a dark cave or somewhere. This allows the night creatures to run rampant across the land. The characters learn of this through a spirit or god and are told to go rescue the tree and bring it back. They must fight through the dark and those who would keep it dark, to save mankind.
The Tule Tree (Aztec)
This Montezuma Cypress is a very large tree located on what are now church grounds near Oaxaca, Mexico. The tree is almost as wide around as it is tall and somewhere between 1200 and 3000 years old. Local legends state it was planted about 1400 years ago by Pechocha, a priest of Ehecatl, the Aztec Storm-god. The tree is considered a tree of life because of all the animals that can be seen in its twisted trunk.
Game Play: More modern adventures could have this tree be a powerful nexus point for any amount of power. Although the tree itself is not a tree of legend, it still has an association with a god (Ehecatl) and the potential for bringing that god’s attention back to the world. The adventurers in any era or setting could find a great tree that tricks the mind: the more you look for the animals in the gnarled trunk the more they come to life and must be battled.
Acacia (Judaic)
The wood is considered sacred to the Hebrews and cannot be used for secular purposes. They carried the wood with them during the Exodus from Egypt through the desert, and later built their Tabernacle and Ark of the Covenant from this wood to atone for their crimes committed at Shittin. According to the legends of the Near East, when Christ was crowned with thorns, his Roman executioners used the thorny twigs of the acacia to mock the Hebrews.
Game Play: Sometimes it’s just good to know what plants are sacred to another people so as to not offend them, especially since many acacia species, from Australia to South America to Asia, are used in a wealth of ways, including as a culinary item, tanning agent, perfume, and medicine. Any plant from any world could be used like the acacia, where a plant commonly used in the character’s homeland for building outhouses or something is strictly forbidden for secular purposes by a newly met people. Also, for characters on a treasure hunt for any of the ancient world’s treasures like the Ark, it makes for a far more interesting game for the GM to know that the object is flammable.
Bo (Buddhist)
The papal or bo tree is sacred to Buddha and it is believed that it was under a bo tree that Buddha sat for seven weeks on a couch of grass facing east until he attained the perfect knowledge and enlightenment of nirvana. Bo trees are very long-lived and even today a bo tree grows in every village near the temples, surrounded by a mud platform for meditation and village meetings. The Hindus and Jainists also find this tree sacred, calling it the Plaksa tree, and they believe the Plaksa is the source for the Sarasvati River.
The Bodhi Tree is a descendant of the original tree that Buddha attained enlightenment under (Bodhi means “enlightened,” Buddha means “awakened”). This tree is located at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar. Another specimen propagated from the original Bodhi Tree was plant in Sri Lanka in 280 BC and is called Sri Maha Bodhi. It was brought to Sri Lanka by the daughter of Emperor Asoka who also founded an order of Buddhist nuns.
Game Play: Bo trees are usually propagated from cuttings of the “original” bo tree that Buddha once sat under. A nice game plot would be a theft of some of the cuttings or even just a threat to either of the two ancient trees currently in India. Or the trees have picked up a deadly disease in nearly any era, and only the characters can go find a cure. Maybe a villain passes the disease to the Sri Maha Bodhi on purpose and says he’s the only one with a cure, holding it for a large country-sized ransom. Ancient living specimens are priceless to those who care about them and this can lead to the characters’ involvement in complex mysteries, political intrigue, or hardcore warfare.
Cassia (Chinese)
Cassia is the sacred Tree of Life for China—the Celestial World Tree that has been growing since time immemorial to an incredible height in Paradise, a garden located up in the Tibetan Mountains at the source of the Hwang-ho (Yellow River). Whoever enters Paradise and eats the fruit of this tree will supposedly be immortal and happy.
Game Play: Yet another garden, but this one brings peace and happiness to those who visit. As long as the characters don’t eat from the tree, they’d be fine, but this tree could provide the type of immortality where one forgets the present and is so happy while there, they do not leave. Hundreds of years could pass before the adventurers realize it, allowing GMs to have a quest that moves the characters through time. The journey there would be fraught with snow, danger, altitude sickness, and yeti... making this a fine adventurer for both GM and players alike.
The Cedar (Many)
The Cedar of Lebanon is an evergreen tree grown exclusively on the Mountain of Lebanon, although it also grows elsewhere. The twelve oldest and largest are revered by every monotheistic religion. The Hebrews see them as the twelve friends of Solomon, because the Temple of Solomon in ancient Jerusalem was built from cedar-wood. The Christians worship them as the twelve Apostles and the Muslims as Saints. People go on pilgrimages to this area every year during the Feast of Transfiguration.
The Egyptians used its resin to mummify their dead and thus called it the “tree of death” and cedar sawdust was found in the tombs of the Pharaohs as well. Many tribes had the tradition of burning the cedar coming from Lebanon with their offerings and in their ceremonies. Hebrew priests however, were ordered by Moses to use the peel of the Lebanese Cedar in circumcision and treatment of leprosy. According to the Talmud, Jews used to burn Lebanese Cedar wood on the mountain of olives to announce the beginning of the New Year.
The Cedars of Lebanon have been mentioned since early written history. The earliest reference is the Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back at least four thousand years. In the story, is the line: “Who could dare enter. Khimbaba’s below is storm wind. His mouth is fire and his snort is death! Enlil has placed him there to the terror of men, for warding the cedars. And whoever enters the forest is suddenly faint.”
The Phoenicians built their trade ship and military fleets from Cedar wood as well as the roofs of their temples, houses and doorsills. Kings of neighboring and distant countries asked for this wood to build their religious and civil constructs; the most famous of which are the temple of Jerusalem and David's and Solomon's Palaces. It was also used in the temples and furniture works of the Assyrians and Babylonians. Greeks, Latinos and Romans had their share of Cedar wood which they praise and have pride in. Cedar cutting prevailed under various administrations, up through the time of the Ottomans. They finished off most of the remaining forests by using cedar wood as fuel for railway engines. They generally bypassed more easily obtainable oak wood, since cedar (because of its oil content) burned much better. The presently remaining cedar groves were spared mainly because their regions were relatively difficult to reach.
As of today, there are only 12 stands of cedar trees left in Lebanon and these stands are currently being attacked by nature itself, as disease, storms and cold destroy what is left.
Game Play: Three groups worshipping the same 12 trees... any outside group could cause a lot of trouble among the three branches of god with a single axe in modern adventures. In other settings, three tribes could battle over these symbols of their religions, and the characters are sent by an outside source or one of the tribes to stop the madness or help protect the tribes. Perhaps the monster Khimbaba resurrects at the first sign of threat to this forest and now must be battled. A forest like this could be seen in any epic adventure. In more modern day adventures, the trees of Lebanon were once thought to be a significant symbol of the world itself: destroy the trees, destroy civilization. Whether an elder god is the actual source of destruction, or the destruction of the Lebanon heralds the coming of an elder god or two, these trees might have to be saved with modern day magic.
The Date Palm (Many)
Among the Egyptians it was the symbolic Tree of the Year, because it produced a new branch every month. The palm represented long life to the Egyptians and was sacred to Hu, the androgynous god of eternity. The Judaic religion used the Date Palm to symbolize peace and plenty and it was one of the Four Species of Sukkot. The Palm may also symbolize the Tree of Life in Kabbalah. Ancient Mesopotamians believed the goddess Inanna was the one who created dates. Assyrian mythology shows the palm tree as the way Ishtar connected Heaven (the crown of the tree) to the Earth, (the trunk). It was the sacred Emblem of Judea after the Exodus. In 53 BC, Roman legions took the palm leaf emblem as a symbol of their victory over Judea and their plunder of Jerusalem. In 29 AD, Christians took the palm leaf of their symbol of triumph of Christ coming to Jerusalem. Muhammad is said to have built his house out of palm, and throughout the Saharan desert, Bedouin tribes and wanderers carelessly dropped the pits of their dried dates at the oases they came to, and every oasis became a beautiful garden of date palms.
Game Play: As a way for the characters to try to attain eternity from a ancient god to using palms in a Kabbalistic ritual to seal a Gate before the big bad monster comes through, the date palm is an accessible desert plant for all eras. As a symbol of so many religions, it should have an effect on nearly any creature of evil.
The Oak (Many)
Many ancient tribes believed it was the first tree created and that man sprang from it. Hebrews believe Abraham received the Angel of Jehovah under its branches. The Greeks dedicated it to Zeus because the oracle in Dodona was located in a forest of oak, and the Romans saw the tree as Jupiter’s. It was the Celestial Tree of the druids (the Gaelic name of the oak was duir and Druids may mean “men of the oak”) and it and its satellite, the mistletoe, were always included in rituals. The Irish Gaels saw the oak as the sacred tree of Dagda, the Good God and Creator. They also believed the oak to be the tree of doors; a Gateway into other realms. To the Nordic tribes the oak was a symbol of Thor and the acorn was a symbol of immortality and sustained them before grains were cultivated. Most gods that the oak is attributed to—Zeus, Jupiter, Thor, Dagda, and Perun, were also gods of lightning and these mighty trees are more prone to lightning strikes than any other.
The Greek historian, Herodotus, reported that the sacred oak grove at Dodona had the greatest reputation for the gifts of prophecy. Situated at the foot of Mt. Tomarus, Dodona was the oldest and most hallowed sanctuary in Greece. An ancient legend tells of two black doves that flew from the Egyptian city of Thebes, one flew to the Libyan Ammon and the other flew to Dodona. Each alighted on an oak tree and so began the oracular oak cults dedicated to the Gods and Goddesses. The cult at Dodona was dedicated to the goddess Dione (Diana) but was later seized by Zeus who claimed it for his own, though he retained the services of her priestesses to read his oracles. This they did listening to the cooing of black doves, the rustle of the oaks leaves in the wind, or the clanging of vessels hung in the trees branches to produce sound. They claimed that within the sounds could be heard the voice of Zeus.
Mjolnir, the magical hammer of Thor, was reputedly made by dwarves from the wood of a sacred oak tree, not only represented the destructive power of the storms Thor created (the fires from heaven), but its image was used as a fertility symbol in marriages, funerals, and for accepting newborn children into the community. Back in England, the spirit of “Herne the Hunter” is believed to inhabit an ancient oak tree. He was the oak-god of southern Britain (often depicted wearing antler-horns) who leads the legendary Wild Hunts. His spirit is said to haunt Windsor Forest.
Game Play: In European play, finding “the” ancient oak could lead to a Gateway to other settings. Maybe Herne the Hunter didn’t live in the oak, per se; it was just the door to the god-realms. This type of adventure could take place in any era including modern. Staffs and wands of oak are usable for storms/destructive magic, or otherwise could be useful in spells of strength. The oak trees are useful for receiving prophecies and a character in tune with this power could use one of the many sacred groves to find an answer from the gods (i.e. the GM). A second magical hammer could be constructed if Mjolnir is missing, and a group who is constructing this hammer is probably bent on destruction more than anything else, thus must be stopped.
Other Trees of Power
World Tree (Mesoamerican)
According to the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica, world trees embody the four cardinal directions, which in turn represent the central world tree that connected the planes of the underworld and the sky with Earth. The Mayans believed the World tree was a form of ceiba tree. The Mesoamericans most likely planted trees at each of the four directions. In Mesoamerican art, the world tree is shown with birds in it branches and the roots extending into earth or water, although sometimes it rests on the back of a water-monster.
The Persea Tree
Also called the Bito, the Persea Tree was native to the Near East and Africa. This is a wild laurel tree found in the dry regions of Persia and Egypt. Sacred to the ancient Egyptians and revered as a symbol of everlasting fame, Thoth, the God-scribe, and Safekh, Goddess of learning, inscribed the names and deeds of kings, heroes, and high priests, thus securing eternal life for their names. It is also suspected the ished tree was a Persea tree and the ishid had a particular solar meaning. It too was associated with the rising sun and it was protected from Apep by the great cat of Heliopolis. This cat was one of the forms of Re. A sacred ished was grown in Heliopolis as early as the Old Kingdom. Later, an ished was grown in Memphis and Edfu.
Sandalwood
This is a parasitic tree native to south India and the Malay Archipelago. It sends out roots to attach to other trees and steals their nutrients. When the sandalwood dies, its trunk attracts termites that destroy all but the oily, aromatic heartwood of the trunk. This sacred wood is venerated by Hindus, Buddhists, and others, and used in religious rituals, embalming, funeral pyres, and the construction of temples in India, Burma, and China. In Indian mythology, the God Ganesha was created by Parvati from sandalwood paste that She had rubbed over her body before a bath. The paste is smeared on the foreheads of devotees of Vishnu and Shiva. It is particularly placed as a dot or tilak in the forehead between the eyebrows where Hindus believe power resides and can be awakened. The sandalwood dot is meant to cool and protect this spot. Sandalwood was introduced in the 11th century as one of the most precious aromatics of the Far East.
The Sycamore
Native to Asia Minor and Egypt, it was revered in ancient Egypt as the Tree of Hathor, goddess of love, and Nut, goddess of the Underworld, who provided the souls of the dead with drink and nourishment. Two of them, called the "sycamores of turquoise" stood at the eastern gate of heaven from which the sun emerged each morning. These sycamores were especially associated with the goddesses Nut, Hathor and Isis, each of whom were called "Lady of the Sycamore". Nut and Hathor were often shown to reach out from the tree to offer the deceased food and water. Sometimes the tree was anthropomorphized, having arms itself which offer the sustenance to the dead. In the example shown at right, the deceased is suckled by such a tree. Every sycamore was an altar—offerings of fruit, grain, vegetables, and flowers, and water were placed at their roots to secure fertility and abundance.
The Fig
Among the ancient Hebrews, the fig was a symbol of peace and abundance. It was the sacred tree of the early Christians because Jesus desired figs on the way to Bethany. The Moslems called the fig the Tree of Heaven and thought it to be the most intelligent plant. Mohammed swore by it. The natives of Central Africa believed their ancestors lived in fig trees. The Bo tree is a member of the fig family, also known as the Sacred Fig. In Greek mythology, the Titan Sykeus was being pursued by Zeus and Ge (Gaia) hid him and transformed him into a fig tree. The Charybdis Fig Tree was seen in The Odyssey—a massive fig tree on the top of the cliff on the opposite side of the Straight of Messina looking outwards to the Scylla, its long branches drooping down over the rotating void of the whirlpool called Charybdis. Odysseus grabs the branches of the fig tree to save himself from the whirlpool. Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf under a fig tree and it was considered sacred in Pliny’s time. Figs were only available to the wealthy for a long period of history.
The Three Blessed Fruits
The Chinese saw these three fruit trees as the Three Greatest Blessings, called Fu-Shou-San-Tuo. The Fragrant Hand of Buddha (the critus) was the symbol of happiness, the Peach a symbol of longevity, and the Pomegranate (not native to China) was the symbol of fecundity and hopeful futures.
The Myrtle
The myrtle is an evergreen that was once sacred to all peoples around the Eastern Mediterranean. Hebrews covered their Tabernacles with myrtle boughs. Egyptians consecrated it to Hathor and Greece and Rome made it sacred to Aphrodite and Venus.
The Willow
The willow tree was also sacred in Egypt as it was the tree that was said to have grown up around Osiris' leaden coffin in Byblos. Several towns had tombs that were said to hold part of Osiris' dismembered body. All of these had willow groves associated with them. It was said that the god's ba rested within these groves.
The Cryptomeria
In Japan, trees such as the cryptomeria are venerated at Shinto shrines. Especially sacred is the sakaki, a branch from which stuck upright in the ground is represented by the shin-no-mihashira, or sacred central post, over and around which the wooden Shrines at Ise are built. The shin-no-mihashira is both the sakaki branch and the pillar confirmed in the nethermost ground, like the heaven-tree in many Japanese legends.
Native American Trees
While Native Americans did not pick any one tree as its beginning several trees are still considered sacred and used in certain rituals even today:
- Ash: Used to make ceremonial pipe stems
- Cedar: Burned in puification rituals
- Willow: Used to construct sweat lodges
- Aspen: Used to build the altar of the Sundance Lodge
- Cottonwood: Used as the center pole for the Sundance Lodge
- Lodgepole Pine: Used to make teepee poles
- Boxelder: The hottest burning wood used for ceremonial Fires
Next up: Plants in Folklore and Legend: Part Two, Mystic Plants of Damage and Doom!
