#World tree

[huariqueje]

The World Tree - Janne Erkkilä , 2015.

Finnish, b. 1986 -

Acrylic on canvas, 144 x 89 cm.

[avengerscompound]

Loki | Season 2: Episode 6 - Glorious Purpose

[pagan-stitches]

[karrahe]

The Bloom

Kyuusei at Amirdrassil, a Warcraft silhouette commission for the lovely @kyuusei-shadowleaf

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

World tree - the source of wisdom of the ages

The world tree is a motif present in several religions and myths around the world. It is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereby connecting the heavens, the terrestrial world, and, through its roots, the underworld. 

Many Eurasian mythologies share the motif of the "world tree", "cosmic tree", or "Eagle and Serpent Tree". More specifically, it shows up in "Haitian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Norse, Siberian and northern Asian Shamanic folklore".

The World Tree is often identified with the Tree of Life, and also fulfills the role of an axis mundi, that is, a centre or axis of the world. It is also located at the center of the world and represents order and harmony of the cosmos. Each part of the tree corresponds to one of the three spheres of the world (treetops - heavens; trunk - middle world or earth; roots - underworld) and is also associated with a classical element (top part - fire; middle part - earth, soil, ground; bottom part - water).

Its branches are said to reach the skies and its roots to connect the human or earthly world with an underworld or subterranean realm. Because of this, the tree was worshipped as a mediator between Heavens and Earth. On the treetops are located the luminaries (stars) and heavenly bodies, along with an eagle's nest; several species of birds perch among its branches; humans and animals of every kind live under its branches, and near the root is the dwelling place of snakes and every sort of reptiles.

A bird perches atop its foliage, "often .... a winged mythical creature" that represents a heavenly realm. The eagle seems to be the most frequent bird, fulfilling the role of a creator or weather deity. Its antipode is a snake or serpentine creature that crawls between the tree roots, being a "symbol of the underworld".

The imagery of the World Tree is sometimes associated with conferring immortality, either by a fruit that grows on it or by a springsource located nearby. In some descriptions this "water of life" may also flow from the roots of the tree.

The world tree was an important element in shamanistic worldview as well, and it is said that the giant bird ... hatches shamans in the branches of the World Tree.

Some species of birds (eagle, raven, crane, loon, and lark) are revered as mediators between worlds and also connected to the imagery of the world tree. Another line of scholarship points to a "recurring theme" of the owl as the mediator to the upper realm, and its counterpart, the snake, as the mediator to the lower regions of the cosmos.

Northern Eurasian and Central Asian traditions wherein the World Tree is also associated with the horse and with deer antlers which might resemble tree branches.

Some scholars have pointed out that, from the perspective of evolutionary biology, the concept of a world tree may have originated in human thought. This is because our ancestors lived in trees for about 60 million years, and for them the trees were everything in the world. This is why the collective unconscious that the world is made of giant trees has remained with us to the present day.

木にまつわる��説・神話 

世界樹 〜 時代の叡智の源

世界樹は、世界中の宗教や神話に見られる概念、モチーフである。天を支える巨大な木として表現され、それによって天と地上世界、そしてその根を通して冥界をつないでいる。

多くのユーラシア神話が「世界樹」「宇宙樹」「鷲と蛇の樹」というモチーフを共有しているとされている。具体的には、「ハイチ、フィンランド、リトアニア、ハンガリー、インド、中国、日本、北欧、シベリア、北アジアのシャーマン伝承」に見られる。

世界樹はしばしば生命の樹と同一視され、また、世界軸、つまり世界の中心や軸の役割を果たす。また、世界の中心に位置し、宇宙の秩序と調和を表している。樹木の各部分は世界の3つの圏（梢-天、幹-中世界または地、根-地下世界）のいずれかに対応し、古典的な元素（上部-火、中部-地、土、地面、下部-水）にも関連している。

その枝は天空に届き、根は人間界や地上界と地下世界や地底界をつなぐと言われている。そのため、この木は天と地を結ぶ媒介として崇拝された。梢には星や天体があり、鷲の巣がある。枝には数種類の鳥がとまり、枝の下には人間やあらゆる動物が住み、根の近くには蛇やあらゆる爬虫類が住んでいる。

その葉の上にとまる鳥は、「しばしば......翼を持つ神話上の生き物」であり、天界を表す。鷲は最も頻繁に見られる鳥で、創造主や天候の神の役割を果たしているようだ。その対極にあるのは、木の根の間を這う蛇や蛇のような生き物で、「冥界の象徴」である。

世界樹のイメージは、そこに生る果実や近くにある泉によって不老不死をもたらすことと関連付けられることもある。この「生命の水」は木の根からも湧き出るという記述もある。

世界樹はシャーマニズムの世界観においても重要な要素であり、「巨大な鳥は......世界樹の枝でシャーマンを孵化させる」ともいわれている。

いくつかの種の鳥（ワシ、ワタリガラス、ツル、ハシビロコウ、ヒバリ）は、世界をつなぐ媒介者として崇められ、世界樹のイメージとも結びついている。また、別の研究では、フクロウは天上界への媒介者であり、それと対をなすヘビは宇宙の下界への媒介者であるという「繰り返されるテーマ」が指摘されている。北ユーラシアや中央アジアの伝統では、世界樹は馬や、木の枝に似た鹿の角とも関連づけられている。

一部の学者は、進化生物学の観点から、世界樹という概念が人類の思考の中に元から備わっている可能性を指摘している。というのも、人類の祖先は約6000万年にわたり樹上で生活しており、その時代の彼らにとっては木々こそが世界のすべてであったと考えられるからである。そのため、この世界は巨大な木で出来ているのだという集合的無意識が、現在の我々に至るまで残っているのだというものである。

[lostintheforestofnine]

When Cale stabs himself with the World tree skewer.

Ordinary people: How could you laugh at someone who stabs themselves!?

Me: First of all, he is fine. Second, I dunno I just start cracking.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

You know the Norse 9 realms perhaps. Yggdrasil, the world tree. But the idea of a world tree, cosmic tree, exists in many cultures/mythos. But what of the Vedic 14 realms? The Lokas.

Let's discuss.

As said, there are 14 worlds/realms 7 higher ones 7 lower ones.

Following?

7+7=14

We're not using Terrance Howard math here.

Okay. These are the Vedic lokas (because there is a more commonly accepted number in Hinduism - nuance moment: commonly accepted, doesn't mean it's believed in totality by everyone).

K, back to the 14 first.

The higher 7 lokas are said to be the heavens, inhabited by the gods and celestial beings more affiliated/closer to "truth" - in vedic and hindu terms, this is idea of divine truth, waking up to the realizations of the universe - maya (the grand illusion), think more awakened, fully formed, wise, have achieved some form of spiritual liberation from ego and the like). And to counter - the 7 lower are often thought of as "hells" - not exactly fire and brimstone but where you suffer the consequences of bad karma, having to live out/purify yourself.

In some iterations, yes, hellish beings to use that phrase, and demons (of a like) can occupy those lower lokas.

As mentioned earlier, in Hinduism, one of the most common take on the lokas is the: Trailokya.

Or three lokas, three spheres, planes of existence, three worlds, often considered: Earth (Bhuloka), Heaven (Svarga), Hell (Naraka), or - Earth (Bhuloka), Heaven (Svarga), and the Netherworld (Patala).

This is just a primer - because of the birth of Buddhism and it's spread, the idea of lokas spread as well to cultures that later adopted Buddhism. So there is a Tibetan Buddhist take on lokas, a Chinese Buddhist one, Vietnamese, and there is even a Jainism interpretation/belief on lokas.

[yebreed]

Han Dynasty Bronze Money Tree

The most cherished human dream is cast in bronze – the dream of money growing on trees.

Chinese custom associates the money tree with abundance and prosperity. The money tree as a burial item served to ensure that the deceased continue to prosper in the afterlife. Elephants laden with wealth roam along the branches emanating from the trunk. The ensemble of auspicious figurines refers to all kinds of blessings.

Pecuniary symbolism is combined with pretty archaic depictions of phoenixes and taotie-like (饕餮) imagery. The treetop Phoenix is a later modification of the Solar Raven, so the artifact becomes more and more related to the World Tree.

On display in Mianyang Museum (綿陽博物館), Sichuan.

Photo: ©阿诚的白日梦

[vammppyre]

ok so from a typical (plot-based) nerd perspective that ending is cool as Fuck. like the fucking time tree?!? glorious burdenous purpose?!?!? losing my shit!!!! (looking up articles about it) (watching interviews and looking at parallels)

but then from a gay obsessed nerd perspective. DEVASTATING. going to bash my brains in with a baseball bat. they'll never know why he did what he did :( losing my shit!!!! (actually sobbing and crying) (indulging in fanart and genuinely considering writing a fix-it fic)

[voiceoftheoldways]

The leaves of Yggdrasil share the same essence no matter the height of the branch. The life of the Gods is the same as that which courses in your veins.

[galaxygirl8880]

"Ohn, Hong?"

*silence*

Cale gets off the bed as quietly as he can in an attempt to not wake up his kids.

He walks to the bathroom and makes sure to shut the door and lock it behind him.

It being only a few days since he stabbed himself in the heart, everyone was more overprotective than usual.

One by one, he begins to unbutton his shirt.

On his chest right above his heart is a very clear open wound with ugly purple veins protruding out and onto his torso, Cale dully noted the veins growing larger ever so slightly.

"..The world tree said one year?"

"I can work with that."

---

Hnnngghghgghghg

[infinitymythos]

Worlds Beginning🌳🪐♾️

By:

https://www.deviantart.com/samflegal/gallery

[whiterosebrian]

Eight Chants to Reach Yggdrasil

A while back, I wrote a series of poetic chants meant to enter a meditative state as magical practitioner.  I recently realized that I would be better served with chants focused on connecting to Yggdrasil, the cosmic tree in Nordic-Germanic mythos, as a means to mentally enter the wider numinous reality.  Thus, I worked on a new batch centered around world tree in mind.  Some have rhymes and others have alliterations, while a couple break from the pattern of quatrains.  I intended to focus on different thematic and symbolic aspects of Yggdrasil.

I walk towards the World Tree

As a pilgrim seeking power, wisdom,

And healing along the heights and the depths.

With sincere respect I receive the gifts.

Like the old volvas and wizards,

Along with shamans of different lands,

Along with Odin and his twin birds,

I bond with the tree as my mind expands.

I gaze upon the greatest tree

Holy wells water the roots.

Deities gather to fulfill their duties.

The branches reach and embrace all.

My ancestors worship at sacrosanct trees.

Gods and kindred join their reality.

A birthright resides within my flesh.

I am ready to approach the powers and be blessed.

Yggdrasil, the cosmic ash, is the key.

Four stags feed on the leaves

Near the top of the World Tree.

Dewdrops that gather on the antlers of Durathor,

Dwalin, Dain, and Duneyr fall

To the rivers flowing within our realm,

Where the kindred wait for human contact.

Yggdrasil grows among the stars,

Deep in the heart of the glittering cosmos.

My mind and heart will travel far

And also find Yggdrasil close.

For now, I leave everyday life,

Abandoning the comforts of common reality.

I find my way through the fertile dark.

Now I approach the magnificent ash.

Through windy nights, Odin hanged,

Thirsting and bleeding, from a massive tree.

Upon revival, he joyfully sang

Runic songs to share with everybody.

[aytonai]

Tree of Many Worlds

[mascamaiorum]

But there's a Tree, of many, one,

A single field which I have looked upon,

Both of them speak of something that is gone