Tree Mythology

The Banyan Tree Mythology

In Hinduism, the leaf of the banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the God Krishna, who, after consuming all the universe during the time of destruction, absorbs everything created and turns himself to a child as small as he could fit into the tiny leaf of the banyan tree and keeps floating in the void space, until he himself decides to recreate everything back out from him.
(Picture credits: Von Ahoerstemeier - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=287383)

Banyan tree

Light of the Sun Goddess from the Sakaki tree

In Japan, the Sakaki tree plays and important role in the mythology of Amaterasu, the Great Sun Goddess. According to Nihongi, an eighth-century compilation of ancient Japanese myths and legends, the Sakaki tree was instrumental in ending a period of darkness when Amaterasu was in hiding.
(Picture credits: Von そらみみ - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53498826)

Sakaki tree - Japan

Tree spirits of Africa alive in drums and boats

In Africa, every large tree is believed to have a spirit. Some trees even house many spirits. Whether a tree is itself a spirit or if it is inhabited by an external spirit, it can be a complex question.

Baobab tree

The Celtic Tree of Life

The concept of a divine World Tree or Tree of Life, the mythic bridge between the worlds of god and human, is entwined with the veneration of trees.

The Celtic Tree of Life
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