Sacred trees of different nations. (druids) Sacred trees and their runes - patrons

Sacred Stones The veneration of sacred stones was widespread among the Eastern Slavs. Revered stones are often found next to the remains of pagan sanctuaries. For example, near the settlement-sanctuary Kulishevka, a tracer stone with two oval depressions has been preserved,

3 Donau. Sacred waters There are hundreds of faces by the river, but it acquires one fate; and its source bears responsibility and appropriates the merit for the rest of the path. Power flows from the source. Imagination hardly takes into account tributaries. Gaston Bachelard. Water and dreams. 1942 The origin of the great

Continuing the theme: "On the significance of folk mythology in the history of Rus'", "Arkaim - the Slavic-Aryan City-Fortress", "Originally Slavic symbols and images are the origins of world culture”, « Runic alphabet of the Slavic-Aryans", " Slavic month May - Traven.

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Slavic folk culture left a huge legacy, most of which has not been studied, which means that it is gradually being lost. And in order not to completely lose what our ancestors left us, we need to turn to folk customs, traditions, mythology and study them. It is important to help unite all cultural wealth and convey it to our people. After all, without knowing the past, you have no future!

"Rus' will wake up, remember its Gods, and then such a buildup will go around the world ...".

F.M. Dostoevsky.

We are Russ - the grandchildren of Dazhdbozhia - the grandchildren of the Russian Gods!

And in each of us lives a divine particle of our great ancestors, warriors and winners. We must open our Mind to understand this truth, and strengthen our Spirit for the struggle, we must take the path of Victory, the return of our national traditions and glory!

Our Slavic-Aryan ancestors - Russ, with the help of symbols and images developed over many tens of millennia, ensured stability and given accuracy in modeling world forces and structures, in the unity of various spheres of being, geometrically describing the structure of the Cosmos in its vertical and horizontal aspects in the form of " Space tree. Lined up from symbols Space Swastika, which is also a product of the centuries-old intellectual activity of the Russian people, and from the system of swastika symbols - the most ancient on Earth and the most developed writing system, letters came, both Runic and Hieroglyphic and, later, Letters. Therefore, it is quite natural that Russian Language became the base, the main trunk from which all other languages ​​have branched off.

If you look for any system sacred knowledge, left by our great ancestors to us as a legacy, or, if you look for any roots of systematized ancient knowledge, then the best subject and image for research is precisely the Cosmic Tree (World Tree).

And not without reason, the Slavs of Rus always personified eternal life with the tree "Spruce", and the beginning of the New Year was considered a symbol of the rebirth of life, cyclicity and continuity. God Ra is the first manifestation of the surrounding manifest world, since it serves as the personification of the solar disk - that which gives rise to everything visible on Earth. In a general sense, the various Sun-Stars give life-light to everything in all other places.

In essence, the civilization of the Slavic-Aryans was originally a forest. Due to the fact that the forest was the supplier of everything a person needed for life, he was the object and subject of the mythological creativity of the Rus. Long-term observation of growth certain types trees, the discovery of their use in everyday life became the basis of both cosmic ideas and fairy tales. The main characters of folk myth-making are pine, spruce, birch, aspen, oak. A kind of "theater", where the events of life and death unfold in all their manifestations, is one of the oldest trees in Russian forests - Spruce.

Therefore, for a clearer understanding of the Slavic-Aryan - Russian civilization, it is useful to study the data on the world's forest resources!

Distribution maps of areas: 1 - pines, 2 - spruces, 3 - birches, 4 - oaks.

Forest resources are known from distribution maps of the ranges of tree species: pine, spruce, birch (the range of aspen practically coincides with the range of birch), and oak.

From the analysis made by professional scientists, it follows that the spruce, which is currently stubbornly attracted by the Judeo-Christians to the Nativity of Christ, does not grow in the latitudes of the Judeo-Christian mythology. The birch does not come to them either. Pine is found in the biblical area only at its extreme northern points. Oak - neither in Egypt nor in Arabia, where the Jews came from with their biblical mythology, does not grow.

On the contrary, all five species of trees from their very formation - the Cretaceous period, grow in abundance in the territory northern latitudes and, in particular, are concentrated in the central regions of the Russian Plain. All these types of trees have been used by the Russian people since ancient times, and they were also used healing properties. We can say about the widest use of all components of the tree from the kidneys to the bark and sawdust in Slavic Folk Medicine!

On the contrary, there is nothing of the kind in the biblical society; in multi-volume encyclopedias that reflect Judeo-Christian culture and traditions from all sides, there is not even a section on “folk medicine”. The savages, unable to recognize the medicinal properties of the plants around them, did not form their own traditional medicine, therefore, they did not form the corresponding mythology. But now it is clear why the Judeo-Christians throughout Rus' and Europe with such frenzy burned Slavic men and women who know people - Veduns and Witches who know how to heal - for wild Judeo-Christians it was not clear how treatment could take place at all. In the Jewish encyclopedias there is no mention of any of the five trees listed. There is not even any kind of attracted image, for example, “Mordechai leaned against a pine tree ...”, or “Esther broke a birch branch”, or “St. Peter drove an aspen stake ...”. There is no trace of pine, spruce, birch, aspen, oak.

Only one logical conclusion can be drawn from this:

Judeo-Christian mythology cannot have its own mythological plots developed by its own folk experience concerning these five types of trees; in the interpretation of the sacred meanings of the Cosmic Tree, as well as its individual characters, biblical stories cannot be used.

Historically, five types of trees - pine, spruce, birch, aspen, oak - grow on the territory of Rus', where Caucasoid people settled and Slavism was formed! They are the Sacred Trees of the Slavic Rus! All sacred meanings relating to the mythological fate of these trees are formed exclusively within the framework of Slavic mythology.

Birch and aspen form small-leaved forests, widely distributed in the forest zone of the Russian and West Siberian plains, as well as in the mountains and on the plains of the Far East, are part of the West Siberian and Central Siberian forest-steppe, thus forming a strip deciduous forests from the Urals to the Yenisei. Birch forests are much more widespread than aspen forests. These are ancient forests, later replaced by taiga forests, and then, due to human activity and due to the rapid growth of birch and aspen, their good renewability, again occupied large areas.

Pine as a symbol of the World Space Axis

Pine(Pinus sylvestris) - conifer tree, one of the most ancient genera of modern conifers, its plant remains are known from Jurassic deposits 185-132 million years ago. Pine existed even before the appearance of flowering plants, that is, before the Cretaceous period (Cretaceous - 135-65 million years ago). The record holder is a pine, whose age is 4900 years. Almost all species of this genus are monoecious - male and female cones grow on the same tree. Pine is one of the oldest medicinal plants. For medicinal purposes, pine buds, pollen, needles, resin (resin) are used. The origin of the word "pine" in Russian and others Slavic languages- “pine” - “s-was-on”; V English language the word "pine" - "pin"; in Slavic languages, "stump" is the lower part of a living tree, from the rhizome to the first branches; in Old Russian - “stump” - “trunk of a tree. All this taken together leads to the Russian meaning "pine" - "s + os + pina", that is, "coinciding with the axis" - Axis of the World. In the Russian troika, the middle horse is called the root horse, and the side horses are called tie-downs. In English, the native middle horse in a trio is called "pin". From here it becomes clear the central meaning of the pine tree in the mythological tripartite reflection of the world.

The central figure in Russian mythology since ancient times is Makosh - the Goddess of Cosmos and Universal Destiny. Thus, the pine is the symbol of Mokosh - an evergreen tree, a symbol of eternity, longevity and immortality, resilience and overcoming adverse circumstances.

Bonfires were prepared from pine wood for burning the bodies of the dead - the Russian cult of Makosh, for the construction of barrows and pyramids. From ancient times during winter solstice Slavs celebrated Carols - the end of the Russian calendar and the next 6-7 days before the start of the new year. This holiday passed to the Romans under the name "Saturnalia", and even later it was borrowed by the Judeo-Christians as the "feast of the Nativity of Christ."

Once again, we note that pine did not grow in Egypt. It had to be brought from the northern countries. And from here it is clear - the pine tree could not take part in the formation in the mythology of Egypt.

Spruce as a symbol Eternal Life

Spruce(picea), evergreen trees from the pine family, common in the cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They are characterized by a pyramidal, reaching almost to the ground, crown. In Eurasia, common spruce, or European spruce, whose range extends from the Volga to the Pyrenees, and Siberian spruce are widespread. Spruce is one of the oldest trees in Russian forests. Its origin, as well as pines, refers to Cretaceous period mesozoic era(135 - 65 million years ago). Male strobili (inflorescences) - from anthers collected together, are located in the lower half of the crown, female strobili - in the upper, closer to the top. Wood is used in construction, the pulp and paper industry, in the manufacture of musical instruments. For medicinal purposes, young tops of branches with buds, immature seed cones, resin and turpentine are used. At the first milking, the Poles filtered the milk through spruce twigs so that it would not spoil. In Belarus, spruce branches were placed under all four corners when laying a house to protect it from thunder. Spruce is a tree that has found wide application in funeral and memorial rituals. Among the Eastern Slavs - spruce branches and garlands - one of the most common grave decorations. A felled spruce, often decorated with flowers or ribbons, could be installed, or less often, planted on the grave of a guy or girl who died before marriage.

In Rus', Spruce was a sacred tree, reflecting two ideological approaches at once: the first is kindness to the house, protection of the house, protection from diseases, healing, etc.; the second is the reception of the dead, their commemoration, funeral rituals. The origin of the word "spruce" is spruce, sharp, prickly. For the cultural application and symbolism of El, its essential natural properties as an evergreen, sharp, prickly, smelling, "feminine" tree. They are characterized by a pyramidal, reaching almost to the ground, crown. WITH Spruce Rusa compared the symbolism of Eternal Life.

The spruce is also associated with the recurring plot of the biblical fable, they say, the spruce hid the Virgin Mary with Christ, who fled to Egypt. This only causes a smile - for many years the Judeo-Christian characters would run through the deserts of Egypt in search of this spruce, so that they would cover them, since spruce did not grow in those areas.

Birch as a symbol of the Beginning of Life

Birch- ordinary tree Slavic Russian forests. Grows quickly, especially at an early age. Easily populates spaces free from other vegetation, often being a pioneer breed. The origin of the word "birch" in Russian and other Slavic languages ​​is birch, white, light, shiny. The cult of birch is characteristic of Rus' - a symbol of Russia! The semantics of birch - White color. Birch branches are one of the most common amulets among the Slavs. The birch symbolizes girlhood. Birch - a tree symbolizing spring and resurrection, the month of April - berezozol.

According to Russian beliefs, Mermaids live in the branches of a birch. The origin of the word "Mermaid" - the Goddess that makes people Russian. Recall from Old Russian mythology that the progenitors of the Russian people are the god Tarkh Perunovich Dazhdbog and Mermaid Ros! During the Slavic holiday "Rusalia" - the birth of the Rus- girls curl a birch: they go to the forest, curl a birch with a wreath, braid its branches into pigtails - a symbol of the transition from girlhood to marriage. This ritual promotes marriage. They hang themselves with beads and scarves, and dance around a birch dressed with ribbons, bringing it to the village. In Rusalia, they also guess by birch wreaths launched into the water:

“It's July. Here comes the summer heat.

From the very first days.

My wreath will float

Yes, far away the seas!

Hey mermaids, help

Save my wreath

Let him swim and swim

Maybe the betrothed will find! -

The girls said so

command words.

On the surface of the water

Their word spread."

Birch brooms are used by women during Alive Day - May 1 to sweep out of the hut and farmstead all the diseases left by Mara. Birch has healing qualities - birch sap helps cleanse the blood. The birch broom used in the bath serves as a means of ritual cleansing.

Birch in Slavic Mythology - this is a tree Beginnings of Life, giving the people new Russ!

We repeat, the birch never grew in the places of events of Judeo-Christian fairy tales associated with Christ, therefore, in the symbolism of Judeo-Christianity, it cannot have either roots or reflection. The rites that the Judeo-Christians pair with the Trinity with a birch do not belong to the Judeo-Christians, but are borrowed by them from the Slavs. And in a grossly distorted form.

Aspen as a symbol of death

Aspen- common in Rus' and in the north of all Eurasia as an admixture in coniferous and deciduous forests. It is used for the construction of river boats, for the manufacture of dugouts, wooden shoes, rims and arcs, barrels, matting, as well as various ritual objects. Most of all, it goes to carved chiseled wooden utensils, because aspen is also called buckwheat. Russians are also interesting folk omens: as the aspen trembles, so the cattle in the field are full. On the aspen, the buds are large - for the harvest of barley. Aspen in earrings, i.e. blooms richly - harvest for oats. The origin of the word "aspen" in Russian and other Slavic languages ​​\u200b\u200bis - aspen, osika; sawn aspen turns blue along the saw cut - aspen, blue, paint in blue paint, which indicates the arrival of blue - shadow (death); the name of the insect should also be added here - wasp, which speaks of a sting in the form of a pinch, stake, etc. Thus, the origin of the word "aspen" leads us to the following understanding: a tree that leads to death; deadly spike. It is in connection with this that among the Slavs, Celts, Indians and many other peoples, aspen symbolizes death.

According to Slavic mythology, the Goddess Alive controls what should live, and the Goddess Mara - what should be dead. Goddess Makosh has the highest status - she is the Goddess of Cosmos and Universal Destiny! Her will is above the will of the other gods. Makosh even gods can lead to death. And in this case the main Slavic goddess manifests itself through aspen, and the essence of its manifestation contains a protective meaning - from unreasonable violence or momentary whims of the gods. That is why, since ancient times, aspen has the value of a protector, protecting from evil forces, and an aspen stake protects from all evil (according to the same tradition, garden beds from a bear are surrounded by aspen pegs). In Russian fairy tales and ritual practice, the motif of an aspen stake hammered into the back or heart of a dead man is known. That is, the dead (vampires, etc.) who do not want to leave for another world, act as "evil forces" in Slavism.

Successful rivalry with death, or rather, the manifestation of death itself, makes the aspen a talisman tree. The Slavic-Aryans considered marked military armor and weapons made of aspen (the ancient Greek name for the shield "aσπις" and the ancient Indian name for the spear sphyá - directly derived from the name "aspen").

Separately, we should dwell on the method of action of the aspen. It can be understood from Russian fairy tales: how a warrior who had just been killed was resurrected. First, dead water was poured on his wound, which killed death. And then Lily living water, which, in fact, revived. WITH dead water the action of the aspen should be associated. Birch should be associated with living water.

And, again, we will focus on the fact that aspen did not grow in areas associated with tales about Christ. From this it becomes clear that the Judeo-Christians and their mythologism borrowed from the ancient Slavs - the Slavic-Aryans.

Oak as a general symbol of the world tree

Oak- a symbol of power and glory. Symbolizes the strength of the spirit. It is a sign of longevity and even immortality. Oaks are an attribute of monarchical power. Royal oaks grew in the palace parks of a number of European monarchs until the bourgeois Jewish revolutions. The rebellious masses cut down the "royal oak", which symbolized the massacre of the crowned heads. Abundant harvests of acorns are repeated after 4-8 years. Renewal is also carried out by stump growth. Oak lives up to 400-500 years, individual trees - up to 1500-2000 years. Relatively photophilous, often drowned out by fast-growing trees (birch, aspen and hornbeam). The origin of the word "oak" in Russian and other Slavic languages ​​is oak; in English - dub - "to knight, to give a title", and also jokingly - "to christen", dub in - "to dub".

Oak - V traditional culture Slavs one of the most revered trees, symbolizing strength, strength and masculinity, as well as personifying the object and place of religious rites and sacrifices. Among the Slavs, the oak correlates with the upper world. He is attributed positive values. Oak occupies the first place in the row of trees and correlates with the first elements of other symbolic rows. The Russians called him Tsar Oak. In Slavic languages ​​and dialects, the word "oak" often appears in the generic meaning of "tree", for example, the Serbs said that the oak is the king of the tree.

In sacred practice, it was the oak that performed a number of cult functions; in folklore and practical magic, the oak acts as a three-part world tree that models the Universe. In conspiracies, an oak tree standing on an island, near a temple, on a mountain, in the middle of the ocean, denotes the center of the world and the world itself, and at the same time an ideal otherworldly space, where the only possible solution to this or that crisis situation (in particular, getting rid of the disease). Under the sacred oaks, the Slavs held meetings, trials, wedding ceremonies. According to information from the Voronezh province, after the wedding, the young people went to the old oak tree and circled around it three times. Everywhere it was forbidden to cut and cause damage to sacred oaks.

The Slavs dedicated the oak to the Thunderer Perun (in particular, it was forbidden to be under the oak during a thunderstorm and grow an oak near the house, because first of all, thunder hits the oak). In signs and prohibitions, the oak was compared with the owner of the house. In conspiracies, the oak was endowed with a proper name.

Giant mythological snakes lived on large oaks - the patrons of the lands, who protected the area from hail and bad weather and fought against the hals (hals, haiks, kahals, etc. - the eponym of the Neanderthal peoples). Next to the oak or right on it are the king, queen, God, and around the oak in its roots or on the leaves lies a snake (Guardian snake living on the oak). The king of birds Cook and Eagle lived on the oak. In Belarusian folklore, oak and Perun appear in the plots of fairy tales and conspiracies dedicated to the pursuit of the serpent and other opponents by the Thunderer. Mermaids lived on oaks: A.S. Pushkin placed the Lukomorye Oak in the center of the mythological universe, and on its branches - the Mermaid!

In beliefs, practical magic and folklore, the oak consistently appears as a male symbol. Water after bathing a newborn boy is poured under an oak tree. In Belarus, a midwife cut the boy's umbilical cord on an oak chopping block so that he would grow up strong. When the bride is brought into her husband's house, she first enters there and says to herself: “There are oak trees near the yard, and sons in the house,” if she wants boys to be born to her. There is an ancient Russian custom to rub your back against an oak at the first thunder or at the sight of the first spring bird, so that your back is strong; to plug an oak branch into a belt on the back so that the back does not hurt during the harvest, etc. The Poles hung oak wreaths on the horns of cows so that the cows were strong and so that the horns would not break when butting.

Temples of Veles were built among the oak grove (in particular, the temple of Baal in Damascus). The famous club of Hercules was made of oak. Not a single tree enjoyed such love and honor among the peoples of Europe as the oak. Slavs, ancient Greeks, Romans considered it sacred, worshiped it, attributed miraculous properties.

A Bulgarian legend told how an oak grove hid God, who was running away from the Plague. In gratitude for this, God made sure that the leaves from the oak fell only in late autumn. From here originates the "original" Judeo-Christian tale about Abraham, who lived near the Mamre oak, under the branches of which the first manifestation of God occurred to him. Obviously it was Slavic God, since other gods living in oaks simply did not exist. This is also confirmed by the fact that in Judeo-Christian semiotics (a science that studies the properties of signs and sign systems), the oak is a symbol of idolatry, and the Old Testament prophets condemned fellow tribesmen for “walking under the oak”, that is, the performance of Slavic rituals and customs. However, the prophets themselves were buried Slavic custom- under oak branches.

Thus, Oak should be considered as space tree double, that is, a tree in which in one - all three components of the Cosmic Tree are represented, and also all the characters of Slavic mythology are reflected.

From the above, we can draw the following conclusions.

All tree names have a Slavic-Aryan basis, that is, they were formed earlier than the time of the collapse of the Old Russian linguistic unity - 5 thousand years BC, when the entire Slavic-Aryan population was concentrated exclusively on the Russian Plain.

Pine in the mythology of the Slavs represents Axis of the World. It reflects the deep layers of time and being. Turnovers of calendar events and associated changes in outer space, which are also reflected in Everyday life Slavs. From here pine is a tree that personifies the image of Mokosh - the Goddess of Cosmos and Universal Destiny.

Birch in the mythology of the Slavs represents one of Mokosh's companions - Share (Happiness, Srecha, Alive and other incarnations), responsible for the renewal and continuation of life in Rus', marriage, the birth of new Russ. In this meaning, birch reflects female symbolism, including symbolism Mermaids - Mothers of the Rus. Birch - a symbol of Rus' and Russia! Associated with living water.

Aspen in the mythology of the Slavs presents the second companion of Mokosh - Nedolya (Misfortune, Nesrechu, Maru and other incarnations), responsible for the arrival of death and the cleansing of spaces from old life for a new life. That's why aspen is powerful not only over people, but over all the gods, except for Mokosh herself. Associated with dead water.

Together three sacred trees - pine, birch and aspen - represent the Cosmic Trinity - Makosh + Share + Nedolya, - a component that personifies and implements the Cosmic laws of being (pine), including power over life (birch) and death (aspen).

Spruce in the mythology of the Slavs is symbol of eternal life- How Cosmic tree growing with roots from heaven crown to earth, and like an earthly tree, growing with its roots from the earth and its crown into heaven.

Oak in Slavic mythology represents the embodiment of the Cosmic trinity Makosh + Share + Nedolya in the reality of being. Oak simultaneously combines all these three components and is a model of the Cosmic World- that is, some double, a double, a picture in which a divine performance is played out, etc.

The mythological plot, consisting of Perun in the upper part of the Cosmic Tree and the snake Veles in the lower (at the roots), symbolizes a series of periodic changes: from youth to old age, from accession to overthrow from the throne, from strength to weakness, from flight to crawling, etc. .d.

So, all the sacred meanings concerning the mythological fate of the native trees of the Slavic Russ: Pine, Spruce, Birch, Aspen and Oak - are formed exclusively within the framework of our Slavic mythology!

Slavism is folk wisdom, given by the ancestors - the dignity of the Slavic peoples of the Rus and the great heritage of Rus'. The tradition of the Russian people is the invaluable experience of innumerable generations of our ancestors. Bringing up in us the same "Mysterious Russian Spirit", the Slavic tradition presents us with customs that are eternally native to all Russian people. And no matter how many epochs pass, how many wander in the darkness of foreign traditions, Russian People always return to their native tradition - the Great Slavic Culture and its Vedic Ancestral Roots.

To be continued…

Evgeny Tarasov.

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Dear readers, some names, dates and places of action in our material have been changed, because many data on this topic have not yet been declassified. A number of inaccuracies in the coverage of events were deliberately made.

At the end of the 18th century, the famous French Sinologist (Sinologist) Joseph de Guignes discovered in the ancient Chinese chronicles a record of the story of a Buddhist monk named Huishan, which surprised him greatly.

This April marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of a well-known person whose bones are still being washed - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

What makes historians carefully read the documents of 90 years ago? First of all, probably, the interest in those events that have not yet been sufficiently studied by specialists and covered in the press for the general public. But people have the right to know what happened to their compatriots on the same territory almost a century ago. Novosibirsk historian Vladimir Poznansky traced the development of the Siberian Holodomor using recently discovered archival sources. Lenin's call - "to save the proletarian center at any cost" - then provoked the death of many people from starvation, not only in the Ukrainian granary, in the Kuban, in Stavropol, but also in such a relatively prosperous area as Siberia.

Not all madmen are talented, but it is believed that the vast majority of talented people are usually slightly "with regards." And some are not even slightly, but rather thoroughly mournful heads, one might even say - who had very serious psychiatric diagnoses. Another thing is that the madness of these geniuses not only did no harm to anyone, but rather, on the contrary, enriched our world amazing creations which we, ordinary mortals, not examined by psychiatrists, do not cease to rejoice and be surprised.

The day of September 11, 2001 became a kind of frontier in the public mind - the release date international terrorism to a qualitatively new level of opposition to socio-political institutions, which the so-called free world declares as the only correct ones. But the circumstances of this tragedy involuntarily lead to some "wrong" thoughts.

Traveling in the south or west of Ukraine, almost at every turn of the road you will certainly see a castle. Wrapped in morning mist, well preserved or even dilapidated, it will make your heart beat faster, reminding you of the chivalric novels you once read.

On that day, July 16, 1676, all of Paris was buzzing like a disturbed beehive. Still, it’s not every day that such a dangerous criminal is executed, and besides, a woman is also executed. And not just a woman, but one of the first beauties of the French kingdom.

Ecology

In many cultures of the world, plants occupied a special niche, but some of them, especially trees, could become sacred and cult. They are worshiped, they pray near them, offerings are left near them, works of art are dedicated to them.

The deification of trees is rooted in the distant past, when people were more closely connected with nature than today.

1) Baobab, Madagascar

In Madagascar, the culture of tree worship is based on the belief that the souls of the ancestors live in these plants and forests, as well as in other living beings that are considered peaceful. Madagascarians believe that when a family member dies, his soul settles somewhere nearby, watches over relatives, sends messages to God, blesses, fulfills requests.

You can often see that at the base of the baobabs of Madagascar lay offerings in the form of honey, rum, coins or sweets. The inhabitants of the island also often wrap the trunk and branches of the tree with white or red cloth.

2) Dance Tree, Germany

Branches of a huge lime tree, nicknamed the "Dance Tree" in Steinfurt, Germany, require support in the form of building bridges. However, such trees can be found not only there. They are carefully looked after so that residents of villages and towns can gather under them on various occasions. These trees are usually time tested.

In many European villages, dance trees are the center social activity, dances or more serious events, such as meetings and court hearings, are arranged under them. The bark of these trees is very strong and can be used to make cloth and rope. It is also a symbol of the strength of social bonds.

According to local legends, the "dancing trees" represent the cosmic connection between the Earth and the heavens. These trees helped people measure time by watching the change of seasons, they were the center of local folklore dedicated to the goddess of love. Linden leaves in the shape of a heart are symbols of passion, these trees also attracted couples in love who were looking for solitude.

3) Bodhi Tree, Thailand

In many cultures around the world, trees were mentioned in legends and myths to explain the origin of man and his spiritual essence. Trees like these have often been thought of as an axis of the universe that links different realms of the cosmos, as ecologist Nalini Nadkarni wrote in his book "Between Heaven and Earth: Our Intimate Relationship with Trees". "Its branches hold the heavens, its trunk rests on the ground, and its roots descend deep into the underworld."

This tree has been called the Bodhi tree, under which, according to legend, Siddhattha Gotama attained enlightenment, becoming the Buddha approximately 2,600 years ago. Bodhi trees often represent the Buddha in art and literature.

4) Tule Tree, Mexico

This tree is called Taxodium mexican from the cypress family boasts the thickest trunk of all trees in the world. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The tree has a trunk circumference of about 36 meters and a height of 30 meters.

This tree with a strong trunk and evergreen foliage is named after the church of Santa Maria del Tule in Mexican state Oaxaca, where it has been growing for many centuries. The tree is believed to be about 2,000 years old and was planted by one of the Aztec priests.

The homeland of a long-liver Taxodium mexican is the southwestern part of the USA, Mexico and Guatemala.

5) Glastonbury Sacred Hawthorn, UK

The Sacred Hawthorn in Glastonbury is a popular place of worship for Christians. This tree once stood proudly like a lone guardian in a small village in the south of England. That was until 2010, when one night the tree was cut into pieces out of hatred or revenge, according to the newspaper. The Daily Mail. All that's left of it is the trunk.

According to legend, this lone hawthorn blossomed when the great follower of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, traveled with the Holy Grail after the great Christian messiah was crucified. Joseph stopped for the night on Uiariol Hill, stuck a wooden stick of Jesus into the ground, and when he woke up, a hawthorn tree grew instead.

Over time, it was believed that other hawthorns in these places grew from the branches of the same tree. Therefore, when the tree planted by Joseph on Uiariol Hill was cut down during the English civil war in the 17th century, a new one grew in its place.

The hawthorn trees that grow in the Glastonbury area are considered unique because they bloom twice a year - at Easter and at Christmas. Every winter, a sprig of one of these trees is sent to the royal family.

6) Chandelier Tree, California

Cult tree - sequoia Chandelier - in Underwood National Park has a height of about 96 meters. A hole-tunnel was made in its trunk, in which a car could fit. The park is extremely popular thanks to this famous tree, through which many generations of cars have passed.

Northern California redwoods, which are the most tall trees on the planet, remain popular with tourists, many of whom come to California specifically to admire them. The oldest sequoias on Earth grow near Humboldt Sequoia National Park, and most of these trees can be found in national park Redwoods. Ten years after California started deforesting and building cities, less than 5 percent of the virgin redwood forest that California had before was left.

7) Eucalyptus, Australia

The specific smell of the eucalyptus forest is typical of some areas of Australia. There are hundreds growing different types: rusty to peppery eucalyptus. Almost all of them are from New Zealand.

Eucalyptus regal- one of the highest flowering plants in the world, which is second only to California sequoia.

Both the natives of these places and the settlers-colonizers used eucalyptus trees for their needs: they built canoes and buildings, made weapons, tools and tools. Essential oils, obtained from eucalyptus, are able to get rid of various viral and fungal infections, and also heal wounds with their help. People who live in the very dry climate of Australia have even learned how to extract water from the roots of these trees.

Eucalyptus oil is used in pagan and magical practices to cleanse the premises of evil spirits. Koalas, native to Australia, eat eucalyptus leaves, which are their staple food.

8) Lone Cypress, California

Probably the most photographed tree in the world, Lone Cypress grows on a cliff on the coast. Pacific Ocean near Monterey, California.

Blown by all winds, this cypress is one of the attractions of the so-called "17 Mile Road" in northern California. More than 2 million motorists travel along this route along the coast of the ocean every year.

Scientists knew that this tree was very old, but they had no idea how old it really was. This species of cypress can live up to 400 years, but the specific conditions in the area may have made the tree look older than its age.

9) Oak of Mamre, Palestinian Authority

Mamvrian oak, which was worshiped during long centuries, located near Hebron on the West Bank in the Mamre Valley. This oak may be about 5,000 years old and is the last tree in the forest that once extended into these areas. According to religious traditions, this tree must die before the arrival of the Antichrist. The main trunk of the tree died back in 1996, but a small shoot that appeared from the ground a few years later gave hope.

In Hebrew, oak allon or Elon associated with the word El- God. The oak played a prominent role in other religions as well. It was the sacred tree of the Druids, a pre-Christian Celtic caste whose traditions were adopted by the early Christians.

10) Tree Arch, California

Two trunks of plane trees grew together, forming a funny arch in Gilroy Gardens amusement park, California, where you can find many other interesting plants. Twisted into a knot, woven into a basket, or growing into a bench shape, the trees from Gilroy Park are an example of how trees can be manipulated and their trunks shaped into any shape using a method called graft when the shoots or buds of one plant are attached to the stems or trunks of another. As a result, they begin to grow as one.

11) Pinus pine, California

This pine is considered one of the oldest trees on the planet, it can be found in the western United States. Some representatives are more than 5 thousand years old. They are slow growing and live in the dry climate of mountainous regions. Their very slow rate of reproduction and regeneration, as well as a limited growth band on high altitudes can significantly reduce the number of these plants in a changing climate.