Popular Trees & Myths Part 1
Trees represent life, health, and purity. Through the ages there
has been no shortage of legends, myths, and tales regarding trees. One of the
most famous tree myths is that of the banyan tree. According to legend the
banyan tree was often kept company by none other than Buddha. The most common
tale regarding this tree is that of a father and son. One day a father removed
a large fruit from the banyan tree, and placed it directly in his sons hands.
“Look into the seeds within this fruit” the father said “tell me what you see”.
After opening the fruit the son stares directly into the seeds and explains
that he saw nothing. While gazing into the majesty of this behemoth of a tree
the father says “Son, it is from those seeds that this tree became”. The moral
surrounding this myth is that the greatest of life can come directly from the
smallest of sources. Furthermore, many argue that today the banyan tree is
still growing larger.
Another great tree myth is the tale of Yggdrasil the Norse symbol
of life. In this story Odin a Norse god was in search of deepening his wisdom. Going
on a quest with his horse Sleipnir, Odin subsequently hanged himself off of
Yggdrasil for 9 full days and nights. According to the legend, Odin was graced
with the revelations of deeper wisdom after his time spent with the tree.