,,cultus ,,arborum ,,or ,,phallic ,,tree
 ,,worship4       ,,cultus ,,arborum    
,a ,,descriptive ,,account ,,of         
,phallic ,tree ,worship   ,,with        
,,illustrative   ,legends1              
,superstitions1 ,usages1 c41            
,,exhibiting ,,its   ,origin and        
,development   ,,amongst ,,the          
,eastern  ,western ,nations of the      
,world   ,,from ,,the ,,earliest ,,to   
,,modern ,,times2    ,,with ,a          
,,bibliography ,,of ,,works ,,upon ,,and
   ,,referring ,,to ,,the ,,phallic     
,,cultus4     ,,privately ,,printed4    
#ahij4     ,,preface4   ,the present    
volume forms a companion to three       
already issued on ,ancient and ,modern  
,symbol ,worship1 denominated severally1
 ,phallism1 ,ophiolatreia1 ,phallic     
,objects and ,remains1 and ,tree        
,worship1 they all form parts of one    
whole1 and constitute a ,series on the  
various forms and phases of what is     
known as ,phallic ,worship4  ,the       
subject is an extensive one1 and there  

still remain sections of it which have  
not yet been dealt with1 but which may  
be exhibited in future volumes4         
,although in the compass of the present 
work it has been impossible to treat the
 subject in anything like an exhaustive 
manner1 a great deal of matter has been 
incorporated in its closely-printed     
pages which1 attentively perused1 will  
enable the reader to form a just opinion
 of what is included in the title4  ,at 
the end of this volume we have          
endeavoured to give the student of      
,ancient ,faiths a ,bibliography of     
works on or connected with ,phallism4   
,being the first attempt of the kind1   
omissions will doubtless be found1      
although there are nearly five hundred  
references given1 yet even as it is1 it 
will prove of great use and advantage to
 those making researches4 ,it is divided
 into two classes--,phallic works1 and  
books bearing more or less upon the     
subject4     ,,contents4                
,,page4    ,,chapter ,i4                

#a    ,characteristics of               
,trees--,naturalness of ,tree           
,worship--,origin   of the worship--,the
 ,tree of ,life--,ancient ,types--,a    
,tree as a   ,symbol of ,life--,poetical
 ,associations--,sacred                 
,fig-tree--,india   specially a land of 
,tree ,worship--,trees identified with  
,gods--   ,meritoriousness of planting  
,trees--,auspicious and inauspicious    
,trees--,ceremonies connected with ,tree
 ,worship--,invocation of   ,tree       
,gods--,banian ,tree--,ritual           
directions--,santal ,worship4           
,,chapter ,,ii4                         
#af    ,the ,bael-tree--,worship of the 
,left ,hand--,trees of the ,sun and     
,moon--,the ,arbre ,sec1 or ,dry        
,tree--,the ,holy ,tree of ,bostam--,the
   ,bygas of the ,eastern               
,sathpuras--,tree ,worship in           
,mysore--,the   ,palm ,tree--,worship of
 the ,palm at ,najran--,the ,tree of    
,ten   ,thousand ,images--,tree ,worship
 in ,persia--,sacred ,old ,testament    

,trees--,the ,classics--,forests and    
,groves favourite places of             
,worship--,origin of ,groves--,votive   
,offerings to ,trees4    ,,chapter      
,,iii4                                  
#cb    ,arab ,tree ,worship--,story of  
,kaimun1 the captive slave--,miracle    
of the ,date ,tree--,persian            
bushes--,plane-tree--,the ,great        
,cypress--,the old man of               
,diarbekir--,the ,fervers--,anecdote of 
,xerxes--,anecdote of a merchant and his
 wife--,the bush of the   ,excellent    
,tree--,the ,cypresses of the           
,zoroaster--,motawakel--   ,the         
,triple-tree of ,abraham--,tree of the  
,club of ,hercules--,the   ,tree of     
,passienus ,crispus--,the ,virgin       
,mary's ,fig-tree--,tree of             
,mohammed's ,staff--,the ,neema-tree of 
the ,gallas--,irish                     
,superstitions--,saint ,valeri--,people 
of ,livonia--,destruction of   a ,sacred
 ,tree4    ,,chapter ,,iv4              
#dd    ,the ,bogaha of ,ceylon1 or      

,god-tree--,the ,maha ,wanse and the    
,bo-tree--,ceremonies connected with the
 transplantation of the                 
,bo-tree--,planting the great           
,bo-branch--,miracles of the            
,bo-tree--,the ,state ,elephant--,the   
,pipal ,tree4    ,,chapter ,v4          
#eh    ,sacred ,trees very ancient in   
,egypt--,hebrew ,trees--,the ,sycamore  
at ,matarea--,ionic ,forms--,the ,koran 
on ,mary and the ,palm-tree--           
,sacredness of the ,palm in             
,egypt--,tree ,worship in ,dahome--,the 
,sacred ,tree of the ,canary ,isles4    
,,chapter ,,vi4                         
#fd    ,usefulness of the               
,ash-tree--,its position among ,sacred  
,trees--   ,the ,queen of               
,trees--,mythology of the ,ash--,scotch 
,superstitious   ,usages--,the ,ash     
,faggot ,ball of ,somersetshire--,pliny 
and   others on the ,serpent and the    
,ash--,the ,ash as a medium of cure   of
 complaints--,anecdotes--,phallic       
,associations--,the ,new-birth--        

,ireland and the ,ash--,the             
,juniper-,tree--,the ,madonna and the   
,juniper--,the ,elm-tree--,mythology of 
the ,elm--,the ,apple-tree--            
,mythological allusions to the          
,apple-tree--,the ,pine-tree--,wind     
,spirits--,german ,superstitions--,the  
,oak-tree--,universal   ,sacredness of  
the ,oak--,the ,oak of the ,hebrew      
,scriptures--,classic   ,oaks--,socrates
 and his ,oath--,greek ,sayings--,the   
,trees ,speaking--   ,sacred ,ash of    
,dodona--,legend of ,philemon and       
,baucis--,the   ,hamadryads--,the ,yule 
,log--,st4 ,boniface--,mysteries        
connected with   the                    
,oak--,christmas-trees4    ,,chapter    
,,vii4                                  
#he    ,icelandic ,customs--,the ,sacred
 ,ash--,the ,prose ,edda and ,tree      
,worship--,icelandic ,mythology of the  
,ash--,the ,norns--,the   ,czeremissa of
 the ,wolga--,the ,jakuhti--,sacred     
,trees of   ,livonia--,phallic ,tree    
,worship and objects in ,bavaria4       

,,tree ,,worship4     ,,chapter ,i4     
,characteristics of ,trees--,naturalness
 of ,tree ,worship--,origin of the      
,worship--,the ,tree of ,life--,ancient 
,types--,a ,tree as a ,symbol of        
,life--,poetical ,associations--,sacred 
,fig ,tree--,india specially a ,land    
of ,tree ,worship--,trees identified    
with ,gods--,meritoriousness of         
,planting ,trees--,auspicious and       
,inauspicious ,trees--,ceremonies       
connected with ,tree                    
,worship--,invocations of ,tree         
,gods--,banian     ,tree--,ritual       
,directions--,santal ,worship4   ,in    
contemplating the various objects to    
which men1 in their efforts to construct
 a natural and satisfactory religion1   
have rendered divine honour and worship1
 it is not surprising to find that      
trees1 flowers1 and shrubs have shared  
largely in this adoration4 ,while it was
 possible to offer such a tribute to    
mere stocks and stones and the works of 
men's hands1 the transition to trees and

 their floral companions would be an    
easy one4 ,most people will agree with  
the statement1 often made1 that ,there  
are few of the works of nature that     
combine so many and so varied charms and
 beauties as a forest2 that whether     
considered generally or particularly1   
whether as a grand geographical feature 
of a country or as a collection of      
individual trees1 it is alike invested  
with beauty and with interest1 and opens
 up to the mind a boundless field for   
inquiry into the mysterious laws of     
creation4 ,but a forest is not merely an
 aggregate of trees1 it is not merely a 
great embodiment of vegetable life3 it  
is the cheerful and pleasant abode of   
numerous varieties of animal life1 who  
render it more animated and picturesque1
 and who find there shelter1 food1 and  
happy homes4  ,there is1 perhaps1 no    
object in nature that adds so much to   
the beauty1 that1 in fact1 may be said  
to be a necessary ingredient in the     
beauty of a landscape1 as a tree4 ,a    

tree1 indeed1 is the highest and noblest
 production of the vegetable kingdom1   
just as man holds the highest place in  
the animal4 ,whether standing solitary1 
or arranged in clumps1 or masses1 or    
avenues1 trees always give freshness1   
variety1 and often grandeur to the      
scene4  ,unless a man be a forester or a
 timber contractor by profession1 he    
cannot walk through a forest in spring  
without having his mind stored with new 
ideas and with good and happy thoughts4 
,here is an entirely new animated world 
opened up to his admiring gaze2 a world 
that seems to be innocent and pure1 for 
everything in it is rejoicing and glad4 
,the first glow and flush of life       
visible all around is so vigorous and   
strong1 that man partakes of its vigour 
and strength4 ,he1 too1 feels an        
awakening of new life1 not of painful   
but of pleasant sensations2 on every    
side his eye falls on some form of      
beauty or of grandeur1 and they quietly 
impress pictures on his mind never to be

 effaced1 for    ',a thing of beauty is 
a joy for ever4'#a  ,it is easy1        
therefore1 to understand how in times   
and places where men in their efforts to
 adore a ,supreme ,being1 worshipped the
 beauties and wonders of creation1 trees
 should become the representatives of   
the ,divine if not actually the gods    
themselves4 ,the sun as the source of   
light and warmth1 the changes of the    
seasons1 the growth of herbage1 flowers 
and trees1 great rivers and oceans1     
mountains and deep glens--in short      
whatever of the works of nature is most 
beautiful or awful1 and acts upon the   
intellectual or sensual perceptions1    
naturally becomes the object of         
adoration4 ,among these objects trees   
took an early place4 ,their beauty when 
single1 their grandeur as forests1 their
 grateful shade in hot climates1 their  
mysterious forms of life1 suggested them
 as the abodes of departed spirits1 or  
of existing agencies of the ,creator4   
,if the solemn gloom of deep forests and

 groves were consecrated to the most    
awful of holy and unholy mysteries1 the 
more open woodland glades became in     
imagination peopled with nymphs1 dryads1
 and fauns1 and contributed to the most 
joyous portions of adorative devotion4  
,thus the abstract sacred character of  
trees is not difficult to conceive1 and 
as the intellect progressed among the   
early races of the world1 we can follow 
among the ,greeks and the ,aryans1 as   
well as the ,hebrews1 its naturally     
poetic and sacred development4#b        
,serpent worship is by no means so easy 
to account for as tree worship1 but it  
is a fact that in many places the two   
were intimately associated2 having dealt
 with the first of these in a former    
volume1 we now exclusively treat of the 
latter4 ,speaking of the naturalness of 
tree worship1 ,fergusson pertinently    
remarks--,where we miss the point of    
contact with our own religious notion is
 when we ask how anyone could hope that 
a prayer addressed to a tree was likely 

to be responded to1 or how an offering  
presented to such an object could be    
appreciated4 ,originally it may have    
been that a divinity was supposed to    
reside among the branches1 and it was to
 this spirit that the prayer was first  
addressed2 but anyone who has watched   
the progress of idolatry must have      
observed how rapidly minds1 at a certain
 stage of enlightenment1 weary of the   
unseen1 and how wittingly they transfer 
their worship to any tangible or visible
 object4 ,an image1 a temple1 a stone or
 tree may thus become an object of      
adoration or of pilgrimage1 and when    
sanctified by time1 the indolence of the
 human mind too gladly contents itself  
with any idol which previous generations
 have been content to venerate4  ,for   
the origin of the mysterious reverence  
with which certain trees and flowers    
were anciently regarded1 and of tree    
'worship1' properly so called1 we must  
go back to that primval period into     
which comparative mythology has of late 

afforded us such remarkable glimpses2   
when the earth to its early inhabitants 
seemed 'apparelled in celestial light1' 
but when every part of creation seemed  
to be endowed with a strange and        
conscious vitality4 ,when rocks and     
mountains1 the most apparently lifeless 
and unchanging of the world's features1 
were thus regarded and were personified 
in common language1 it would have been  
wonderful if the more life-like         
plains--the great rivers that           
fertilised1 and the trees with their    
changing growth and waving branches that
 clothed them--should have been         
disregarded and unhonoured4 ,accordingly
 sacred ruins and sacred trees appear in
 the very earliest mythologies which    
have been recovered1 and linger amongst 
the last vestiges of heathenism long    
after the advent of a purer creed4      
,either as direct objects of worship1 or
 as forming the temple under whose      
solemn shadow other and remoter deities 
might be adored1 there is no part of the

 world in which trees have not been     
regarded with especial reverence3--     
',in such green palaces the first kings 
reigned2   ,slept in their shade1 and   
angels entertained4   ,with such cold   
counsellors they did advise1   ,and by  
frequenting sacred shades1 grew wise4'  
,paradise itself1 says ,evelyn1 was but 
a kind of nemorous temple or sacred     
grove1 planted by ,god himself1 and     
given to man2 and he goes on to suggest 
that the groves which the patriarchs are
 recorded to have planted in different  
parts of ,palestine1 may have been      
memorials of that first tree-shaded     
paradise from which ,adam was expelled4 
,how far the religious systems of the   
great nations of antiquity were affected
 by the record of the ,creation and     
,fall preserved in the opening chapters 
of ,genesis1 is not perhaps possible to 
determine4 ,there are certain points of 
resemblance which are at least          
remarkable1 but which we may assign1 if 
we please1 either to independent        

tradition1 or to a natural development  
from the mythology of the earliest or   
primval period4 ,the ,trees of ,life and
 of ,knowledge are at once suggested by 
the mysterious sacred tree which appears
 in the most ancient sculptures and     
paintings of ,egypt and ,assyria1 and in
 those of the remoter ,east4 ,in the    
symbolism of these nations the sacred   
tree sometimes figures as a type of the 
universe1 and represents the whole      
system of created things1 but more      
frequently as a 'tree of life1' by whose
 fruit the votaries of the gods are     
nourished with divine strength1 and one 
prepared for the joys of immortality4   
,the most ancient types of this mystical
 tree of life are the date1 the fig1 and
 the pine or cedar4 ,of these1 the      
earliest of which any representation    
occurs is the palm--the true date palm  
of the valley of the ,nile and of the   
great alluvial plain of ancient         
,babylonia--a tree which is exceeded in 
size and dignity by many of its         

congeners1 but which is spread over two1
 at least1 of the great centres of      
ancient civilization1 and which1 besides
 its great importance as a food producer
 has a special beauty of its own when   
the clusters of dates are hanging in    
golden ripeness under its coronal of    
dark green leaves4 ,it is figured as a  
tree of life on an ,egyptian sepulchral 
tablet certainly older than the         
fifteenth century ,b4,c41 and preserved 
in the museum at ,berlin4 ,two arms     
issue from the top of the tree1 one of  
which presents a tray of dates to the   
deceased1 who stands in front1 whilst   
the other gives him water1 'the water of
 life4' ,the arms are those of the      
goddess ,nepte1 who appears at full     
length in other and later               
representations4#c  ,mr4 ,barlow informs
 us that the paradise here intended is  
the state or place of departed righteous
 souls1 who1 according to ,egyptian     
theology as explained in the works of   
,rossellini1 ,wilkinson1 ,lepsius1      

,birch1 and ,emmanuel de ,roug1 have    
triumphed over evil through the power of
 ,osiris1 whose name they bear1 and are 
now set down for ever in his heavenly   
kingdom4 ,osiris was venerated as the   
incarnation of the goddess of the       
,deity1 and according to the            
last-mentioned authority1 was           
universally worshipped in ,egypt as the 
,redeemer of souls two thousand years   
before ,christ4  ,the head of this      
family was named ,poer1 and the members 
of it are shown seated in two rows on   
thorns1 one below the other2 each is    
receiving from the ,tree of ,life1 or   
rather from the divine influence        
residing in the tree1 and personified as
 a vivifying agent under the figure of  
the goddess ,nupte or ,nepte1 a stream  
of the life-giving water1 and at the    
same time an offering of its fruit4 ,the
 tree is the ficus-sycamorous1 the      
sycamore tree of the ,bible1 and it     
stands on a sort of aquarium1 symbolical
 of the sacred ,nile1 the               

life-supporting agent in the land of    
,egypt4 ,the tree is abundantly         
productive1 and from the upper part of  
it1 among the branches1 the goddess     
,nepte rises with a tray of fruit in one
 hand1 and with the other pours from a  
vase streams of its life-giving water4  
,mr4 ,barlow further says--,in the      
',tree of ,life' of the ,egyptians1 we  
have perhaps the earliest1 certainly the
 most complete and consistent           
representation of this most ancient and 
seemingly universal symbol1 the ,tree of
 ,life1 in the midst of paradise1       
furnishing the divine support of        
immortality4#d  ,forlong says--,in his  
little work on ,symbolism1 under the    
head ',sacred ,trees1' ,mr4 ,barlow has 
expressed what ,i have long felt4 ,he   
says1 'the most generally received      
symbol of life is a tree1 as also the   
most appropriate4444 ,there might be an 
innate appreciation of the beautiful and
 the grand in this impression1 conjoined
 with the conception of a more sublime  

truth1 and the first principles of a    
natural theology1 but in most instances 
it would appear rather to have been the 
result of an ancient and primitive      
symbolical worship1 at one time         
universally prevalent4' 7,the italics   
are ,forlong's47 ,as men came to        
recognise in themselves two natures--the
 physical and spiritual1 the life of the
 body and the life of the soul--,so     
these came to be represented either by  
two trees1 as sometimes found1 or in    
reference to universal life1 by one tree
 only4 ,some thousands of years before  
even the age imputed to ,genesis1 there 
were sculptured on the ,zodiac of       
,dendera1 ,egypt1 two sacred trees1 the 
,western and ,eastern2 the first was    
truth and religion--the sacred palm     
surmounted by the ostrich feather--the  
latter1 the vital or generative force of
 nature1 beyond which ,egypt thought she
 had risen1 therein surpassing her      
,eastern parent2 at least so ,i feel    
inclined to class them chronologically4 

,besides the monumental evidence        
furnished1 says ,barlow1 of a sacred    
tree1 a ,tree of ,life1 there is an     
historical and traditional evidence of  
the same thing found in the early       
literature of various nations1 in their 
customs and usages4 ,all grand1         
extraordinary1 beautiful1 or highly     
useful trees1 have in every land at some
 time been associated with the noble1   
wonderful1 lovely and beneficial ideas  
which man has attributed to his ,god or 
to nature4 ,we can recognise the early  
worship of trees in the reverence of    
thought which attaches to the two in the
 centre of man's first small world1 a   
garden of fruits and shade4 ,all        
unhistorical though the tales may be1   
continues ,forlong1 there is a deep     
poetry underlying the story of the      
sacred garden4 ,we naturally picture it 
as a 'grove1' for man was not yet a     
cultivator of the ground2 amidst the    
deep shades of ,eden1 we are told1      
walked the great ,elohim with the man   

and woman--naked--as created by him     
through his ,logos1 ,ruach1 ,spirit1 or 
,spouse1 but yet 'without the knowledge'
 which 'the sacred tree of knowledge'   
was soon to impart4  ,further on        
,forlong remarks--,the numerous tales of
 holy trees1 groves and gardens repeated
 everywhere and in every possible form1 
fortify me in my belief that tree       
worship was first known1 and after it   
came ,lingam or ,phallic1 with1 of      
course1 its female form ,adama4  ,the   
serpent being ,passion1 and symbolic of 
the second faith1 followed1 we may say1 
almost simultaneously2 thus we find the 
sacred garden-groves of all ,edens first
 mentioned1 then the instructor1 the    
serpent1 and latterly creative powers in
 ,adam and ,adama1 or in ,asher and     
,ashera1 which last female worship the  
,old ,testament translators call the    
',grove4' ,we are told it was always set
 up with ,asher1 ,babel1 c41 under      
'every green tree' by ancient ,israel1  
and up to a few hundred years before    

,christ1 and not seldom even after      
,christ4  ,all ,eastern literature teems
 with the stories told of and under the 
sacred fig tree1 ,ficus ,religiosa1     
,gooler1 a ,ficus ,indica4 ,under its   
holy shade1 gods1 goddesses1 men and    
animals disport themselves1 and talk    
with each other on sacred and profane   
themes4 ,from it1 as from many another  
holy tree1 ascended gods and holy men to
 heaven1 and it and many others are to  
be yet the cradles of coming ,avatars4  
,to the present hour we find thousands  
of barren women still worshipping and   
giving offerings throughout the year to 
this ,peepal1 or male fig tree of       
,india1 to obtain offspring3 nor is the 
female tree1 the ,ficus ,indica1        
neglected2 at stated periods this ,bar1 
or true ,banian1 must be also worshipped
 with offerings by all who wish such    
boons4 ,under this sacred tree did the  
pious ,sakyamooni become a ,boodh1 or   
enlightened one2 and it is from the     
rubbing together of the wood of trees1  

notably of the three ,banian            
trees--,peepal1 ,bar1 and ,gooler       
7,ficus ,sycamores71 the favourite woods
 for ,phallic images1 that holy fire is 
drawn from heaven1 and before all these 
species do women crave their desires    
from ,god4  ,with regard to the ,ficus1 
,forlong remarks that others besides    
,jews have seen divers reasons why it is
 said to have been the first covering   
used by the human race4 ,the symbolic   
trefoil or fleur de lys with its seed   
springing from its stems1 is still used 
as a ,phallic ornament1 and the leaf1   
especially of the ,bo1 is very like the 
old form of ,ph3 it has a long          
attenuated point1 and is ever quivering 
on the stillest days4 ,the tree has many
 peculiarities1 not only in its leaves  
and modes of leafing1 but in its fruit  
and modes of multiplying1 which could   
not fail to make it of a very holy and  
important character in the pious1       
poetical and imaginative mind of the    
,east4 ,among others the fruit or seed  

hangs direct from its limbs1 yet it is  
commonly said to be germinated by seed  
from heaven2 birds carry off the seed   
and deposit it on all high places1 and  
in the trunks of other trees2 these this
 ,ficus splits asunder and entwines     
itself all around1 descending by the    
parent trunk as well as aerially1 by    
dropping suckers until it reaches       
,mother-,earth1 by which time it has    
most likely killed the parent tree1     
which has up to that period nourished   
it4 ,thus the ,ficus tribe is often     
hollow in the centre1 and if the hollow 
exist near the base1 it is always a very
 holy spot where will usually be found a
 ,lingam or ,yoni stone1 or both1 or a  
temple of ,matra-,deva--,deva or        
,siva--the great ,god of ,creation4#e   
,in a country like ,india1 anything that
 offers a cool shelter from the burning 
rays of the sun is regarded with a      
feeling of grateful respect4 ,the       
wide-spreading ,banyan tree is planted  
and nursed with care1 only because it   

offers a shelter to many a weary        
traveller4 ,extreme usefulness of the   
thing is the only motive perceivable in 
the careful rearing of other trees4     
,they are protected by religious        
injunctions1 and the planting of them is
 encouraged by promises of eternal bliss
 in the future world4 ,the injunction   
against injuring a banyan or fig tree is
 so strict1 that in the ,ramayana even  
,rvana1 an unbeliever1 is made to say   
',i have not cut down any fig tree1 in  
the month of ,vaisakha1 why then does   
the calamity 7alluding to the several   
defeats his army sustained in the war   
with ,rmachandra and to the loss of his 
sons and brothers7 befall me8'  ,the    
medicinal properties of many plants soon
 attracted notice1 and were cultivated  
with much care4 ,with the illiterate the
 medicinal virtues of a drug are        
increased with its scarcity2 and to     
enhance its value it was soon associated
 with difficulties1 and to keep it      
secret from public knowledge1 it was    

culled in the dark and witching hours of
 night4  ,trees have frequently been    
identified with gods3 thus in the ,panma
 ,purna1 the religious fig tree is an   
incarnation of ,vishnu1 the ,indian fig 
tree of ,rudra1 and the ,palasa of      
,brahma4  ,in the ,varka ,purana1 the   
planter of a group of trees of a        
particular species is promised heavenly 
bliss1 and it is needless to point out  
that from the names of the trees        
recommended1 the extensive utility of   
the act must be acknowledged4 ,thus it  
is said1 ,he never goes to hell who     
plants an asvatha1 or a pichumarda1 or a
 banian1 or ten jessamines1 or two      
pomegranates1 a panchmra1 or five       
mangoes4  ,the ,tithitatva gives a      
slightly different list1 substituting   
two champakas1 three kesara1 seven      
tala-palms1 and nine cocoanuts1 instead 
of the banian1 the jessamines1 the      
pomegranates1 and the panchmra4  ,as    
early as the ,ramayana1 the planting of 
a group of trees was held meritorious4  

,the celebrated ,panchavati garden where
 ,sit was imprisoned1 has been          
reproduced by many a religious ,hindu1  
and should any of them not have         
sufficient space to cultivate the five  
trees1 the custom is to plant them in a 
small pot where they are dwarfed into   
small shrubs4 ,such substitutes and     
make-shifts are not at all uncommon in  
the ecclesiastical history of ,india4   
,in ,buddhist ,india1 millions of       
miniature stone and clay temples1 some  
of them not higher than two inches1 were
 often dedicated when more substantial  
structures were not possible4 ,the      
,panchavati consists of the asvatha     
planted on the east side1 the vilva or  
gle marmelos on the north1 the banian on
 the west1 the ,emblica officinalis on  
the south1 and the asoka on the         
south-east4  ,the ,skanda ,purna        
recommends a vilva in the centre1 and   
four others on four sides2 four banians 
in four corners1 twenty-five asokas in a
 circle1 with a myrobalan on one side1  

as the constituents of a great          
punchavati4  ,superstition has always   
been active in drawing nice distinctions
 between the auspicious and the         
inauspicious1 and it is curious to      
observe how the auspicious qualities of 
some plants have been extolled4 ,some   
are considered auspicious when planted  
near a dwelling house4  ,no tree with   
fruit or blossoms can be cut down1 as   
the sloka threatens the cutter with     
destruction of his family and wealth4   
,therefore never cut down any tree that 
bears good flowers or fruits if you     
desire the increase of your family1 of  
your wealth and of your future          
happiness4  ,superstition has associated
 supernatural properties with many      
plants1 and several have been identified
 with the gods4  ,the durv1 a kind of   
grass very common in all parts of       
,india1 is excellent food for cattle4   
,it is an essential article in the      
worship of all gods4 ,it is said to have
 originated from the thigh of ,vishnu4  

,the religious fig tree makes one rich1 
the ,jonesia ,asoka destroys all sorrow1
 the ,ficus ,venosa is said to be useful
 in sacrifices1 and the ,nim gives much 
happiness4 ,syzygium ,jambolanum        
promises heavenly bliss1 and the        
pomegranate a good wife4 ,ficus         
glomerata cures diseases1 and ,butea    
frondosa gives the protection of        
,brahma4 ,the ,calotropis gigantea is   
useful as it pleases the sun1 every day 
the bel tree pleases ,siva1 and the     
,patal pleases ,prvati4 ,the ,asparas   
are pleased with ,bombax malabaricum1   
and the ,gandharvas with ,jasminum1 the 
,terminalia chebula increases the number
 of servants1 and the ,mimusops elenchi 
gives maid-servants4 ,the ,tl is        
injurious to children1 and the ,mimusops
 elenchi productive of large families4  
,the cocoanut gives many wives1 and the 
vine gives a beautiful body2 the        
,corolia latifolia increases desires1   
and the ,pandanus odoratissimum destroys
 all4 ,the tamarind tree is considered  

most inauspicious1 and according to the 
,vaidya ,sastras1 is very injurious to  
health4 ,the ,carica papeya plant is    
more so4 ,the ,sunflower1 ,helianthus1  
is supposed to emit gases that destroy  
miasma4  ,the following trees are said  
to have peculiar virtues4 ,the ,indian  
fig tree1 if on the east side of a      
house1 is always auspicious2 so also is 
the ,udumvava tree if on the west1 and  
the pipul if on the south1 c4  ,the     
following are supposed to have a        
peculiar influence on particular spots4 
,the cocoanut tree near the             
dwelling-house confers wealth on the    
family1 and if on the east or north-east
 of an encampment1 the tree is the donor
 of sons4 ,the mango tree1 the best of  
trees1 is auspicious at every place1 and
 if situated on the east1 gives wealth  
to men4 ,the ,bel tree1 the jack tree1  
and the citron tree1 and the plum tree1 
are in all situations conducive to      
prosperity4  ,the ,durvashtami is one of
 the many vratas observed by ,hindu     

females4 ,it is celebrated on the eighth
 lunar day of the bright fortnight of   
the month of ,bhdro4 ,on the day fixed  
for worshipping ,durv a fast is         
observed1 and ,durv1 ,gauri1 ,ganes and 
,siva are worshipped with rice1 fruits  
and flowers4 ,durv is described as dark 
as the petals of a blue lotus1 held on  
the heads of all the gods1 pure1 born   
from the body of ,vishnu1 anointed with 
nectar1 free from all sickness1         
immortal1 incarnation of ,vishnu1 and   
giver of good children1 and virtue1     
wealth and salvation4  ,a thread with   
eight knots1 and fruits1 c41 are        
presented to ,durv1 and the following   
prayer is then read--  ,durv1 you are   
called immortal1 and you are worshipped 
both by gods and asuras4 ,having blessed
 us with prosperity and children1 fulfil
 all our wishes4 ,as you extend over the
 earth with your suckers and branches1  
in the same way give me healthy and     
immortal children4  ,after the usual    
puja1 the thread with eight knots is    

tied on the left arm and the worshipper 
listens to the legend of ,durv repeated 
by the officiating priest4  ,the        
,asokshtami1 the ,arunvdaya ,saptami1   
and the ,madanotsava1 are three other   
vratas in which trees are worshipped4   
,from the ,sakrotthana1 the rising of   
,india after the new moon preceding the 
,durg-puja1 the whole fortnight is      
devoted to one or other form of tree    
worship4 ,asokashtami is observed on the
 eighth day of the bright fortnight of  
,chaitra4  ,in the month of ,chaitra on 
the thirteenth lunar day1 the           
,madanotsava is celebrated and the      
,asoka tree is worshipped4  ,but the    
most important instance of tree worship 
is the ,durgpuj4 ,although the festival 
is a rejoicing at the promising crops in
 the field1 and although it may be      
traced to the solar myth and ,ush or    
dawn worship1 it is undoubtedly one of  
the most extensive festivals of tree    
worship4  ,along with the goddess ,durg1
 the ,nava patrici or the nine leaves   

are worshipped4  ,on the morning of the 
first day of the puja1 nine branches    
with leaves are tied together with a    
plant of ,clitoria ternata alba1 and a  
twig bearing a pair of fruits with      
suitable mantras1 is stuck in the       
bundle4 ,before cutting the twig1 the   
following mantras are repeated--        
,sriphala tree1 you are born on the     
mountain ,mandar1 ,meru ,kailsa1 and at 
the top of the ,himavat1 you are always 
a favourite of ,ambica4 ,born on the top
 of the ,scri hill ,sriphala6 ,you are  
the resting place of prosperity1 ,i take
 you away to worship you as ,durg       
herself4  ,om ,vilva tree1 most         
prosperous1 always a favourite of       
,sankara1 ,i worship the devi1 having   
taken away your branch4 ,o ,lord1 you   
must not mind the pain generated by the 
separation of your branch4 ,i bow to the
 ,vilva tree born on the ,hymalaya      
mountain1 favourite of ,parvasa and     
embraced by ,siva4 ,you are auspicious  
in action and a favourite of ,bhagavati2

 for the sake of ,bhavani's words1 give 
me all success4 ,the bundle is then     
anointed with various cosmetics and     
aromatic drugs and oils1 and is placed  
by the side of the idols4 ,the several  
plants are then separately invoked1 and 
the goddesses presiding over each are   
worshipped4  ,the following are the     
mantras for worshipping them3--  ,om1   
salutation be to ,brahmani1 the goddess 
dwelling in the plantain tree4 ,om1     
,devi ,durga1 welcome1 come near us4 ,in
 the ,brahma form distribute peace to   
all4 ,om1 salutations be to you4  ,om1  
salutation be to ,kalika1 the goddess   
dwelling in the ,arum plant4 ,om1       
good-natured in the war of ,mahisha     
dema1 you became arum plant4 ,om1 the   
beloved of ,hara1 come hither for my    
blessing4  ,om1 salutation be to ,durga1
 the goddess dwelling in the turmeric   
plant4 ,om1 ,haridra1 you are ,hara     
incarnate4 ,om1 good-natured you are ,um
 incarnate4 ,for the destruction of my  
ill-luck do receive my puj and be       

propitiated4  ,om1 salutation be to     
,kartika1 the goddess dwelling in the   
,sesvania plant4 ,om1 during the        
destruction of ,sumbha and ,nisumbha    
demons1 goddess of success1 you were    
worshipped by ,india and all gods4 ,be  
pleased with us4  ,om1 salutation be to 
,siv1 the goddess dwelling in the vilva 
tree4 ,om1 beloved of ,mahadeva and     
beloved of ,vishnu1 beloved of ,um1     
vilva tree salute you4  ,om1 salutation 
be to ,raktadantika 7blood-teethed71 the
 goddess dwelling in the pomegranate    
tree4 ,om1 formerly in the war1 you     
became ,ddimi in the presence of        
,raktavija demon1 you acted the part of 
,um1 therefore bless us4  ,om1          
salutation be to ,sokarahita 7devoid of 
sorrow71 the goddess dwelling in the    
,asoka tree4 ,om1 ,asoka tree1 you      
please ,siva and you destroy all sorrow4
 ,make me sorrowless in the same way as 
you please ,durv4  ,om1 salutation be to
 ,chmund1 the goddess dwelling in the   
,man tree4 ,om1 on whose leaves rests   

the ,devi1 beloved of ,sachi1 for my    
prosperity receive my puj4  ,om1        
salutations be to ,lakshmi1 the goddess 
dwelling in the rice plant4 ,om1 for the
 preservation of the life of all beings 
you were created by ,brahma4 ,om1       
preserve me in the same way as you      
please ,um4 7,see the ,vastu ,yaga and  
its bearings upon ,tree and ,serpent    
,worship in ,india1 by ,pratapachandra  
,ghosha74  ,the ,banian or ,indian fig  
tree1 is perhaps the most beautiful and 
surprising production of nature in the  
vegetable kingdom4 ,some of these trees 
are of an amazing size1 and as they are 
always increasing1 they may in some     
measure be said to be exempt from decay4
 ,every branch proceeding from the trunk
 throws out its own roots1 first in     
small fibres1 at the distance of several
 yards from the ground4 ,these1         
continually becoming thicker as they    
approach the earth1 take root and shoot 
out new branches1 which in time bend    
downwards1 take root in the like manner1

 and produce other branches1 which      
continue in this state of progression as
 long as they find soil to nourish them4
  ,the ,hindoos are remarkably fond of  
this tree1 for they look upon it as an  
emblem of the ,deity1 on account of its 
out-stretching arms and its shadowy     
beneficence4 ,they almost pay divine    
honours1 and find a ,fane in every      
,grove4  ,near these trees the most     
celebrated pagodas are generally        
erected2 the ,brahmins spend their lives
 in religious solitude under their      
friendly shade1 and the natives of all  
castes and tribes are fond of retreating
 into the cool recesses and natural     
bowers of this umbrageous canopy1 which 
is impervious to the fiercest beams of  
the tropical sun4  ,the particular tree 
here described grows on an island in the
 river ,nerbedda1 ten miles from the    
city of ,baroach1 in the province of    
,guzzurat1 a flourishing settlement     
formerly in possession of the ,east     
,india ,company1 but ceded by the       

government of ,bengal at the treaty of  
peace concluded with the ,mahrattas in  
#aghc1 to ,mahadjee1 a ,mahratta chief4 
,this tree1 called in ,india ,cubeer    
,burr1 in honour of a famous saint1 was 
much larger than it has been of late2   
for high floods have at different times 
carried away the banks of the island    
where it grows1 and along with such     
parts of the tree as had extended their 
roots thus far2 yet what has remained is
 about two thousand feet in             
circumference1 measuring round the      
principal stems2 but the hanging        
branches1 the roots of which have not   
yet reached the ground1 cover a much    
larger extent4 ,the chief trunks of this
 single tree amount to three hundred and
 fifty1 all superior in size to the     
generality of our ,english oaks and     
elms2 the smaller stems1 forming into   
stronger supports1 are more than three  
thousand2 and from each of these new    
branches1 hanging roots are proceeding1 
which in time will form trunks and      

become parents to a future progeny4     
,cubeer ,burr is famed throughout       
,hindostan for its prodigious extent1   
antiquity and great beauty4 ,the ,indian
 armies often encamp around it2 and1 at 
certain seasons1 solemn ,jattras or     
,hindoo festivals are held here1 to     
which thousands of votaries repair from 
various parts of the ,mogul empire4     
,seven thousand persons1 it is said1 may
 easily repose under its shade4 ,there  
is a tradition among the natives1 that  
this tree is three thousand years old2  
and there is great reason to believe it1
 and that it is this amazing tree that  
,arrian describes when speaking of the  
gymosophists in his book of ,indian     
affairs4 ,these people1 he says1 in     
summer wear no clothing4 ,in winter they
 enjoy the benefit of the sun's rays in 
the open air2 and in summer1 when the   
heat becomes excessive1 they pass their 
time in moist and marshy places under   
large trees1 which according to         
,nearchus1 cover a circumference of five

 acres1 and extend their branches so far
 that ten thousand men may easily find  
shelter under them4  ,english gentlemen1
 when on hunting and shooting parties1  
are accustomed to form extensive        
encampments1 and to spend several weeks 
under this delightful pavilion of       
foliage1 which is generally filled with 
a great variety of feathered songsters4 
,this tree not only affords shelter but 
sustenance to all its inhabitants2 being
 loaded with small figs of a rich       
scarlet colour4#f  ,trees have always   
been among the chief divinities of      
,india4 ,in the ,institutes of ,menu1   
chap4 #c1 we find directions to the     
,brahman for his oblations1 and1 after a
 number of preliminaries1 the           
injunctions proceed--,having thus1 with 
fixed attention1 offered clarified      
butter in all quarters1 proceeding from 
the east in a southerly direction1 to   
,india1 ,yama1 ,varuna1 and the god     
,soma1 let him offer his gifts to       
animated creatures1 saying1 ,i salute   

the ,maruts or ,winds1 let him throw    
dressed rice near the door1 saying1 ,i  
salute the water-gods1 in water2 and oil
 his pestle and mortar1 saying1 ,i      
salute the gods of large trees4  ,an    
instance of tree worship amongst the    
,santals or hill tribes of ,beerbhoom is
 recorded in ,hunter's ,annals of ,rural
 ,bengal1 as follows--,adjoining the    
,santal village is a grove of their     
natural tree1 the ,sal 7,shorea         
,robusta71 which they believe to be the 
favourite resort of all the family gods 
of the little community4 ,from its      
silent gloom the bygone generations     
watch their children and children's     
children playing their several parts in 
life1 not altogether with an unfriendly 
eye4 ,nevertheless the ghastly          
inhabitants of the grove are sharp      
critics1 and deal out crooked limbs1    
cramps and leprosy1 unless duly         
appeased4 ,several times a year the     
whole hamlet1 dressed out in its        
showiest1 repairs to the grove to do    

honour to the ,lares ,rurales with music
 and sacrifice4 ,men and women join     
hands1 and1 dancing in a large circle1  
chant songs in remembrance of the       
original founder of the community who is
 venerated as the head of the village   
,pantheon4 ,goats1 red cocks1 and       
chickens are sacrificed2 and while some 
of the worshippers are told off to cook 
the flesh for the common festival at    
great fires1 the rest separate into     
families and dance round the particular 
trees which they fancy their domestic   
,lares chiefly inhabit4 ,among the more 
superstitious tribes1 it is customary   
for each family to dance round every    
single tree1 in order that they may not 
by any chance omit the one in which     
their gods may be residing4             
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,the ,bael         
,tree--,worship of the ,left            
,hand--,trees of the ,sun and           
,moon--,the ,arbre ,sec or ,dry         
,tree--,the ,holy ,tree of ,bostam--,the
 ,bygas of     the ,eastern             

,sathpuras--,tree ,worship in           
,mysore--,the ,palm ,tree--,worship     
of the ,palm at ,najrau--,the ,tree of  
,ten ,thousand ,images--,tree ,worship  
in ,persia--,sacred ,old ,testament     
,trees--,the ,classics--,forests and    
,groves1 favourite ,places of           
,worship--,origin of ,groves--,votive   
,offerings to ,trees4   ,the ,bael      
,tree1 says ,forlong1 as a              
representative of the triad and monad1  
is always offered at ,lingam worship1   
after washing the ,lingam with water and
 anointing it with sandal wood4 ,the god
 is supposed to specially like all white
 flowers and cooling embrocations1 which
 last sandal wood is held to be2 and he 
is very commonly to be found under an   
umbrageous ,bael1 more especially if    
there be no fine ,ficus near2 failing   
both1 the poor god is often reduced to  
the stump of a tree2 and if that is also
 scarce1 his votaries raise to him a    
karn or cairn of stones1 with the       
prominent one in the centre1 and plant a

 pomegranate1 bits of tolsi1 c41 near2  
and if water is available1 a little     
garden of flowers1 of which the         
marigolds are a favourite4 ,my readers  
must not fancy that this worship is     
indecent1 or even productive of         
licentiousness4 ,it is conducted by men1
 women and children of modest mien1 and 
pure and spotless lives1 though at      
certain seasons1 as in all faiths and   
lands1 the passions are roused and the  
people proceed to excesses1 yet ,sivaism
 is peculiarly free from this with      
reference to others1 not excluding      
,eastern ,christianity4 ,vishnooism1    
which we may call the worship of ,the   
,left ,hand1 or female energies1 is     
perhaps the greatest sinner in this     
respect4 ,sivaism is for the most part  
harshly ascetic1 as regards its         
office-bearers and orthodox followers2  
yet all faiths give way at certain solar
 periods1 and all ,hindoo sects are as  
bad as ,romans at the spring 'hilaria or
 carnival1' the more so if ,ceres or    

,kybele is propitious1 and more         
apparently so in countries where        
writings have not yet supplanted        
pictures4 ,amongst all the rudest tribes
 of ,india1 and even throughout         
,rajpootana1 and with the strict ,jain  
sects who abhor ,lingam worship1 these  
still shew their parent root by devoting
 some fifteen days annually1 after the  
harvests are gathered in1 to the most   
gross form of ,lingam worship1 in which 
a complete naked image of a man1 called 
',elajee1' is built of clay and         
decorated with wreaths of flowers1 c41  
and placed in prominent situations4 ,in 
most parts of ,rajpootana1 this male    
image exists at every city and village  
gate1 but it is not rendered            
conspicuously indecent until the hooly  
or harvest enjoyments2 and low and      
degrading as these are1 reminding us of 
our purely animal frame1 yet no ,hindoo 
practices of harvest times are so gross 
as ,i have seen practised at the harvest
 homes or midnight revelries of our own 

country4  ,the oracular trees of the    
,sun and ,moon1 somewhere on the        
confines of ,india1 appear in all the   
fabulous histories of ,alexander from   
the ,pseudo-,callisthenes downwards4    
,thus ,alexander is made to tell the    
story ,then came some of the townspeople
 and said1 ',we have to show thee       
something passing strange1 ,o ,king1 and
 worth thy visiting2 for we can show    
thee trees that talk with human speech4'
 ,so they led me to a certain park1 in  
the midst of which were the ,sun and    
,moon1 and round about them a guard of  
priests of the ,sun and ,moon4 ,and     
there stood the two trees of which they 
had spoken1 like unto cypress trees2 and
 round about them were trees like the   
myrobolans of ,egypt1 and with similar  
fruit4 ,and ,i addressed the two trees  
that were in the midst of the park1 the 
one which was male in the masculine     
gender1 and the one that was female in  
the feminine gender4 ,and the name of   
the male tree was the ,sun1 and of the  

female tree the ,moon1 names which were 
in that language ,muthu and ,emasae4    
,and the stems were clothed with the    
skins of animals2 the male tree with the
 skins of he-beasts1 and the female tree
 with the skins of she-beasts4444 ,and  
at the setting of the ,sun a voice1     
speaking in the ,indian tongue1 came    
forth from the 7,sun7 tree2 and ,i      
ordered the ,indians who were with me to
 interpret it4 ,but they were afraid and
 would not4  ,maundeville informs us    
precisely where the trees are--,a       
fifteen journeys in lengthe1 goyinge be 
the deserts of the tother side of the   
,ryvere ,beumare1 if one could only tell
 where that is4 ,a medival chronicler   
also tells us that ,ogerus1 the ,dane   
7temp4 ,caroli ,magni71 conquered all   
the parts beyond sea from ,hierusalem to
 the ,trees of the ,sun4 ,in the old    
,italian romance also of ,guerino detto 
il ,meschino1 still a chap book in south
 ,italy1 the hero visits the ,trees of  
the ,sun and ,moon4  ,it will be        

observed that the letter ascribed to    
,alexander describes the two oracular   
trees as resembling two cypress trees4  
,as such the ,trees of the ,sun and     
,moon are represented on several extant 
ancient medals1 e4g41 on two struck at  
,perga1 in ,pamphylia1 in the time of   
,aurelian4 ,an ,eastern story tells us  
of two vast cypress trees1 sacred among 
the ,magians1 which grew in ,khorasan1  
one at ,kashmar near ,turshiz1 and the  
other at ,farmad near ,tuz1 and which   
were said to have risen from shoots that
 ,zoroaster brought from paradise4 ,the 
former of these was sacrilegiously cut  
down by the order of the ,khalif        
,motawakkil1 in the ninth century4 ,the 
trunk was dispatched to ,baghdad on     
rollers at a vast expense1 whilst the   
branches alone formed a load for #a1cjj 
camels4 ,the night that the convoy      
reached within one stage of the palace1 
the ,khalif was cut in pieces by his own
 guards4 ,this tree was said to be      
#a1dej years old1 and to measure        

#cc-c_/d cubits in girth4 ,the locality 
of this ,arbol ,sol we see was in       
,khorasan1 and possibly its fame may    
have been transferred to a              
representative of another species4 ,the 
plane as well as the cypress was one of 
the distinctive trees of the ,magian    
paradise4  ,in the ,peutingerian ,tables
 we find in the north-east of ,asia the 
rubric1 ,hic ,alexander ,responsum      
accepit1 which looks very like an       
allusion to the tale of the ,oracular   
,trees4 ,if so1 it is remarkable as a   
suggestion of the antiquity of the      
,alexandrian legends1 though the rubric 
may of course be an interpolation4 ,the 
,trees of the ,sun and ,moon appear as  
located in ,india ,ultima to the east of
 ,persia1 in a map which is found in    
,,mss4 7#abth century7 of the ,floridus 
of ,lambertus2 and they are indicated   
more or less precisely in several maps  
of the succeeding centuries4  ,marco has
 mixed up this legend of the            
,alexandrian romance on the authority1  

as we have reason to believe1 of some of
 the re-compilers of that romance1 with 
a famous subject of ,christian legend in
 that age1 the ,arbre ,sec or ,dry      
,tree1 one form of which is related by  
,maundeville and by ,johan              
,schiltberger4 ,a lytille fro ,ebron1   
says the former1 is the ,mount of       
,mambre1 of the whyche the ,valeye      
taketh his name4 ,and there is a tree of
 ,oke that the ,saracens clepen ,dirpe1 
that is of ,abraham's ,tyme1 the which  
men clepen the ,dry ,tree4 ,and theye   
saye that it hath ben this sithe the    
beginnynge of the ,world2 and was       
sumtyme grene and bare ,leves1 unto the 
,tyme that ,oure ,lord dyede on the     
,cross2 and thanne it dryede2 and so    
dyden alle the ,trees that weren thanne 
in the ,world4 ,and summe seyn he here  
,prophecyes that a ,lord1 a ,prynce of  
the ,west syde of the ,world1 shall     
wynnen the ,land of ,promyssioum1 i4e4  
the ,holy ,land1 withe ,helpe of        
,cristene ,men1 and he halle do synge a 

,masse under that ,drye ,tree1 and than 
the ,tree shall wexen grene and bere    
both ,fruyt and ,leves4 ,and thorghe    
that ,myracle manye ,sarazines and      
,jewes schulle hev turned to ,cristene  
,feithe4 ,and1 therefore1 they dan gret 
,worschippe thereto1 and kepen it fulle 
besyly4 ,and alle be it so that it be   
drye1 natheloss yet be herethe great    
vertu1 c4  ,the tradition seems to have 
altered with circumstances1 for a       
traveller of nearly two centuries later 
7,friar ,anselmo1 #aeij71 describes the 
oak of ,abraham at ,hebron as a tree of 
dense and verdant foliage3--,the        
,saracens make their devotions at it1   
and hold it in great veneration1 for it 
has remained thus green from the days of
 ,abraham until now2 and they tie scraps
 of cloth on its branches inscribed with
 some of their writing1 and believe that
 if any one were to cut a piece off that
 tree he would die within the year4     
,indeed1 even before ,maundeville's     
time1 ,friar ,burchard 7#abhc7 had      

noticed that though the famous old tree 
was dry1 another had sprung from its    
roots4  ,as long ago as the time of     
,constantine a fair was held under the  
,terebink of ,maimre1 which was the     
object of many superstitious rites and  
excesses4 ,the ,emperor ordered these to
 be put a stop to1 and a church to be   
erected on the spot4 ,in the time of    
,arculph 7end of #gth century71 the dry 
trunk still existed under the roof of   
this church4  ,there are several ,dry   
,tree stories among the wonders of      
,buddhism2 one is that of a sacred tree 
visited by the ,chinese pilgrims to     
,india1 which had grown from the twig   
which ,sakya in ,hindu fashion had used 
as a tooth-brush2 and ,i think there is 
a like story in our own country of the  
,glastonbury ,thorn having grown from   
the staff of ,joseph of ,arimathea4  ,he
 who injured the holy tree of ,bostam1  
we are told1 perished the same day2 a   
general belief in regard to those ,trees
 of ,grace of which we have already seen

 instances in regard to the sacred trees
 of ,zoroaster and the ,oak of ,hebron4 
,we find the same belief in ,eastern    
,africa1 where certain trees1 regarded  
by the natives with superstitious       
reverence1 which they express by driving
 in votive nails and suspending rags1   
are known to the ,european residents by 
the vulgar name of ,devil ,trees4       
,burton relates a case of the           
verification of the superstition in the 
death of an ,english merchant who had   
cut down such a tree1 and of four       
members of his household4 7,see note on 
p4 #abj of ,yule's ,marco ,polo's       
,travels1 vol4 ,i47  ,the writer of an  
article in the ,cornhill ,magazine of   
,november1 #ahgd1 on the ,gonds and     
,bygas of the ,eastern ,sathpuras       
7,central ,provinces1 ,india71 says--   
,my endeavours to obtain a clear insight
 into their ways were so far successful1
 that after a time they did not object  
to my being present at their domestic   
ceremonies1 and gradually the ,byga     

priests supplied me with all the        
information they could give as to their 
curious custom of tree culture and      
spirit worship4  ,all that they could   
tell did not throw much light on the    
subject1 for even to the ,bygas         
themselves it is extremely vague and    
mysterious2 but the contrast between    
their acknowledged hatred of trees as a 
rule1 and their deep veneration of      
certain others in particular1 is very   
curious4  ,i have seen hill-sides swept 
clear of forests for miles1 with but    
here and there a solitary tree left     
standing4 ,these remain now the objects 
of the deepest veneration1 and receive  
offerings of food1 clothes1 or flowers  
from the passing ,byga1 who firmly      
believes that tree to be the home of a  
spirit4  ,captain ,j4 ,s4 ,f4           
,mackenzie1 some years ago1 contributed 
a paper to the ,indian ,antiquary on    
,tree and ,serpent ,worship in ,mysore4 
,he said that round about ,bangalose1   
more especially the ,lal ,bagh and      

,petta--as the native town is           
called--three or more stones are to be  
found together1 having representations  
of serpents carved upon them4 ,these    
stones are erected always under the     
sacred fig tree1 by some pious persons1 
whose means and piety determine the care
 and finish with which they are         
executed4 ,judging from the number of   
the stones1 the worship of the serpent  
appears to be more prevalent in the     
,bungalose district than in other parts 
of the province4 ,no priest is ever in  
charge of them4 ,there is no objection  
to men doing so1 but1 from the custom or
 from some reason--partly because the   
serpent is supposed to confer fertility 
on barren women--the worshipping of the 
stones1 which takes place during the    
,gauri feast1 is confined to women of   
all ,hindu classes and creeds4 ,the     
stones1 when properly erected1 ought to 
be on a built-up stone platform facing  
the rising sun1 and under the shade of  
two peepul 7ficus religiosa7 trees--a   

male and female growing together1 and   
wedded by ceremonies in every respect   
the same as in the case of human        
beings--close by1 and growing in the    
same platform a nimb 7margosa7 and      
bipatra 7a kind of wood-apple71 which   
are supposed to be living witnesses of  
the marriage4 ,the expense of performing
 the marriage ceremony is too heavy for 
ordinary persons1 and so we generally   
find only one peepul and a nimb on the  
platform4 ,by the common people these   
two are supposed to represent man and   
wife4  ,to speak at length of the ,palm 
tree would require a volume--and that a 
bulky one--rather than a passing notice 
in a treatise of the most limited       
dimensions4 ,so much does man owe to    
this tree in the east1 that the         
inhabitants of those countries where it 
flourishes can conceive of no land      
possessing any attraction where it does 
not exist4 ,an ,arab woman lately       
visiting ,england once expressed herself
 to this effect after being shewn       

everything wonderful that the country   
had possessed1 all in her estimation    
faded into comparative worthlessness    
when1 in answer to her enquiry1 she was 
told that no palm trees grew there4 ,no 
tree1 in consequence1 has been so highly
 prized or been made so much of4 ,to say
 that men have been simply grateful for 
it1 or that they have reverenced it1 is 
to stop short of the mark1 they have    
actually deified it and rendered to it  
divine honours4  ,a conventional form of
 the palm tree occurs on the ,nineveh   
tablets1 surrounded by an enclosure of  
palmettes1 and attended by winged       
deities1 or ministers holding the       
pine-cone symbol of life1 which in      
,assyrian sculpture takes the place of  
the crux-ansata in the hands of the     
,egyptian deities4  ,the palmette passed
 from the ,assyrians to the ,greeks1 and
 formed the crowning ornament of their  
most beautiful temples4 ,it appears also
 to have been a symbol among the        
,etruscans1 and1 together with the palm 

tree1 will be found on ,etruscan sacred 
utensils4#g  ,sir ,william ,ousley1 from
 whose travels we quote in other parts  
of this volume1 describes the tree      
worship at ,najran in ,arabia1 in which 
the tree was a palm or ,sacred ,date1   
having its regular priests1 festivals1  
rites and services1 and he quotes from a
 manuscript of the ninth century after  
,christ1 and adds this note from a      
writer on ,indian and ,japanese symbols 
of divinity4 ,the trunk of a tree on    
whose top sits ,deus the supreme        
,creator4 ,some other object might be   
worthy of observation2 but ,i fix my    
attention on the trunk of a tree4       
,moreover1 whether you go to the        
,japanese or to the ,thibetans1         
everywhere will meet you green tree     
worship 7which has been7 transmitted and
 preserved as symbolic perhaps of the   
creation and preservation of the world4 
,this passage1 in the opinion of        
,forlong1 shows clearly the ,lingam     
signification of the trunk3--,the       

,koreish tribe1 from which the ,arabian 
prophet sprang1 were from earliest known
 times worshippers of the palm tree1 and
 here1 as in other lands1 had it been   
succeeded by the ,lingam1 and latterly  
by solar and ancestral worship4 ,the    
,arabs used to hang on the palm not only
 garments or pieces of garments1 but    
arms or portions of their warrior gear1 
thereby showing that they saw in the    
palm virility--a ,herakles or           
,mercury4#h  ,a very remarkable tree    
found in ,thibet was described by ,abb  
,huc in his travels in that and other   
countries in the years #ahdd-f1 it was  
called the ,tree of ,ten ,thousand      
,images1 and his account of it is as    
follows--,the mountain at the foot of   
which ,tsong-,kaba was born1 became a   
famous place of pilgrimage4 ,lamas      
assembled there from all parts to build 
their cells1 and thus by degrees was    
formed that flourishing ,lamasery1 the  
fame of which extends to the remotest   
confines of ,tartary4 ,it is called     

,kounboum1 from two ,thibetian words    
signifying ,ten ,thousand ,images1 and  
having allusion to the tree which1      
according to the legend1 sprang from    
,tsong-,kaba's hair1 and bears a        
,thibetian character on each of its     
leaves4  ,it will here be naturally     
expected that we say something about    
this tree itself4 ,does it exist8 ,have 
we seen it8 ,has it any peculiar        
attributes8 ,what about its marvellous  
leaves8 ,all these questions our readers
 are entitled to put to us4 ,we will    
endeavour to answer as categorically as 
possible4  ,yes1 this tree does exist1  
and we had heard of it too often during 
our journey not to feel somewhat eager  
to visit it4 ,at the foot of the        
mountain on which the ,lamasery stands1 
and not far from the principal ,buddhist
 temple1 is a great square enclosure    
formed by brick walls4 ,upon entering   
this we were able to examine at leisure 
the marvellous tree1 some of the        
branches of which had already manifested

 themselves above the wall4 ,our eyes   
were first directed with earnest        
curiosity to the leaves1 and we were    
filled with an absolute consternation of
 astonishment at finding that1 in point 
of fact1 there were upon each of the    
leaves well-formed ,thibetian           
characters1 all of a green colour1 some 
darker1 some lighter than the leaf      
itself4 ,our first impression was a     
suspicion of fraud on the part of the   
,lamas2 but after a minute examination  
of every detail1 we could not discover  
the least deception4 ,the characters all
 appeared to us portions of the leaf    
itself1 equally with its veins and      
nerves2 the position was not the same in
 all2 in one leaf they would be at the  
top of the leaf2 in another in the      
middle2 in a third1 at the base or at   
the side2 the younger leaves represented
 the characters only in a partial state 
of formation4 ,the bark of the tree and 
its branches1 which resemble that of the
 plane tree1 are also covered with these

 characters4 ,when you remove a piece of
 old bark1 the young bark under it      
exhibits the indistinct outlines of     
characters in a germinatory state1 and  
what is very singular1 these new        
characters are not unfrequently         
different from those which they replace4
 ,we examined everything with the       
closest attention1 in order to detect   
some case of trickery1 but we could     
discern nothing of the sort1 and the    
perspiration absolutely trickled down   
our faces under the influence of the    
sensations which this most amazing      
spectacle created4 ,more profound       
intellects than ours may1 perhaps1 be   
able to supply a satisfactory           
explanation of the mysteries of this    
singular tree2 but as to us1 we         
altogether give it up4 ,our readers     
possibly may smile at our ignorance1 but
 we care not1 so that the sincerity and 
truth of our statement be not suspected4
  ,the ,tree of ,ten ,thousand ,images  
seemed to us of great age4 ,its trunk1  

which three men could scarcely embrace  
with outstretched arms1 is not more than
 eight feet high2 the branches instead  
of shooting up1 spread out in the shape 
of a plume of feathers1 and are         
extremely bushy2 few of them are dead4  
,the leaves are always green2 and the   
wood which has a reddish tint1 has an   
exquisite odour1 something like that of 
cinnamon4 ,the ,lamas informed us that  
in summer1 towards the eighth moon1 the 
tree produces large red flowers of an   
extremely beautiful character4 ,they    
informed us also that there nowhere else
 exists another such tree2 that various 
attempts have been made in various      
,lamaseries of ,tartary and ,thibet to  
propagate it by seeds and cuttings1 but 
that all these attempts have been       
fruitless4  ,the ,emperor ,khang-,hi1   
when upon a pilgrimage to ,kounboum1    
constructed1 at his own private expense1
 a dome of silver over the ,tree of ,ten
 ,thousand ,images2 moreover1 he made a 
present to the ,grand ,lama of a fine   

black horse1 capable of travelling a    
thousand lis a day1 and of a saddle     
adorned with precious stones4 ,the horse
 is dead1 but the saddle is still shown 
in one of the ,buddhist temples1 where  
it is an object of special veneration4  
,before quitting the ,lamasery1         
,khang-,hi endowed it with a yearly     
revenue for the support of #cej ,lamas4 
,sir ,william ,ousely says that when in 
,persia he endeavoured to obtain        
information from the people respecting  
the ideas generally formed of ,peries or
 ,fairies2 imaginary creatures1         
beautiful and benevolent2 also of the   
,ghles or ,demons of the ,desert1 a     
hideous race1 that sometimes haunt      
cemeteries1 and particularly infest a   
dreary tract in the ,north of ,persia1  
not far from ,tehern1 bearing the       
portentous name of ,melek al mowt dereh1
 or ,valley of the ,angel of ,death4    
,concerning the ,jins or ,gen1 he found 
they were not restricted to any         
particular region1 but that the gigantic

 monsters called ,dives or ,dibes1      
resided peculiarly among the rocks and  
forests of ,mazenderan or ,hyrcania4    
,he then proceeds3--,those preternatural
 beings1 and others which shall be      
hereafter mentioned1 were the subjects  
of our conversation when we passed by an
 old and withered tree half covered with
 rags1 fastened as votive offerings1 to 
the branches2 it being one of those     
entitled by the ,persians dirakht i     
fzel1 'excellent or beneficial trees1'  
and held in superstitious veneration4 ,i
 had already seen four or five near     
,a'bdi1 and two or three previously in  
other places1 since our departure from  
,bushehr2 and now ascertained that their
 supposed sanctity did not depend either
 on the species1 the size1 or beauty of 
the trees2 nor on their age1 although   
most were old2 but often proceeded from 
accidental1 and even trivial            
circumstances2 yet since the reverence  
paid to trees seemed nearly as ancient1 
and as widely diffused as any other form

 of superstition1 ,i have been          
frequently induced to make it the object
 of personal inquiry among ,asiatics1   
and of literary research at home4 ,the  
result now before me would constitute a 
volume of no inconsiderable size1 for   
the subject may be traced from this     
present day to the earliest ages of     
which written records furnish an        
account2 through every country of the   
old1 and1 probably1 of the new world4   
,the sacred ,hebrew scriptures allude to
 it in many places2 we find it mentioned
 by ,greek and ,roman authors2 various  
anecdotes respecting it occur in        
,eastern manuscripts2 and it has been   
noticed by several ,european travellers 
and antiquaries4  ,further in his work1 
the same author observes3--,however     
replete with interesting objects1 the   
ample field of antiquarian research     
offers but few to our notice under a    
more attractive form than trees1 whether
 we regard them as distinguishing       
remarkable spots1 the scenes of         

memorable transactions1 as dedicated to 
certain divinities1 or1 as in some      
cases1 almost identified with those     
divinities themselves4  ,it is not my   
intention1 nor is it necessary here1 to 
trace back the history of that          
veneration with which particular trees  
have been honoured in all ages1 and1 ,i 
believe1 in all countries4 ,the         
,biblical reader will easily recollect  
many important trees besides that which 
stood in the midst of the garden of     
,eden1 emphatically styled the 'tree of 
life1' and the 'tree of knowledge of    
good and evil4' ,he will recollect the  
idolatrous worship in groves1 and under 
every green tree 7,exod4 xxxiv4 #ac1    
,deut4 xvi4 #ba1 c47 ,the oak by        
,shechem1 under which ,jacob hid all the
 idols and earrings 7,gen4 xxxv4 #d74   
,the oak near ,bethel which marked the  
grove of ,deborah1 and was significantly
 called ,allonbachuth 7,gen4 xxxv4 #h74 
,the palm tree under which ,deborah1 the
 prophetess1 dwelt 7,judges iv4 #e74    

,the oak under which sat 'the man of    
,god' 7,kings xiii4 #ad74 ,the oak in   
,ophrah1 under which the angel of ,god  
appeared unto ,gideon and conversed with
 him 7,judges vi4 #aa1 #ad1 #af74 ,the  
oak that was in the very ,sanctuary of  
the ,lord 7,joshua xxiv4 #bf74  ,these  
and other trees which we may suppose    
lofty and umbrageous1 such as the oaks  
and poplars and elms1 because the shadow
 thereof is good 7,hosea iv4 #c71 must  
immediately recur to a ,biblical reader2
 but the course of this article will    
remind him also of that humble bush     
which the ,lord consecrated by his      
presence1 when he revealed himself to   
,moses in flaming fire on the mountain  
of ,horeb 7,exod4 iii4 #b1 #d74 ,with   
whatever veneration our first parents   
regarded the trees of ,paradise1 it     
appears that some which grew in natural 
and common earth were actually          
worshipped by the perverse ,israelites  
of early ages1 according to a learned   
,jew1 one of those ,rabbinical writers  

whose authority is most respected4#i    
,but the immediate object of this       
article and the narrow limits of an     
appendix do not allow me to expatiate   
farther amidst the groves of ,scriptural
 history or of ,jewish superstition4    
,nor can ,i enjoy more than a hasty     
glance at those trees reputed sacred in 
classical antiquity2 of which such      
number offer themselves to the          
imagination as would constitute whole   
forests4 ,so frequently were groves and 
woods dedicated to religious purposes   
that at last those very terms 7in ,greek
 alsos1 lucus in ,latin71 implied       
consecration4  ,turning for a moment or 
two to the ,archologia ,grca of the     
learned ,dr4 ,john ,potter1 we find     
numerous interesting items of           
information suitable for insertion here4
  ,the temples in the country were      
generally surrounded with groves sacred 
to the tutelar deity of the place1      
where1 before the invention of temples1 
the gods were worshipped4  ,the most    

usual manner of consecration of images  
and altars was by putting a crown upon  
them1 anointing them with oil1 and then 
offering prayers and oblations to them4 
,sometimes they added an execration     
against all that should presume to      
profane them1 and inscribed upon them   
the name of the deity and the cause of  
their dedication4 ,in this manner the   
,spartan virgins1 in ,theocritus's      
eighteenth ,idyllium1 promise to        
consecrate a tree to ,helena2 for it was
 customary to dedicate trees or plants  
after the same manner1 and with altars  
and statues3    ',we first a crown of   
creeping lotus twine1   ,and on the     
shadowy plane suspend1 as thine2   ,we  
first beneath the shadowy plane distil  
,from silver vase the balsam's liquid   
rill2   ,graved on the bark the         
passenger shall see   ,adore me1        
traveller6 ,i am ,helen's ,tree4'  ,ovid
 likewise1 in the eighth book of his    
,metamorphoses1 speaks of adorning them 
with ribands3    ',an ancient oak in the

 dark centre stood1   ,the covert's     
glory1 and itself a wood3   ,ribands    
embrac'd its trunk1 and from the boughs 
,hung tablets1 monuments of prosperous  
vows4'  ,it may here be farther         
observed1 that altars were often erected
 under the shade of trees4 ,thus we find
 the altar of ,jupiter ,herceus placed  
within the court of ,priamus1 king of   
,troy3    ',within the courts1 beneath  
the naked sky1   ,an altar rose2 an aged
 laurel by2   ,that o'er the hearth and 
household gods displayed   ,a solemn    
gloom1 a deep majestic shade4'  ,but    
where groves of trees could be had1 they
 were preferred before any other place4 
,it was so common to erect altars and   
temples in groves1 and to dedicate them 
to religious uses1 that all sacred      
places1 even those where no trees were  
to be seen1 were called groves1 as we   
learn from ,strabo4#aj ,and it seems to 
have been a general custom which        
prevailed1 not only in ,europe1 but over
 all the eastern countries1 to attribute

 a sort of religion to groves4 ,hence1  
among other precepts1 whereby the ,jews 
were kept from the imitation of the     
,pagan religion1 this was one3 ',thou   
shalt not plant thee a grove of any     
trees near unto the altar of the ,lord  
thy ,god' 7,deut4 xvi4 #ba74  ,this     
practice is thought to have been        
introduced into ,greece from ,phoenicia 
by ,cadmus4 ,and some are of opinion    
that hence ,ascra1 a village in         
,boeotia1 where ,hesiod was born1       
received its name4 ,several causes are  
assigned why groves came into so general
 request4  ,at first1 the pleasantness  
of such places was apt to allure the    
people1 and to beget in them a love for 
the religious worship which was paid    
there2 especially in hot countries1     
where nothing is more delightful and    
refreshing than cool shades2 for which  
cause the sacred groves consisted of    
tall and beautiful trees1 rather than   
such as yield fruit4 ,hence ,cyril does 
expressly distinguish the tree fit for  

groves from that which bears fruit1 it  
being the custom to plant groves1 not   
with vines or fig trees1 or others which
 produced fruit1 but only with trees    
which afford no fruit for human use1    
merely for the sake of pleasure4 ,thus  
one of the temples of ,diana is         
described by ,herodotus as standing     
within a grove of the largest trees4    
,and the way to ,mercury's temple was   
set up on both sides with trees reaching
 up to heaven1 as we are told by the    
same historian4 ,the same is farther    
confirmed by the descriptions of groves 
which remain in the ancient poets4      
,secondly1 the solitude of groves was   
thought very fit to create a religious  
awe and reverence in the minds of the   
people4 ,thus we are told by ,pliny1    
that in groves1 ipsa silentia adoramus1 
the very silence of the place becomes   
the object of our adoration4 ,seneca    
also observes1 that when we come into   
such places1 illa proceritas sylv1 et   
secretum loci1 et admiratio umbr1 fidem 

numinis facit1 the height of the trees1 
the solitude and secrecy of the place1  
and the horror which the shade strikes  
into us1 does possess us with an opinion
 that some deity inhabits there4  ,it   
may not be impertinent to add one       
testimony more from ,ovid1 who speaks   
thus3    ',a darksome grove of oak was  
spread out near1   ,whose gloom         
impressive told1 ,a ,god dwells here4'  
,thirdly1 some are of opinion that      
groves derived their religion from the  
primitive ages of men1 who lived in such
 places before the building of houses4  
,thus ,tacitus reports of the ancient   
,germans1 that they had no other defence
 for their infants against wild beasts  
or the weather than what was afforded   
ramorum nexu1 by boughs of trees        
compacted together4 ,all other nations  
lived at first in the same manner2 which
 was derived from ,paradise1 the seat of
 the first parents of mankind4 ,and it  
is not unworthy of observation1 that    
most of the ceremonies used in religion 

were first taken from the customs of    
human life4444  ,in latter ages1 when   
cities began to be filled with people1  
and men to delight in magnificent       
edifices and costly ornaments1 more than
 the country and primitive way of       
living1 groves by degrees came into     
disuse4 ,yet such of the groves as      
remained from former times were still   
held in great veneration1 and reverenced
 the more for the sake of their         
antiquity4 ,as in the earlier times it  
was accounted an act of sacrilege to cut
 down any of the consecrated trees1     
which appears from the punishment       
inflicted by ,ceres upon ,erichthonius  
for this crime1 whereof there is a      
prolix relation in ,callimachus2 so in  
latter ages1 the same was thought a most
 grievous wickedness2 whereof it will be
 sufficient to mention this one example1
 where ,lucan speaks of ,csar's         
servants1 in allusion to the fable of   
,lycurgus1 who endeavouring to destroy  
the vines of ,bacchus1 cut off his own  

legs3                                   
',but valiant hands   ,then falter'd4   
,such the reverend majesty   ,that wrapt
 the gloomy spot1 they feared the axe   
,that struck those hallow'd trees would 
from the stroke   ,recoil upon          
themselves4'--,,elton4  ,ouseley        
proceeds--,the trunk or stump of a      
single tree afforded most obvious       
materials for a bust or statue2 and even
 unfashioned by human art1 became on    
some occasions an object of idolatrous  
worship1 whilst any rude flat stone1 or 
heap of earth at its base1 served as an 
altar1 and the surrounding grove as a   
temple4 ,that groves in ancient times   
were considered as temples we learn from
 ,pliny4 ,treating of the respect paid  
to trees1 he says that they were        
formerly ,temples of the ,gods1 and that
 even in his time the rustics1 observing
 ancient usage1 dedicated to the ,deity 
any tree of pre-eminent beauty or       
excellence4 ,there is authority for     
believing that images were placed in    

groves sooner than within the walls of  
religious edifices2 also that in the    
formation of statues1 wood was employed 
before stone or marble1 as appears from 
,pausanias1 and is declared by many     
antiquaries1 as for instance ,caylus1   
,winkelmann1 and ,ernesti4  ,that       
various trees were consecrated1 each to 
a particular divinity1 we know from     
numerous passages so familiar to every  
classical reader1 that ,i need scarcely 
quote on this subject ,virgil and       
,pliny4 ,the statue of each god was     
often 7perhaps generally though not     
necessarily71 made from the tree        
esteemed sacred to him4 ,but ,i shall   
not here trace the idol worshipped while
 yet merely a rude trunk or stock1 and  
in that state called ,sanis1 through the
 ,xoanon1 when the wood was pared or    
shaven until it became a ,deikelon or   
,bretas1 having assumed a likeness1     
however faint1 of the human form4 ,this 
progress has been described by several  
writers on the ,religion and ,arts of   

,greece1 such as ,vossius1 ,gronovius1  
,grnius and ,spence1 as well as those   
already mentioned4  ,but it must not be 
here forgotton that as votive offerings1
 or as tokens of veneration1 wreaths and
 fillets1 and chaplets or garlands were 
often suspended from the sacred         
branches2 a more elegant and far more   
innocent form of homage to a ,divinity  
than 7as among some nations7 the        
staining of trees with blood which had  
just flowed from the expiring victim1   
not unfrequently human4  ,concerning    
those offerings and wreaths and         
chaplets1 a multiplicity of ,greek and  
,latin extracts might here be adduced1  
and illustrated by means of the devices 
on medals1 and sculptured marbles1 the  
paintings on vases1 and other precious  
monuments of antiquity4 ,but the limits 
usually assigned to an appendix admit   
few quotations4  ,sir ,william proceeds 
to notice those lines wherein1          
mentioning the intended consecration of 
a shady plane-tree to ,helen 7who was   

daughter of ,jupiter1 and worshipped as 
a goddess in the ,troad1 in ,rhodes and 
,lacedemon71 ,theocritus#aa describes   
the ,spartan virgins declaring that they
 would begin the ceremony by placing on 
it a twisted or woven wreath of the     
humble growing lotus4  ,and ,ovid's#ab  
mention of the wreaths hanging from a   
sacred tree1 and the addition of recent 
offerings2 and his story of             
,eresicthon1#ac who impiously violated  
the ancient woods of ,ceres1 cutting    
down the sacred oak1 which was in itself
 equal to a grove1 and hung round with  
garlands1 fillets and other votive      
offerings4  ,and those lines in which   
,statius#ad records a vow1 promising    
that an hundred virgins of ,calydon1 who
 ministered at the altars1 should fasten
 to the consecrated tree chaplets and   
fillets1 white and purple interwoven4   
,and the same poet's account of the     
celebrated ,arcadian oak1 sacred to     
,diana1 but itself adorned as a         
divinity1 and so loaded with rustic     

offerings that there was scarcely room  
for the branches4  ,the palm was deemed 
sacred in ,egypt according to ,porphyry2
 and ,herodotus mentions those palms    
that surrounded the temple of ,perseus  
7,lib4 ,,ii41 cap4 #ia72 the grove of   
immense trees1 and the trees reaching to
 heaven1 about the temple of ,bubastis  
or ,diana 7,lib4 ,,ii41 c4 #ach72 and   
those at the great temple of ,apollo    
7,lib4 ,,ii41 c4 #aef74  ,sir ,william  
,ousley says--,we may believe1 also1    
that a sacred mulberry tree gave its    
name1 ,hiera ,sycaminos1 to a town or   
station near the river ,nile4  ,hiera   
,sycaminos1 fifty-four miles above      
,syene1 according to ,pliny1 ,nat4      
,hist41 ,lib4 ,,vi4 c4 #bi2 also in     
,ptolemy's ,georgr41 ,lib4 ,,iv41 c4 #e2
 and in the ,peutingerian or ,theodosian
 tables4     ,,chapter ,,iii4      ,arab
 ,tree ,worship--,story of ,kaimun1 the 
,captive ,slave--,miracle of the        
,date ,tree--,persian ,bushes--,plane   
,tree--,the ,great ,cypress--,the ,old  

,man     of ,diarbekir--,the            
,feroers--,anecdote of                  
,xerxes--,anecdote of a ,merchant       
and his ,wife--,the ,bush of the        
,excellent ,tree--,the ,cypresses of    
,zoroaster--,motawakel--,the ,triple    
,tree of ,abraham--,tree of the ,club of
     ,hercules--,the ,tree              
,menelais--,the ,tree of ,passienus     
,crispus--,the ,virgin     ,mary's ,fig 
,tree--,tree of ,mohammed's ,staff--,the
 ,neema ,tree of the     ,gallas--,irish
 ,superstitions--,saint ,valeri--,people
 of     ,livonia--,destruction of a     
,sacred ,tree4   ,among the ,pagan      
,arabs of a very early date according to
 ,ousley1 was a tree worshipped by      
certain tribes as an idol1 under the    
name of ,aluzza or ,alozza1 according to
 original authority1 cited by the       
learned ,pococke4 ,this is said to have 
been the ,egyptian ,thorn or ,acacia1 a 
reference to which is found in the      
,preliminary ,discourse to ,sale's      
translation of the ,koran4 ,al ,uzza1 as

 some affirm1 was the idol of the tribes
 of ,koreish and ,kenanah1 and part of  
the tribe of ,salim2 others tell us it  
was a tree called the ,egyptian ,thorn  
or ,acacia1 worshipped by the tribe of  
,ghatsan1 first consecrated by one      
,dhalem1 who built a chapel over it     
called ,boss1 so contrived as to give a 
sound when any person entered4  ,the    
manuscript chronicle of ,tabri1 written 
in the ninth century1 says that the     
people of ,najrn 7in ,yemen or ,arabia  
,felix7 had been idolaters1 like all the
 neighbouring tribes1 until a remarkable
 event induced them to embrace          
,christianity4 ,and they had1 says he1  
outside the city1 a date tree of        
considerable base2 and every year on a  
certain day1 they held a solemn         
festival2 and on that day all the people
 assembled round the tree1 and they     
covered it with garments of rich        
embroidery1 and brought all their idols 
under it2 and they went in ceremonious  
procession about that tree1 and offered 

up prayers1 and an evil spirit or devil 
spoke to them from the midst of it1 and 
they having paid reverence to that tree1
 returned4 ,it afterwards happened1     
continues the historian1 that a man of  
,syria1 named ,kaimun1 a descendant from
 the ,apostles of ,jesus1 came into     
,arabia1 fell among thieves1 was taken  
and sold as a slave in the land of      
,najrn4 ,here his master surprised him  
at midnight1 reading the ,gospel by a   
ray of celestial light1 which           
illuminated the whole house1 and ,kaimun
 soon after1 through divine assistance1 
caused the tree which had been          
worshipped as a divinity1 to come forth1
 root and branch1 from the earth2 such a
 miracle effected an instantaneous      
conversion of the people1 who destroyed 
all their idols and became zealous      
disciples of ,jesus4  ,whatever         
circumstances in this anecdote may      
appear marvellous1 there is little      
reason to doubt that a tree was once    
among the objects of idolatrous         

veneration at ,najrn2 and as we learn   
from authentic history1 the people of   
that place were cruelly persecuted for  
their adherence to ,christianity1 by ,dh
 ,nawa's1 also named ,yusef 7,joseph71 a
 prince of the ,jewish religion1 who    
reigned in the sixth century2 about     
seventy years before ,mahommed4 ,that   
the ancient ,arabians practised pagan   
rites1 we learn from ,zakaria ,cazvini1 
who wrote in the thirteenth century4    
,they observed1 says he1 at first1 the  
religion of ,abraham1 but afterwards    
sunk into gross idolatry2 some          
worshipping a stone1 and some a tree4   
,he then relates the story of that      
tree-idol1 ,aluzza1 above mentioned1    
with a slight variation of              
circumstances1 not claiming particular  
notice4  ,the trees and bushes which the
 modern ,persians regard with particular
 respect1 have been noticed by most     
travellers in that country4 ,mr4        
,morier1 in his journey through ,persia 
in the years #ahjh-i 7vol4 ,i41 p4      

#bcj71 says that according to           
superstitious belief1 the rags deposited
 on certain bushes by persons suffering 
from diseases1 and taken thence by other
 patients1 who in turn substitute their 
own1 prove an infallible remedy4 ,in his
 second volume also 7p4 #bci71 he       
mentions the tomb of some ,persian      
saint1 and growing close to it1 a small 
bush on which were fastened various rags
 and shreds of garments2 these1 as was  
generally fancied1 had acquired from    
their vicinity to the saint1 virtues    
peculiarly efficacious against sickness4
  ,in the eighteenth century1 it was    
remarked by ,chardin at ,ispahan1 that  
the religious ,mahommedans chose rather 
to pray under a very old tree than in   
the neighbouring mosque4 ,they devoutly 
reverence1 says he1 those trees which   
seem to have existed during many ages1  
piously believing that the holy men of  
former times had prayed and meditated   
under their shade4  ,he noticed also at 
,ispahan a large and ancient plane1 all 

bristling with nails and points1 and    
hung with rags as votive offerings from 
dervishes1 who1 like monks of the ,latin
 church1 were professed mendicants1 and 
came under the tree to perform their    
devotions4 ,he next describes another   
plane1 said to be in his time above one 
thousand years old2 it was black with   
age1 and preserved with extreme care4   
,this attention1 adds he1 arises from a 
superstitious respect entertained by the
 ,persians for those ancient trees      
already mentioned4 ,they call them      
,dracte fasel1 or the excellent trees1  
venerating them as having been          
miraculously preserved by ,god so many  
years1 because they had afforded shade  
and shelter to his faithful servants1   
the ,dervishes and others professing a  
religious life4 ,another plane1 one of  
these excellent trees1 held in          
veneration1 to which the devout         
resorted1 is then described by this     
celebrated traveller 7tome ,,viii41 p4  
#ahg74 ,one1 also1 at ,shirz1 to which  

they tied chaplets1 amulets1 and pieces 
of their garments2 while the sick 7or   
some friends for them7 burned incense1  
fastened small lighted tapers to the    
tree1 and practised other superstitions 
in hopes of thereby restoring health4   
,throughout all ,persia1 adds ,chardin1 
these ,dracte fasels are venerated by   
the multitude1 and they appear all stuck
 over with nails used in fixing in them 
shreds of clothes and other votive      
offerings4 ,under their shade the pious 
love to repose whole nights1 fancying   
they behold resplendent lights1 the     
souls of ,aoulia or blessed saints1 who 
had under the same trees performed their
 devotions4 ,to those spirits1 persons  
afflicted with tedious maladies devote  
themselves2 and if they recover1 the    
cure is attributed to their influence   
and proclaimed a miracle4  ,the plane   
trees of ,persia1 the reverence paid to 
them as divinities1 and the worship     
accorded them on account of their great 
age1 are mentioned also by others1      

notably by ,father ,angelo1 who resided 
in the country for a considerable       
period4  ,ousley says--,pietro della    
,valle1 in #afbb1 celebrated the great  
,cypress of ,passa1 anciently ,pasagarda
 according to the general opinion2 and1 
nearly two hundred years after1 ,i      
beheld this beautiful tree with         
admiration equal to that expressed by   
the ,italian traveller4 ,he mentions    
that it was regarded with devotion by   
the ,mahomedans2 that tapers were often 
lighted in the capacious hollow of its  
trunk1 as in a place worthy of          
veneration2 the people respecting large 
and ancient trees1 supposing them to be 
frequently the receptacles of blessed   
souls1 and calling them on that account1
 ,pir or 'aged1' a name equivalent to   
the ,arabic ,sheikh2 also ,imm1         
signifying a priest or pontiff2 so they 
entitle those of their sect whom they   
imagine to have died in the odour of    
sanctity4 ,therefore when they say that 
such a tree or such a place is a ,pir1  

they mean that the soul of some holy    
elder1 a venerable personage whom they  
believe blessed1 delights to reside in  
that tree or to frequent that spot4     
,this most excellent traveller then     
observes that the veneration paid to    
trees may be considered as a remnant of 
ancient paganism1 and aptly quotes      
various lines from ,virgil in           
confirmation thereof4  ,similar         
testimony to the above is supplied by   
,barbaro1 who1 two centuries before     
,chardin and ,angelo1 when travelling   
through ,persia observed thornbushes to 
which were attached great numbers of old
 rags and scraps of garments1 supposed  
to be efficacious in banishing fevers   
and other disorders4  ,whatever         
suspicion1 says ,ousley1 may be excited 
by this practice we are discussing1 it  
is certain that the ,mahommedans shudder
 at any imputation of idolatry1 and     
fancy that in their addresses or        
offerings to those trees1 they only     
invoke the true ,god1 the great         

,creator4 ,this will appear from an     
anecdote related by ,saadi1 who was born
 in the twelfth and lived during most   
part of the thirteenth century1 eminent 
among ,persian poets and philosophers4  
,it occurs in the sixth chapter of his  
,gulistan1 or ,rose ,garden1 a work     
which has been published in various     
,european languages1 and so well        
translated into ,english by ,mr4        
,gladwin1 that ,i shall borrow his words
 upon this occasion1 as it would be     
unnecessary and presumptuous to         
substitute my own4 ',in the territory of
 ,diarbeker ,i was the guest of a very  
rich old man1 who had a handsome son4   
,one night he said1 'during my whole    
life ,i never had but this son4 ,near   
this place is a sacred tree1 to which   
men resort to offer up their petitions4 
,many nights ,i besought ,god until he  
bestowed on me this son4' ,i heard that 
the son was saying to his friends in a  
low tone of voice1 how happy should ,i  
be to know where that tree grows1 in    

order that ,i might implore ,god for the
 death of my father4'  ,it seems        
probable that the early ,muselmans who  
invaded ,iran or ,persia in the seventh 
century1 found this invocation of trees 
established there from ages long        
elapsed1 and that they soon adopted the 
popular superstition 7if1 indeed1 some  
practices of the same or of a similar   
nature were not already frequent among  
themselves71 reconciling it to their own
 faith1 by addressing the ,almighty1 or1
 as we have seen1 the intermediatory    
spirits of the saints4 ,by the ancient  
,persians1 especially those who         
professed ,magism as reformed according 
to ,zeratusht or ,zoroaster1            
image-worship and other forms of gross  
idolatry1 were held in as much          
abhorrence as afterwards by the         
,muselmans themselves2 and they         
contemplated the ,sun and its           
representative1 material ,fire1 with    
veneration1 merely as bright symbols of 
the sole invisible ,god4 ,yet in some of

 those sacred books which their         
descendants the ,gabrs and ,parsis      
attribute to ,zeratusht himself 7but    
which we may reasonably suppose were    
compiled in the third century1 from     
fragments of ancient manuscripts and    
from tradition72 it seems that trees    
were invoked as pure and holy1 and that 
a form of prayer 7izeshne7 was          
particularly addressed to ,feroers1 or  
spirits of saints through whose         
influence the trees grew up in purity1  
and which1 placed above those trees as  
on a throne1 were occupied in blessing  
them4  ,from want of a more expressive  
term1 ,i have called the ,feroers1      
'spirits1' but it is not easy to        
describe by one word those imaginary    
creatures2 for1 at first1 they existed  
singly2 were then united to the beings  
which they represent1 forming1 as it    
would seem1 part of their very souls2   
there are ,feroers of persons not yet   
born1 although properly united only with
 rational beings1 yet they are assigned 

to water and to trees 7',les saints     
,feroers de l'eau et des                
arbres4'--,zendav4 ,,ii41 p4 #bhd74     
,some are described as females2 all are 
immortal and powerful1 but beneficent2  
pleased with offerings1 they protect    
their votaries1 and are prompt in       
carrying off the petitions of those who 
invoke them to the mighty ,ormuzd4      
,here we find the supposed agency of    
preternatural beings1 intermediate      
between man and his ,creator2 and to    
this ,i would ascribe an act of the     
great ,xerxes which is represented as   
extraordinary and even ridiculous2 but  
of which1 in my opinion1 the motive has 
not been rightly understood4  ,to       
,xerxes ,i have already alluded as the  
,persian king1 who1 almost five         
centuries before our era1 although he   
may have worshipped ,god under the      
symbol of ,fire or of the ,sun1 appears 
as if willing to propitiate some        
invisible superhuman power1 by offerings
 suspended from the branches of a tree1 

in which he believed it resident4  ,the 
anecdote is first related by ,herodotus1
 and in such a manner as leaves but     
little doubt of its authenticity4 ,the  
fact which it records ,i hope to prove  
conformable with ,persian usage and     
opinion4 ,but many circumstances are    
related of ,xerxes by the ,greek        
writers1 which can scarcely be          
reconciled to probability4 ,xerxes1     
according to that venerable historian   
above-named1 having come from ,phrygia  
into ,lydia1 arrived at a place where   
the road branched off1 leading on the   
left towards ,caria1 on the right to    
,sardis4 ,those who travel by this road1
 says he1 must necessarily cross the    
river ,mnder1 and pass the city of      
,callatebos1 wherein dwell              
confectioners1 who compose sweetmeats of
 tamarish-honey and wheat4 ,xerxes1     
proceeding on this road found a plane   
tree1 which on account of its beauty he 
decorated with golden ornaments2 and    
leaving to guard it one of his troops1  

called the ,immortals1 advanced on the  
next day to ,sardis1 the chief city of  
the ,lydians4  ,this anecdote is related
 with an amplification of circumstances1
 and his own comments1 by lian1 who     
ridicules the ,persian monarch because1 
having undertaken a very important      
expedition1 he pitched his camp and     
delayed a whole day in a desert of      
,lydia1 that he might pay homage to a   
great plane tree1 on the branches of    
which he hung rich garments1 bracelets1 
and other precious ornaments2 and left a
 person to guard it1 as if the tree had 
been a beloved mistress2 such is the sum
 of lian's words4 ,he does not impute   
this act of ,xerxes 7although it wore a 
semblance of worship7 to any religious  
or superstitious motive1 but to an      
absurd admiration of the tree1 an       
inanimate object1 on which from its very
 nature1 says he1 neither the gold nor  
splendid garments1 nor the other gifts  
of that barbarian1 could confer any     
benefit or additional beauty4  ,to the  

same story lian alludes again1 in a     
chapter recording instances of strange  
and ridiculous love2 and it is noticed  
by ,eustathius in his commentary on     
,homer4  ,but these ,greek writers could
 scarcely have suspected the true motive
 of ,xerxes in this act1 since          
,herodotus1 the very historian by whom  
it was first related1 had described the 
,persian religion as incompatible with  
what would appear a kind of idolatry4   
,yet the reader has1 perhaps1 already   
seen enough to convince him that        
,xerxes1 while he affixed his jewels and
 garments on the plane tree1 was engaged
 in solemn invocation2 soliciting1 on   
the eve of an important military        
enterprise1 the ,almighty's favour      
through the intercession of some        
imaginary power4  ,that such is a just  
interpretation of the circumstance will 
further appear when we consider that it 
is not merely in case of sickness       
7though a very frequent occasion71 that 
the present ,muselman ,persians 7no less

 averse from gross idolatry than their  
early predecessors7 invoke the spirits  
supposed to dwell in certain trees1 by  
hanging on the branches pieces torn from
 their garments2 but as ,i have learned 
from several among them1 on every       
undertaking which they deem of          
magnitude1 such as a commercial or      
matrimonial speculation1 the building of
 a new house1 or a long journey2 and as 
almost six hundred years ago1 when      
,saadi wrote his work above quoted1     
offerings are daily made by votaries    
desirous of having children4  ,on this  
subject an anecdote was told by a person
 at ,shiraz1 from whom ,i sought        
information respecting some trees and   
bushes covered with old rags1 in the    
vale of ,abdui and other places4 ,he    
assured me that before the arrival of   
our ,embassy at ,bushehr1 a merchant1   
lately married to a beautiful girl1 but 
who had not yet given him reason to     
expect the blessing of an heir1 was     
travelling with her1 and finding a      

pleasant spot1 halted there awhile1 the 
sun's excessive heat inducing him to    
seek shelter4 ,he perceived at a little 
distance from the road some ancient     
walls1 among which grew a shady and     
handsome tree1 to this he retired with  
his young wife1 leaving the mules or    
horses in a servant's care4 ,the tree1  
from its situation1 had until that time1
 escaped the notice of most passengers1 
and did not exhibit on its branches even
 one votive offering1 but the merchant1 
whose fondest wish was to obtain a son1 
fastened on it a shred torn from his    
clothes1 and the united vows of himself 
and his fair companion were crowned with
 success before the expiration of a     
year4 ,the circumstance being known     
7although some would1 perhaps1 think the
 event possible without any             
preternatural agency71 was ascribed to  
the tree's efficacious influence1 and   
within another year the branches were   
covered with several hundred rags1 by as
 many votaries2 not all1 however1 acting

 from the same motive4#ae  ,as might    
reasonably be anticipated1 the          
imagination has readily lent itself to  
the development and propagation of the  
superstitious idea now under            
consideration1 and we find many an      
ancient bush exalted into a             
,dirakht-i-fazel from the fancied       
appearance of fire glowing in the midst 
of it1 and then suddenly vanishing2 this
 name1 as we have already seen1 implying
 according to ,chardin1 the excellent   
tree1 and bestowed1 as several          
travellers have observed1 on every bough
 or tree that exhibits votive offerings1
 without regard to size or species1 age1
 beauty or situation4  ,where trees are 
generally scarce1 the votary1 says      
,ousley1 must not be fastidious in      
selection2 ,dirakht-i-fazels are found  
near tombs containing the bodies of     
supposed saints1 or ,immzdehs1 but ,i   
have as frequently observed them in     
desert places where it could not be     
imagined that they derived any virtue   

from such sacred relics4  ,as the       
,persian villagers in their rustic      
dialect give the name of fzel 7still    
perhaps retaining its sense as the      
epithet excellent7 to certain           
preternatural beings1 so                
,dirakht-i-fazel would express 'the tree
 of the genii4' ,this circumstance ,i   
learn from a note written at my request1
 after some conversation on the subject1
 by ,mirza ,mohammed ,saleh1 of ,shiraz1
 a very ingenious and well-informed     
young man of letters4 ,and that         
preternatural beings were supposed to   
frequent a certain tree1 ,i learn from  
an author of the twelfth century1 quoted
 by ,hamdallah ,cozvini4 ,he relates    
that among the wonders of ,azerbaijan   
7or ,media7 there is at the foot of     
,mount ,sabalan1 a tree1 about which    
grows much herbage2 but neither is this 
nor the fruit of that tree ever eaten by
 beasts or birds1 as they dislike it1   
and to eat of it is to die4 ,this1 as   
tradition reports1 is the residence of  

jinn or genii4#af  ,the ,,ms4 ,diet of  
,berhan ,kattea1 contains a long passage
 concerning two cypress trees of high   
celebrity among the ,magians1 the young 
plants of which had been brought1 it is 
said1 from ,paradise1 by ,zeratusht or  
,zoroaster himself1 who in an auspicious
 hour planted one at ,kashmr and the    
other at ,frmad4 ,after they had        
flourished one thousand four hundred and
 fifty years1 the ,arabian ,khalifah1   
,motawakel 7who reigned in the ninth    
century71 commanded ,taher ,ben         
,abdallah1 the governor of ,khorsn1 to  
cut them down and send both their trunks
 and branches to ,baghdd1 near which    
city he was constructing a palace4 ,with
 such veneration were these ancient     
cypresses regarded by the ,magians1 that
 they offered1 but in vain1 fifty       
thousand dinars or pieces of gold coin1 
to save them from the fatal axe4 ,at the
 moment of their fall1 an earthquake    
spread consternation through the        
surrounding territory4 ,such was their  

immense size1 that they afforded shade  
at once to above two thousand cows or   
oxen and sheep2 with the branches alone1
 thirteen hundred camels were loaded1   
and in transporting the huge trunks on  
rollers to ,baghdad1 five hundred       
thousand direms 7pieces of silver coin7 
were expended4 ,on the very night that  
they reached the stage next to          
,motawakel's new edifice1 this ,khlifah 
was assassinated by his servants4       
,ousley says--,the assassination of     
,motawakel happened on the tenth of     
,december1 in the year of our era #hfa2 
and not without a strong suspicion that 
his own son concurred in the atrocious  
deed4  ,ancient writings supply an      
abundance of anecdotes relating to      
wonderful trees which have flourished at
 various periods of the world's history1
 but many of these are so thickly       
encumbered with matter purely legendary 
that it is often difficult to           
distinguish the genuine from the        
apochryphal4  ,among others there is in 

a ,greek manuscript preserved in the    
library of ,augsburgh1 and quoted by    
,jacobus ,gretser1 in his work ,de      
,sancta ,cruce1 an account of an        
extraordinary triple tree1 planted by   
the patriarch ,abraham1 and existing    
until the death of ,christ--a period of 
about nineteen hundred years4  ,greek   
writers tell of a wild olive which had  
taken root and grown from the club of   
,hercules1 and ,pausanias describes it  
as existing in the second century4  ,the
 same writer speaks of a number of other
 celebrated trees remaining in his own  
time1 including the large and beautiful 
plane called ,menelais1 which was       
planted at ,caphya by ,menelaus1 when   
engaged in military preparations for the
 siege of ,troy1 or by his brother      
,agamemnon1 described as the king of    
men1 according to ,pliny4  ,an instance 
of tree veneration somewhat similar to  
that recorded by ,xerxes1 already cited1
 may here be mentioned4 ,according to   
the historian we are quoting1 the consul

 ,parsienus ,crispus so loved a certain 
tree that he was accustomed to kiss and 
embrace it1 to lay himself down under it
 and to besprinkle it with wine4 ,the   
kisses and embraces1 says ,ousley1 might
 have authorized lian to give the ,roman
 consul a place in his chapter on       
strange and ridiculous loves4 ,but to   
recline under the shade of a beautiful  
tree seems perfectly natural2 and1      
perhaps1 we may discover in the libation
 or affusion with wine1 something of a  
religious ceremony1 for it appears that 
the tree stood in an ancient grove      
consecrated to ,diana1 and we know that 
wine was sprinkled on trees in the early
 ages1 as still in some parts of        
,france4  ,near ,cairo1 at a fountain   
wherein the ,virgin ,mary washed her    
infant's clothes1 a lamp was1 three     
centuries ago1 kept burning to her      
honour in the hollow of an old fig tree1
 which had served them as a place of    
shelter1 according to the ,itinerario de
 ,antonio ,tenreio2 and ,maundrell1 who 

travelled in #afig1 saw between         
,jerusalem and ,bethlehem1 the famous   
turpentine tree1 in the shade of which  
the blessed ,virgin is said to have     
reposed when she was carrying ,christ in
 her arms4  ,in the time of ,hamdallah  
,cazvini 7fourteenth century71 a dry or 
withered tree distinguished the grave of
 a holy man at ,bastam2 this tree had   
once been 7they say7 ,mohammed's staff1 
and was transmitted through many        
generations1 until finally deposited in 
the grave of ,abu ,abdallah ,dasitani1  
where it took root and put forth        
branches1 like the club of ,hercules4   
,those who injured this sacred tree     
perished on the same day4  ,in the time 
of ,plutarch1 an aged tree still bore   
the title of ,alexander's ,oak1 and     
marked a spot rendered memorable by one 
of that hero's exploits4 ,it stood near 
the river ,cephisus1 and not far from   
the burial-place of many valiant        
,macedonians4 ,how old this tree may    
have been during ,alexander's youth1    

does not appear2 but it grew near       
,cherona where he signalised himself in 
battle #ccg years before ,christ2 and   
,plutarch died #aai years after ,christ4
 ,it may1 however1 have existed to a    
much later period4  ,in ,africa1 the    
modern ,muselmans and ,pagans seem      
equally inclined to distinguish         
particular trees as sacred objects4     
,every tribe of the ,galla nation1 in   
,abysinnia1 worship avowedly as a god1  
the ,wanzey tree4 ,mr4 ,salt confirms   
this statement of ,bruce1 using similar 
language4 ,mungo ,park mentions the     
,neema ,tuba1 a large tree decorated    
with innumerable rags or scraps of      
cloth--a tree which nobody presumed to  
pass without hanging up something4      
,barbot informs us that the inhabitants 
of ,southern ,guinea make offerings and 
pray to trees1 more especially in time  
of sickness2 from an expectation of     
thereby recovering their health4        
,colonel ,keatinge1 in his ,travels in  
,europe and ,africa1 speaks of a        

resemblance or identity between the     
,argali 7wild olive7 and the ,arayel or 
the sacred tree of the ,hindus2 and he  
noticed the offerings strung upon those 
,argali1 rags1 potsherds1 and the like  
trash4 ,why such things were offered1 or
 the origin of such a custom1 no person 
attempts to explain1 but he observes1 a 
traveller will see precisely the like in
 the west of ,ireland1 and will receive 
an equally satisfactory account upon the
 subject4  ,a multiplicity of extracts  
might be quoted to prove how long this  
superstition lingered among various     
nations of ,europe1 besides the ,irish4 
,we need scarcely premise that it was   
widely diffused in pagan times          
throughout those nations4 ,we have      
already seen it among the ,greeks and   
,romans4 ,it flourished among the       
ancient ,germans1 as ,tacitus and       
,agathias inform us2 among the          
,scandinavians also1 and different      
tribes of the north1 according to their 
,edda and other works4 ,the ,druids of  

the ,celts1 ,gauls and ,britons of      
course afford familiar examples4 ,but   
after the introduction of ,christianity 
we find the worship of trees condemned1 
as a practice still existing1 by the    
councils of ,auxerre1 of ,nantes1 and of
 ,tours4 ,it was also strongly forbidden
 by the laws of ,canute1 as may be seen 
in ,wilkins's ,leg4 ,ang4 ,sax4  ,many  
anecdotes are recorded1 says ,ousley1 of
 holy men who exerted themselves in     
efforts to abolish the superstition4    
,thus we read in the ,history of ,saint 
,valeri1 that this pious abbot1 having  
discovered the trunk of a large tree    
which the rustics zealously worshipped  
with pagan devotion1 immediately        
directed that it should be destroyed4   
,notwithstanding such laudable          
exertions1 we learn from ,ditmar1 an    
author of the eleventh century1 that in 
his time the people of ,ridegast1 in    
,mecklenbourgh1 revered a certain gloomy
 forest and were afraid to touch the    
trees of which it was composed4         

,leonard ,rubenus1 late in the sixteenth
 century1 found ,livonia still infected 
with the idolatrous veneration of trees2
 for passing through the sacred woods of
 the ,esthonians1 he perceived an       
immense pine1 which the neighbouring    
people adored1 loading its branches with
 pieces of old cloth1 and expecting that
 any injury offered to it would be      
attended with some miraculous           
punishment4 ,rubenus1 however1 tells us 
that he cut on this pine the figure of a
 cross1 and1 lest the superstition      
should be thereby augmented1 he         
afterwards marked on it the form of a   
gibbet1 in contempt for the tree1       
regarded by those rustics as their god4 
,at a much later period this kind of    
idolatry existed among the same people4 
,abel ,burja1 who visited them in #aggg1
 mentions their sacred trees1 and       
relates an anecdote which he heard at   
,petersburgh from a priest of ,finland1 
whose father had likewise exercised the 
sacerdotal office in that country1 where

 his parishioners had long honoured a   
certain tree with religious homage4     
,this worthy pastor1 having excited the 
good humour of those peasants1 whom he  
treated with brandy1 exhorted them to   
cut down the object of their            
superstitious worship1 but they refused 
to touch it1 fearing that on the first  
application of an axe they should be    
destroyed by thunderbolt4 ,their pastor1
 however1 struck it with impunity2      
encouraged by the brandy1 they followed 
his example1 and soon prostrated the    
ancient tree4#ag     ,,chapter ,,iv4    
,the ,bogaha of ,ceylon1 or ,god        
,trees--,the ,maha ,wanse and the       
,bo-,tree--,ceremonies connected with   
the ,transplantation of the             
,bo-,tree--,planting the ,great         
,bo-,branch--,miracles of the           
,bo-,tree--,the     ,state              
,elephant--,the ,pipal ,tree4   ,ceylon 
had its ,bogaha1 or ,god ,tree1 and when
 ,sir ,william ,ousley was in that      
country in #ahaj1 he was presented with 

a number of pieces of the wood found in 
its forests1 among the collection were  
samples of the ,bogaha tree1 venerated1 
he says1 by the natives as sacred4 ,a   
note from ,knox's ,historical ,relation 
of the ,island of ,ceylon1 says--,i     
shall mention but one tree more1 as     
famous and highly set by as any of the  
rest1 if not more1 though it bears no   
fruit1 the benefit consisting chiefly in
 the holiness of it4 ,this tree they    
call ,bogauhah2 we1 the ,god ,tree4 ,it 
is very great and spreading2 the leaves 
always shake like an asp4 ,they have a  
great veneration for these trees1       
worshipping them upon a tradition that  
,buddou1 a great god among them1 when he
 was upon the earth1 did use to sit     
under this kind of trees4 ,there are    
many of these trees1 which they plant   
all the land over1 and have more care of
 than of any other4 ,they pave round    
about them like a key1 sweep often under
 them to keep them clean2 they light    
lamps and set up their images under     

them1 and a stone table is laid under   
some of them to lay their sacrifices on2
 they set them everywhere in towns and  
highways1 where any convenient places   
are2 they serve also for shade to       
travellers2 they will also set them in  
memorial of persons deceased1 to wit1   
there where their bodies were burnt4 ,it
 is religion also to sweep under the    
,bogauhah1 or ,god ,tree1 and keep it   
clean4 ,it is held meritorious to plant 
them1 which1 they say1 he that does     
shall die within a short time after and 
go to heaven4 ,but the oldest men only  
that are nearest death in the course of 
nature do plant them1 and none else1 the
 younger sort desiring to live a little 
longer in this world before they go to  
the other4  ,the ,maha ,wanse1 the      
principal native historical record in   
,ceylon1 supplies a great deal of       
interesting information respecting the  
sacred trees of that country1 notably of
 the ,bo-,tree4 ,chapter #ah1 as        
translated from the ,pali by the ,hon4  

,george ,turnour1 is particularly       
important4 ,the ruler of the land1      
meditating in his own palace on the     
proposition of the thero1 of bringing   
over the great ,bo-,tree as well as the 
theri ,sanghamitta2 on a certain day1   
within the term of that 'wasso1' seated 
by the thero1 and having consulted his  
ministers1 he himself sent for and      
advised with his maternal nephew1 the   
minister ,aritho4 ,having selected him  
for that mission1 the king addressed    
this question to him3 ',my child1 art   
thou willing1 repairing to the court of 
,dhammasoko1 to escort hither the great 
,bo-,tree and the theri ,sanghamitta8'  
',gracious lord1 ,i am willing to bring 
these from thence hither1 provided on my
 return to this land1 ,i am permitted to
 enter into the priesthood4' ,the       
monarch replying1 ',be it so1' deputed  
him thither4 ,he1 conforming to the     
injunction both of the thero and of the 
sovereign1 respectfully took his leave4 
,the individual so delegated1 departing 

on the second day of the increasing moon
 of the month 'assayujo1' embarked at   
,jambokolapattana4  ,having departed1   
under the 7divine7 injunction of the    
thero1 traversing the ocean1 he reached 
the delightful city of ,puppa on the    
very day of his departure4  ,the        
princess ,anula1 together with five     
hundred virgins1 and also with five     
hundred of the women of the palace1     
having conformed to the pious           
observances of the 'dasasil' order1 clad
 in yellow garments1 and strenuously    
endeavouring to attain the superior     
grades of the sanctification1 is looking
 forward to the arrival of the theri to 
enter into the priesthood2 leading a    
devotional life of piety in a delightful
 sacerdotal residence1 provided 7for    
them7 by the king1 in a certain quarter 
of the city which had previously been   
the domicile of the minister ,dono4 ,the
 residence occupied by such pious       
devotees has become from that           
circumstance1 celebrated in ,lanka by   

the name ',upasaka4' ,thus spoke        
,maharittho1 the nephew 7of             
,dewananpiyatisso71 announcing the      
message of the king1 as well as of the  
thero1 to ,dhammasoko2 and added1       
',sovereign of elephants6 the consort of
 thy ally the king 7of ,lanka71 impelled
 by the desire of devoting herself to   
the ministry of ,buddho1 is             
unremittingly leading the life of a     
pious devotee1 for the purpose of       
ordaining her a priestess1 deputing     
thither the theri ,sanghamitta1 send    
also with her the right branch of the   
great ,bo-,tree4'  ,he next explained to
 the theri herself the intent of the    
message of the thero 7her brother       
,mahindo74 ,the said theri1 obtaining an
 audience of her father1 communicated to
 him the message of the thero4 ,the     
monarch replied 7addressing her at once 
reverentially and affectionately71 ',my 
mother6 bereaved of thee1 and separated 
from my children and grandchildren1 what
 consolation will there be left         

wherewith to alleviate my affliction8'  
,she rejoined1 ',maharaja1 the          
injunction of my brother 7,mahindo7 is  
imperative2 and those who are to be     
ordained are many2 on that account it is
 meet that ,i should repair thither4'   
,the king 7thereupon7 thus              
meditated--',the great ,bo-,tree is     
rooted to the earth2 it cannot be meet  
to lop it with any weapon3 by what means
 then can ,i obtain a branch thereof8'  
,this lord of the land1 by the advice of
 the minister ,mahadevo1 having invited 
the priesthood to a repast1 thus        
inquired 7of the high-priest73 ',lord1  
is it meet to transmit 7a branch of7 the
 great ,bo-,tree to ,lanka8' ,the       
chief-priest1 the son of ,moggali1      
replied3 ',it is fitting it should be   
sent2' and propounded to the monarch the
 five important resolves of 7,buddho7   
the deity gifted with five means of     
perception4 ,the lord of the land1      
hearing this reply1 rejoicing thereat1  
ordered the road to the ,bo-,tree1      

distant 7from ,patalipatto7 seven       
yojanas1 to be swept1 and perfectly     
decorated in every respect2 and for the 
purpose of having the vase made1        
collected gold4 ,wissakammo himself     
assuming the character of a jeweller1   
and repairing thither1 enquired 'of what
 size shall ,i construct the vase8' ,on 
being told--'make it1 deciding on the   
size thyself'--receiving the gold1 he   
moulded it 7exclusively7 with his own   
hand1 and instantly perfecting that     
vase1 nine cubits in circumference1 five
 cubits in depth1 three cubits in       
diameter1 eight inches in thickness1 and
 in the rim of the mouth of the         
thickness of the trunk of a full-grown  
elephant1 he departed4  ,the monarch    
causing that vase1 resplendent like the 
meridian sun1 to be brought1 attended by
 the four constituent hosts of his      
military array1 and by the great body of
 the priesthood1 which extended over    
five yojanas in length and three in     
breadth1 repaired to the great          

,bo-,tree1 which was decorated with     
every variety of ornament2 glittering   
with the variegated splendour of gems2  
decked with rows of streaming banners2  
laden with offerings of flowers of every
 hue2 and surrounded by the sound of    
every description of music2 encircling  
it with this concourse of people1 he    
screened 7the ,bo-,tree7 with a curtain4
 ,a body of a thousand priests1 with the
 chief thero 7son of ,maggali7 at their 
head1 having 7by forming an inner       
circle7 enclosed the sovereign himself  
as well as the great ,bo-,tree most     
completely2 with uplifted clasped hands 
7,dhammasako7 gazed on the great        
,bo-,tree4  ,while thus gazing 7on the  
,bo-,tree7 a portion thereof1 being four
 cubits of the branch1 remained visible1
 and the other branches vanished4       
,seeing this miracle1 the ruler of the  
world1 overjoyed1 exclaimed1 ',i make an
 offering of my empire to the great     
,bo-,tree4' ,the lord of the land       
7thereupon7 invested the great ,bo-,tree

 with the empire4 ,making flower and    
other offerings to the great ,bo-,tree1 
he walked round it4 ,having bowed down1 
with uplifted hands1 at eight places2   
and placed that precious vase on a      
golden chair1 studded with various gems1
 of such a height that the branch could 
be easily reached1 he ascended it       
himself for the purpose of obtaining the
 supreme branch4 ,using vermillion in a 
golden pencil1 and therewith making a   
streak on the branch1 he pronounced this
 confession of his faith4 ',if this     
supreme right ,bo branch detached from  
this ,bo-,tree is destined to depart    
from hence to the land of ,lanka1 let   
it1 self-severed1 instantly transplant  
itself into the vase3 then1 indeed1 ,i  
shall have implicit faith in the        
religion of ,buddho4'  ,the ,bo branch  
severing itself at the place where the  
streak was made1 hovered over the mouth 
of the vase 7which was7 filled with     
scented soil4  ,the monarch then        
encircled the branch with 7two7 streaks 

above the original streak1 at intervals 
of three inches3 from the original      
streak1 the principal1 and from the     
other streaks1 minor roots1 ten from    
each1 shooting forth and brilliant1 from
 their freshness1 descended 7into the   
soil in the vase74 ,the sovereign on    
witnessing this miracle 7with uplifted  
hands7 set up a shout1 while yet        
standing on the golden chair1 which was 
echoed by the surrounding spectators4   
,the delighted priesthood expressed     
their joy by shouts of ',sadhu1' and the
 crowding multitude1 waving thousands of
 cloths over their heads1 cheered4      
,thus this 7branch of the7 great        
,bo-,tree established itself in the     
fragrant soil 7in the vase7 with a      
hundred roots1 filling with delight the 
whole attendant multitude4 ,the stem    
thereof was ten cubits high3 there were 
five branches1 each four cubits long1   
adorned with five fruits each4 ,from the
 7five main7 branches many lateral      
branches amounting to a thousand were   

formed4 ,such was this miraculous and   
delightful-creating ,bo-,tree4  ,the    
instant the great ,bo branch was planted
 in the vase1 the earth quaked1 and     
numerous miracles were performed4 ,by   
the din of the separately heard sound of
 various musical instruments--by the    
',sadhus' shouted1 as well by devos and 
men of the human world1 as by the host  
of devos and brahmas of the heavens--by 
the howling of the elements1 the roar of
 animals1 the screeches of birds1 and   
the yells of the yakkhas1 as well as    
other fierce spirits1 together with the 
crashing concussions of the earthquake1 
they constituted an universal chaotic   
uproar4  ,from the fruits and leaves of 
the ,bo branch1 brilliant rags of the   
six primitive colours issuing forth1    
illuminated the whole 'chakkawalan4'    
,then the great ,bo branch1 together    
with its vase1 springing up into the air
 7from the golden chair71 remained      
invisible for seven days in the snowy   
regions of the skies4  ,the monarch     

descending from the chair1 and tarrying 
on that spot for those seven days1      
unremittingly kept up in the fullest    
formality1 a festival of offerings to   
the ,bo branch4 ,at the termination of  
the seventh day1 the spirits which      
preside over elements 7dispelling the   
snowy clouds71 the beams of the moon    
enveloped the great ,bo branch4  ,the   
enchanting great ,bo branch1 together   
with the vase1 remaining poised in the  
firmament1 displayed itself to the whole
 multitude4 ,having astounded the       
congregation by the performance of many 
miracles1 the great ,bo branch descended
 to the earth4  ,the great monarch1     
overjoyed at these various miracles1 a  
second time made an offering of the     
empire to the great ,bo4 ,having thus   
invested the great ,bo with the whole   
empire1 making innumerable offerings1 he
 tarried there for seven days longer4   
,on the fifteenth being the full moon   
day of the bright half of the month     
assayujo 7the king7 took possession of  

the great ,bo branch4 ,at the end of two
 weeks from that date1 being the        
fourteenth day of the dark half of the  
month assayujo1 the lord of chariots1   
having had his capital fully ornamented 
and a superb hall built1 placing the    
great ,bo branch in a chariot1 on that  
very day brought it in a procession of  
offering 7to the capital74  ,on the     
first day of the bright half of the     
month ',kattiko1' having deposited the  
great ,bo branch under the great ,sal   
tree in the south-east quarter 7of      
,patilaputto7 he daily made innumerable 
offerings thereunto4  ,on the           
seventeenth day after he had received   
charge of it1 its new leaves sprouted   
forth simultaneously4 ,from that        
circumstance also the monarch1          
overjoyed1 a third time dedicated the   
empire to the great ,bo-,tree4  ,the    
ruler of men1 having thus finally       
invested the great ,bo branch with the  
whole empire1 made various offerings to 
the said tree4  ,the lord of chariots   

assigned for the custody of the ,bo     
branch1 eighteen personages of royal    
blood1 eighteen members of noble        
families1 eight of the ,brahman caste1  
and eight of the ,settha caste4 ,in like
 manner eight of each of the            
agricultural and domestic castes1 as    
well as of weavers and potters1 and of  
all other castes3 as also ,nagas and    
,yakkos4 ,this delight in donations1    
bestowing vases of gold and silver1     
eight of each 7to water the ,bo branch  
with71 embarking the great ,bo branch in
 a superbly decorated vessel on the     
river 7,ganges71 and embarking likewise 
the high-priestess ,sanghamitta with her
 eleven priestesses1 and the ambassador1
 ,arittho at the head 7of his mission72 
7the monarch7 departing out of his      
capital1 and preceding 7the river       
procession with his army7 through the   
wilderness of ,winjha1 reached          
,tamalitta on the seventh day4 ,the     
devas and men 7during his land progress7
 kept up splendid festivals of offerings

 7on the river71 and also reached 7the  
port of embarkation7 on the seventh day4
  ,the sovereign disembarking the ,bo   
branch on the shore of the main ocean1  
again made an offering of his empire4   
,this delighter of good works having    
thus finally invested the great ,bo     
branch with the whole empire1 on the    
first day of the bright half of the moon
 in the month of ',maggasiro2' thereupon
 he 7gave direction7 that the great ,bo 
branch which was deposited 7at the foot 
of the ,sal tree7 should be lifted up by
 the aforesaid four high caste tribes   
7assisted7 by the other eight persons of
 each of the other castes4 ,the         
elevation of the ,bo branch having been 
effected by their means 7the monarch7   
himself descending there 7unto the sea7 
till the water reached his neck1 most   
carefully deposited it in the vessel4   
,having thus completed the embarkation  
of it1 as well as of the chief theri    
with her priestesses1 and the           
illustrious ambassador ,maharittho1 he  

made this address to them3--',i have on 
three occasions dedicated my empire to  
this great ,bo branch2 in like manner   
let my ally1 your sovereign1 as fully   
make 7to it7 an investiture of his      
empire4'  ,the maharaja1 having thus    
spoken1 stood on the shore of the ocean 
with uplifted hands2 and gazing on the  
departing ,bo branch1 shed tears in the 
bitterness of his grief4 ,in the agony  
of parting with the ,bo branch1 the     
disconsolate ,dhammasoko1 weeping and   
lamenting in loud sobs1 departed for his
 own capital4  ,the vessel in which the 
,bo-,tree was embarked1 briskly dashed  
through the water2 and in the great     
ocean1 within the circumference of a    
yojana1 the waves were stilled3 flowers 
of the five different colours blossomed 
around it1 and various melodies of music
 rung in the air4 ,innumerable offerings
 were kept up by innumerable devas2     
7but7 the nagas had recourse to their   
magical arts to obtain possession of the
 ,bo-,tree4 ,the chief-priestess1       

,sanghammitta1 who had attained the     
sanctification of 'abhinna1' assuming   
the form of the 'supanna1' terrified    
those nagas 7from their purpose74 ,these
 subdued nagas1 respectfully imploring  
of the chief-priestess 7with her        
consent7 conveyed the ,bo-,tree to the  
settlement of the nagas3 and for seven  
days innumerable offerings having been  
made by the naga king1 they themselves1 
bringing it back1 replaced it in the    
vessel4 ,on the same day that the       
,bo-,tree reached this land at the port 
of ,jambukolo1 the universally beloved  
monarch ,dewananpiyatisso1 having by his
 communications with ,sumano ,samanero1 
ascertained the 7approaching7 advent 7of
 the ,bo branch72 and from the first day
 of the month of 'maggasiro1' in his    
anxiety to prepare for its reception1   
having1 with the greatest zeal1 applied 
himself to the decoration of the high   
road from the northern gate 7of         
,anuradhapura7 to ,jambukolo1 had       
7already7 repaired thither4  ,while     

seated in a hall on the sea-beach1 by   
the miraculous powers of the thero      
7,mahindo71 he was enabled to discern   
7though still out of sight7 the ,bo     
branch which was approaching over the   
great ocean4 ,in order that the hall    
built on that spot might perpetuate the 
fame of that miracle1 it became         
celebrated there by the name of the     
',sammudasanna-sala4' ,under the        
auspices of the chief thero1 attended by
 the other theros1 as well as the       
imperial array of his kingdom1 on that  
very day1 the nobly formed maharaja1    
chanting forth in his zeal and fervour1 
',this is the ,bo from the ,bo-,tree 7at
 which ,buddho attained buddhohood71'   
rushing into the waves up to his neck1  
and causing the great ,bo branch to be  
lifted up collectively by the sixteen   
castes of persons on their heads1 and   
lowering it down1 deposited it in the   
superb hall built on the beach4 ,the    
sovereign of ,lanka invested it with the
 kingdom of ,lanka2 and unto these      

sixteen castes1 surrendering his        
sovereign authority1 this ruler of men1 
taking upon himself the office of       
sentinel at the gate 7of the hall71 for 
three entire days in the discharge of   
this duty1 made innumerable offerings4  
,on the tenth day of the month1         
elevating and placing the ,bo branch in 
a superb car1 this sovereign1 who had by
 inquiry ascertained the consecrated    
places1 exhorting the monarch of the    
forest1 deposited it at the ,pachina    
wiharo2 and entertained the priesthood  
as well as the people1 with their       
morning meal4 ,there 7at the spot       
visited at ,buddha's second advent7 the 
chief thero ,mahindo narrated1 without  
the slightest omission1 to his monarch1 
the triumph obtained over the nagas     
7during the voyage of the ,bo branch7 by
 the deity gifted with the ten powers4  
,having ascertained from the thero the  
particular spots on which the divine    
teacher had rested or taken refreshment1
 those several spots he marked with     

monuments4  ,the sovereign stopping the 
progress of the ,bo branch at the       
entrance of the village of the ,brahma  
,tiwako1 as well as at the several      
aforesaid places1 7each of which7 was   
sprinkled with white sand1 and decorated
 with every variety of flowers1 with the
 road 7approaching to each7 lined with  
banners and garlands of flowers3--and   
keeping up offerings1 by night and by   
day uninteruptedly1 on the fourteenth   
day he conducted it to the vicinity of  
,anuradhapura4 ,at the hour that shadows
 are most extended1 he entered the      
superbly decorated capital by the       
northern gate1 in the act of making     
offerings2 and passing in procession out
 of the southern gate1 and entering the 
,mahamego garden hallowed by the        
presence of the ,buddhas 7of this       
kappo72 and arriving under the          
directions of ,sumano himself1 at the   
delightful and decorated spot at which  
the former ,bo-,trees had been          
planted2--by means of the sixteen       

princes who were adorned with all the   
insignia of royalty 7which they assumed 
on the king surrendering the            
sovereignity to them71 raising up the   
,bo branch1 he contributed his personal 
exertion to deposit it there4  ,the     
instant it extricated itself from the   
hand of man1 springing eighty cubits up 
into the air1 self poised and           
resplendent1 it cast forth a halo of    
rays of six colours4 ,these enchanting  
rays illuminating the land1 ascended to 
the ,brahma heavens1 and continued      
7visible7 till the setting of the sun4  
,ten thousand men1 stimulated by the    
sight of these miracles1 increasing in  
santification1 and attaining the state  
of 'arabat1' consequently entered into  
the priesthood4  ,afterwards1 at the    
setting of the sun1 the ,bo branch      
descending1 under the constellation     
'rohani1' placed itself on the ground1  
and the earth thereupon quaked4 ,those  
roots 7before described7 rising up out  
of the mouth of the vase1 and shooting  

downwards1 descended 7forcing down7 the 
vase itself into the ground4 ,the whole 
assembled populace made flower and other
 offerings to the planted ,bo4 ,a heavy 
deluge of rain fell around1 dense cold  
clouds completely enveloped the great   
,bo in its snowy womb4 ,in seven days   
the ,bo-,tree remained there1 invisible 
in the snowy womb1 occasioning 7renewed7
 delight in the populace4 ,at the       
termination of the seventh day1 all     
these clouds dispersed1 and displayed   
the ,bo ,tree1 and its halo of six      
coloured rays4  ,the chief thero        
,mahindo and ,sanghmitta1 each together 
with their retinue1 as well as his      
majesty with his suite1 assembled there4
 ,the princes from ,chandanaggamo1 the  
,brahma1 ,tiwako1 as also the whole     
population of the land1 by the          
interposition of the devas1 exerting    
themselves to perform a great festival  
of offerings 7in honour7 of the ,bo     
,tree1 assembled there2 and at this     
great congregation1 they were astounded 

at the miracles which were performed4   
,on the south-eastern branch a fruit    
manifested itself1 and ripened in the   
utmost perfection4 ,the thero taking up 
that fruit as it fell1 gave it to the   
king to plant it4 ,the monarch planted  
it in a golden vase1 filled with        
odoriferous soil1 which was prepared by 
the ,mohasano4 ,while they were all     
still gazing at it1 eight sprouting     
shoots were produced1 and became        
vigorous plants four cubits high each4  
,the king1 seeing these vigorous        
,bo-,trees1 delighted with astonishment1
 made an offering of1 and invested them 
with1 his white canopy 7of sovereignty74
  ,of these eight he planted 7one7 at   
,jambukolopatana1 on the spot where the 
,bo-,tree was deposited on its          
disembarkation2 one at the village of   
the ,brahma ,tiwako2 at the ,thuporamo2 
at the ,issarasamanako wiharo2 at the   
,pattama ,chetiyo2 likewise at the      
,chetiyo mountain wiharo2 and at        
,kachharagoms1 as also at ,chandanagamo 

7both villages in the ,rohona division72
 one ,bo plant at each4 ,these bearing  
four fruits1 two each1 7produced7 thirty
 ,bo plants1 which planted themselves at
 the several places1 each distant a     
yojano in circumference from the        
sovereign ,bo-,tree1 by the providential
 interposition of the supreme ,buddha1  
for the spiritual happiness of the      
inhabitants of the land4  ,the aforesaid
 ,anula1 together with her retinue of   
five hundred virgins1 and five hundred  
women of the palace1 entering into the  
order of priesthood in the community of 
the theri ,sanghamitta1 attained the    
sanctification of 'arahat4' ,arittho1   
together with a retinue of five hundred 
personages of royal extraction1         
obtaining priestly ordination in the    
fraternity of the also thero1 attained  
'arahat4' ,whoever the eight persons of 
the setti caste were who escorted the   
,bo-,tree hither1 they1 from that       
circumstance1 obtained the name of      
bhodahara 7bo-bearers74  ,the theri     

,sanghamitta together with her community
 of priestesses sojourned in the quarter
 of the priestesses1 which obtained the 
name of the ',upasaka wiharo4'  ,there  
at the residence of ,anula1 before she  
entered into the priesthood 7the king7  
formed twelve apartments1 three of which
 were the principal ones4 ,in one of    
these great apartments 7called the      
,chulangono7 he deposited the           
7,kupayatthikan7 mast of the vessel     
which transported the great ,bo2 in     
another 7called ,mahaangano7 an oar     
7piyam72 in the third 7called the       
,siriwaddho1 the arittan7 rudder4 ,from 
these 7appurtenances of the ship7 these 
7appartments7 were known 7as the        
,kupayatthitapanagara74  ,even during   
the various schisms 7which prevailed at 
subsequent periods7 the ,hatthalaka     
priestess uninterruptedly maintained    
their position at the establishment of  
twelve apartments4 ,the before-mentioned
 state elephant of the king1 roaming at 
his will1 placed himself at a cool      

stream in a certain quarter of the city1
 in a grove of kadambo-trees1 and       
remained browsing there3 ascertaining   
the preference given by the elephant to 
the spot1 they gave it the name of      
',hattalakan4'  ,on a certain day this  
elephant refused his food2 the king     
enquired the cause thereof of the thero1
 the dispenser of happiness in the land4
 ,the chief thero1 replying to the      
monarch1 thus spoke3 '7the elephant7 is 
desirous that the thupo should be built 
in the kadambo grove4' ,the sovereign1  
who always gratified the desires of his 
subjects1 without loss of time built    
there a thupo1 enshrining a relic       
therein1 and built an edifice over the  
thupo4  ,the chief theri1 ,sanghamitta1 
being desirous of leading a life of     
devotional seclusion1 and the situation 
of her sacerdotal residence not being   
sufficiently retired for the advancement
 of the cause of religion and for the   
spiritual comfort of the priestesses1   
she was seeking another nunnery4        

,actuated by these pious motives1       
repairing to the aforesaid delightful   
and charmingly secluded thupo edifice1  
this personage sanctified in mind and   
exalted by her doctrinal knowledge1     
enjoyed there the rest of noonday4  ,the
 king repaired to the temple of the     
priestesses to pay his respects to the  
theri1 and learning whither she had     
gone1 he also proceeded thither1 and    
reverentially bowed down to her4 ,the   
maharaja ,dewananpiyatisso1 who could   
distinctly divine the thoughts of       
others1 having graciously consulted her1
 inquired the object of her coming      
there1 and having fully ascertained her 
wishes1 erected around the thupo a      
charming residence for the priestesses4 
,this nunnery being constructed near the
 ,hatthalaka hall1 hence became known as
 the ',hatthalaka wiharo4' ,the chief   
theri ,sanghamitta1 surnamed ,sumitta1  
from her being the benefactress of the  
world1 endowed with divine wisdom1      
sojourned there in that delightful      

residence of priestesses4  ,thus1 this  
7,bo-,tree7 monarch of the forest1      
endowed with miraculous powers1 has     
stood for ages in the delightful        
,mahamego garden in the ,linka1         
promoting the spiritual welfare of the  
inhabitants of ,lanka1 and the          
propagation of the true religion4  ,no  
trees1 perhaps1 are held in greater     
veneration in ,india1 than the ,ficus   
,religiosa or pipal tree4 ,it is known  
as ,rarvasit1 the tree of knowledge and 
wisdom1 the holy ,bo-,tree of the lamas 
of ,thibet4 ,balfour's ,indian          
,cyclopdia says--,this large handsome   
tree grows in most of the countries of  
,asia1 and is frequently to be met with 
near pagodas1 houses and other          
buildings4 ,one at ,gyaine1 ,south      
,behar1 is said to have been that       
beneath which ,sakya was reposing when  
his views as to his duties became clear 
to him1 and if so1 is more than #b1djj  
years old4 ,it is also held in          
veneration by the ,hindus1 because the  

god ,vishnu is fabled to have been born 
under its branches4 ,in the ,somavati   
festival1 the ,mahratta women           
circumambulate a pipal tree1 and place  
offerings on it1 when the new moon falls
 on a ,monday4 ,the pipal tree is       
preferable for avenues to the banyan4   
,the leaves are heart-shaped1 long1     
pointed1 wavy at the edge1 not unlike   
those of some poplars1 and as the       
footstalks are long and slender1 the    
leaves vibrate in the air like those of 
the aspen tree4 ,silkworms prefer the   
leaves next to those of the mulberry4   
,the roots are destructive to buildings1
 for if once they establish themselves  
among the crevices1 there is no getting 
rid of them4  ,it is the most sacred of 
trees with the ,buddhists1 who say it   
was under this tree that ,gautama slept1
 and dreamed that his bed was the whole 
earth1 and the ,himalaya mountains his  
pillow1 while his left arm reached to   
the ,eastern ,ocean1 his right to the   
,western ,ocean1 and his feet to the    

great ,south ,sea4 ,this dream he       
interpreted to mean that he would soon  
become a ,buddha4 ,a branch of the tree 
was sent to ,ceylon in the year #bej    
,b4,c41 by ,asoka--to the city of       
,amuradhapoora--together with certain   
relics of ,gautama3 his collar-bone1    
begging-dish1 c42 and it flourishes     
there as the ,bo-,tree4 ,for upwards of 
twenty centuries it had been an object  
of the profoundest veneration to the    
people1 and particularly to the pilgrims
 in their annual visits to the ruins of 
the city4  ,fergusson says--,whatever   
may be the result of the investigation  
into the ,serpent ,worship of ,ceylon1  
there is no doubt whatever about the    
prevalence and importance of ,tree      
,worship in that island4 ,the legend of 
the planting of the ,rjyatana ,tree by  
,buddha has already been alluded to1 but
 the history of the transference of a   
branch of the ,bo-,tree1 from           
,buddh-gaya to ,anurdnapury1 is as      
authentic and as important as any event 

recorded in the ,ceylonese annals4 ,sent
 by ,aska 7#bej ,b4,c471 it was received
 with the utmost reverence by           
,devanampiyatisso1 and planted in a most
 conspicuous spot in the centre of his  
capital4 ,there it has been reverenced  
as the most important 'numen' of ,ceylon
 for more than #b1jjj years1 and it1 or 
its lineal descendant1 sprung at least  
from the old root1 is there worshipped  
at this hour4 ,the city is in ruins2 its
 great dagobas have fallen to decay2 its
 monasteries have disappeared2 but the  
great ,bo-,tree still flourishes        
according to the legend--',ever green1  
never growing or decreasing1 but still  
living on for ever for the delight and  
worship of mankind4' ,annually thousands
 repair to the sacred precincts within  
which it stands1 to do it honour1 and to
 offer up those prayers for health and  
prosperity which they believe are more  
likely to be answered if uttered in its 
presence4 ,there is probably no older   
idol in the world1 certainly none more  

venerated4  ,stories illustrating the   
peculiar reverence with which this tree 
is regarded are tolerably plentiful1 and
 but for the limitations of our space1  
might be almost indefinitely multiplied4
 ,a writer in ,notes and ,queries       
relates that an old woman in the        
neighbourhood of ,benares1 was observed 
walking round and round a certain       
peepul-tree4 ,at every round she        
sprinkled a few drops of water from the 
water vessel in her hand on the small   
offering of flowers she had laid beneath
 the tree4 ,a bystander who was         
questioned as to this ceremony1         
replied--,this is a sacred tree2 the    
good spirits live up amidst its         
branches1 and the old woman is          
worshipping them4  ,then some           
half-a-dozen years ago1 when ,mr4       
,barnum1 the showman1 of ,america1 was  
completing the purchase of a certain    
white elephant1 it was narrated in an   
,indian paper1 that under the terms of  
sale1 the purchaser was required to     

swear by the holy and sacred ,bo-,tree  
that the animal should receive every    
kindness and consideration4             
,,chapter ,v4      ,sacred ,trees very  
ancient in ,egypt--,hebrew ,trees--,the 
,sycamore at     ,matarea--,ionic       
forms--,the ,koran on ,mary and the     
,palm ,tree--,sacredness     of the     
,palm in ,egypt--,tree ,worship in      
,dahome--,the sacred tree of the        
,canary ,isles4   ,among the ,egyptians1
 from the earliest period of their      
monumental history to the latest1 we    
find represented on tombs and stts the  
figure of a sacred tree1 from which     
departed souls in human form1 receive   
the nourishment of everlasting life4    
,the monuments of the ancient ,assyrians
 also show a sacred tree symbolical of  
the divine influence of the life-giving 
deity4 ,so also do those of the ancient 
,persians1 and it was preserved by them1
 almost as represented on the ,assyrian 
monuments1 until the invasion of the    
,arabs4  ,the ,hebrews had a sacred tree

 which figured in their temple          
architecture along with the cherubim2 it
 was the same sort of tree as that which
 had previously been in use among the   
,egyptians1 and was subsequently1 in a  
conventional form1 adopted by the       
,assyrians and ,persians1 and eventually
 by the ,christians1 who introduced it  
in the mosaics of their early churches  
associated with their most sacred rites4
 ,this tree1 which occurs also as a     
religious symbol on ,etruscan remains1  
and was abbreviated by the ,greeks into 
a familiar ornament of their temple     
architecture1 was the date palm1        
,phoenix dactylifera4  ,but although the
 earliest known form of the ,tree of    
,life on ,egyptian monuments is the date
 palm1 at a later period the sycamore   
fig tree was represented instead1 and   
eventually even this disappeared in some
 instances and a female personification 
came in its place4  ,besides the        
monumental evidence thus furnished of a 
sacred tree1 a ,tree of ,life1 there is 

historical and traditional evidence of  
the same thing1 found in the early      
literature of various nations1 in their 
customs and popular usages4#ah  ,the    
sycamore at ,matarea in ,egypt is still 
shown1 which miraculously opened        
ionically to receive and reproduce the  
persecuted virgin when avoiding the     
cruelty of ,herod4  ,moor1 the author of
 ,oriental ,fragments1 while noting that
 it does not appear that the sycamore   
was especially a mystical tree among any
 ancient people1 and that he does not   
see anything mystical or peculiar in it1
 says3--but here may be traced another  
link connecting through distant         
countries the chain of mystery in this  
line of thought--that is1 of the        
mysticism of clefts or ionic forms and  
transit and trees4 ,those beautiful and 
interesting objects of producing and    
reproducing nature connect themselves1  
in the mystic contemplative eye1 with   
all that is beautiful and interesting1  
and poetical and profound4 ,they point  

up to the heavens1 they strike down to  
,tartarus1 but are still of earth3--a   
,brahmanal triad expressed by the       
,sanscrit word bhurbhuvaswah--heaven1   
earth1 sky--a vastly profound           
trisyllabic-mono-verbal-mythos2 holding1
 like the mighty ,aum1 or ,om1 in mystic
 combination1 the elementals of ,brahma1
 ,vishnu and ,siva4  ,the commendable   
delicacy1 generally speaking of         
,mohammedans1 and the prosaic nature of 
their religion1 forbid sexual allusions 
in their writings1 and without impugning
 their fastidiousness on that point--not
 indeed always observable even in the   
,koran--we find there1 and in the       
commentaries1 a connection of birth and 
tree not very unlike what has been told 
or shadowed respecting ,juno ,samia1 or 
,latona1 and the ,hindu ,samia4  ,in the
 nineteenth ,sura or chapter of the     
,koran entitled ,mary1 much concerning  
the miraculous conception occurs4       
,having praised ,st4 ,john1 as a devout 
person1 and dutiful towards his parents2

 not proud or rebellious1 and invoked a 
blessing on him in these words3 ,peace  
be on him1 the day whereon he was born1 
and the day whereon he shall die1 and   
the day whereon he shall be raised to   
life2 the prophet continues3 ,and       
remember the story of ,mary when the    
pains of child-birth came upon her near 
the trunk of a palm tree4 ,a withered   
trunk1 adds a commentator1 without any  
head or verdure2 notwithstanding which1 
though in the winter season1 it         
miraculously supplied her with fruits   
for her nourishment4 ,and he who was    
beneath her1 continues the ,koran1      
called to her saying1 shake the palm    
tree1 and it shall let fall ripe dates  
upon thee ready gathered4  ,commentators
 differ as to whether it was the infant 
or the angel ,gabriel who so called to  
the mother4 ,they say the dry trunk     
revived and shot forth green leaves1 and
 a head laden with ripe fruit4  ,the    
note in ,sale's translation says3 ,it   
has been observed that the ,mohammedan  

account of the delivery of the ,virgin  
,mary very much resembles that of       
,latona1 as described by the poets1 not 
only in this circumstance of their      
laying hold on a palm-tree 7though some 
say ,latona embraced an olive-tree1 or  
an olive and a palm1 or else two        
laurels71 but also in that of their     
infants speaking4  ,amongst the trees   
held sacred in ,egypt1 the palm ranked  
highest2 and for this reason1 that      
species of tree was most frequently used
 in the sacred buildings of that        
country1 as indeed they afterwards were 
in those of the ,hebrews1 not perhaps   
for the same cause3 for that was        
connected with the ,sabian idolatries1  
which the latter were taught to detest4 
,the real source of the veneration of   
the former for palm trees1 and of the   
general cultivation of that plant in    
,egypt1 which abounded with noble groves
 of them1 is alleged to have been the   
following3 ,they thought the palm tree1 
which is affirmed by ,porphyry to bud   

every month in the year1 a most striking
 emblem of the moon1 from whose twelve  
annual revolutions those months are     
formed4 ,whether or not there be any    
truth in this1 it is not easy to say1   
but it has been remarked by ,pococke1   
that many of the most ancient pillars in
 the ,egyptian temples bear great       
resemblance to palm trees1 and that     
their capitals are made in imitation of 
the top of that tree when all the lower 
branches are cut off2 and possibly1 he  
adds1 the palm trees said to be cut in  
,solomon's temple1 might be only        
pillars1 or at least pilastres of this  
kind4 ,in his plate of ,egyptian pillars
 may be seen various columns of this    
description1 and a very remarkable one  
belonging to the temple of ,carnack4    
,several of the capitals also in other  
plates bear an evident similitude to the
 expanded top of trees with their       
branching foliage cut off or compressed4
  ,captain ,burton in his ,mission to   
,gelele1 says3 ,in the days of ,bosman  

7#agjj7 the little kingdom of ,whydah   
adored three orders of gods1 each       
presiding1 like the several officers of 
a prince1 over its peculiar province4   
,the first is the ,danh-gbwe1 whose     
worship has been described4 ,this       
earthly serpent is esteemed the supreme 
bliss and general good2 it has #ajjj    
,danh'si or snake-wives1 married and    
single votaries1 and its influence      
cannot be meddled with by the two       
following which are subject to it4  ,the
 second is represented by lofty and     
beautiful trees1 'in the formation of   
which ,dame ,nature seems to have       
expressed her greatest art4' ,they are  
prayed to and presented with offerings  
in times of sickness1 and especially of 
fever4 ,those most revered are the      
,hun-'tin1 or acanthaceous silk cotton  
7,bombax71 whose wives equal those of   
the snake1 and the ,loko1 the well-known
 ,edum1 ordeal or poison tree of the    
,west ,african coast4 ,the latter       
numbers few ,loko-'si1 or ,loko spouses2

 on the other hand1 it has its own      
fetish pottery1 which may be bought in  
every market4 ,an inverted pipkin full  
of cullender holes is placed upon the   
ground at the tree foot1 and by its side
 is a narrow-necked little pot into     
which the water offering is poured4 ,the
 two are sometimes separated by a       
cresset shaped fetish iron1 planted in  
the earth4 ,the cultus arborum1 ,i need 
hardly say1 is an old and far-spread    
worship2 it may easily be understood as 
the expression of man's gratitude and   
admiration4 ,the sacred trees of the    
,hindu were the ,pippala 7,ficus        
religiosa71 the ,kushtha 7,cortus       
speciosus71 the sacred juice of the     
,soma1 which became a personage1 and    
many others4 ,the ,jews and after them  
the early ,christians and the ,moslems1 
had their ,tuba or ,tree of ,paradise4  
,mr4 ,palgrave1 traversing ,arabia in   
#ahfb-fc1 found in the kingdom of       
,shower or ,hal distinct tree worship1  
the acacia 7,talh7 being danced round   

and prayed to for rain4 ,in ,egypt and  
other ,moslem lands rags and cloths are 
suspended to branches1 vestiges of      
ancient ,paganism4 ,north ,european     
mythology embraced ,yggdrasit1 or the   
,world ,tree4 ,we no longer approach the
 gods with branches of this sacred      
vegetation in hand2 still the maypole   
and ,christmas tree1 the yule log and   
the church decorations of evergreens1   
holly and palms1 and the modern use of  
the sterility-curing mistletoe1 descend 
directly from the treovveordung1 or     
tree-worship of ancient ,england4       
,captain ,george ,glass1 in his ,history
 of the ,canary ,islands1 chapter #ac1  
on the island of ,hierro1 says3--,on    
account of the scarcity of water1 the   
sheep1 goats and swine here do not drink
 in the summer1 but are taught to dig up
 the roots of fern and chew them to     
quench their thirst4 ,the great cattle  
are watered at the fountains1 and at a  
place where water distils from the      
leaves of a tree4 ,many writers have    

made mention of this famous tree2 some  
in such a manner as to make it appear   
miraculous2 others again deny the       
existence of any such tree1 among whom  
is ,father ,feyjoo1 a modern ,spanish   
author1 in his ,theatro ,critico4 ,but  
he1 and those who agree with him in this
 matter1 are as much mistaken as they   
who would make it appear to be          
miraculous4 ,this is the only island of 
all the ,canaries which ,i have not been
 in2 but ,i have sailed with natives of 
,hierro1 who when questioned about the  
existence of this tree1 answered in the 
affirmative4  ,the author of the        
,history of the ,discovery and ,conquest
 has given us a particular account of   
it1 which ,i shall relate here at large4
  ,the district in which this tree      
stands is called ,tigulahe1 near to     
which1 and in the cliff or steep rocky  
ascent that surrounds the whole island1 
is a narrow gutter or gulley1 which     
commences at the sea and continues to   
the summit of the cliff1 where it joins 

or coincides with a valley1 which is    
terminated by the steep front of a rock4
 ,on the top of this rock grows a tree1 
called in the language of the ancient   
inhabitants1 ,garse1 i4e4 ,sacred or    
,holy ,tree1 which for many years has   
been preserved sound1 entire and fresh4 
,its leaves constantly distil such a    
quantity of water as is sufficient to   
furnish drink to every living creature  
in ,hierro2 nature having provided this 
remedy for the drought of the island4   
,it is situated about a league and a    
half from the sea4 ,nobody knows of what
 species it is1 only that it is called  
,til4 ,it is distinct from other trees  
and stands by itself2 the circumference 
of the trunk is about twelve spans1 the 
diameter four1 and in height from the   
ground to the top of the highest branch 
forty spans3 the circumference of all   
the branches together is one hundred and
 twenty feet4 ,its fruit resembles the  
acorn and tastes something like the     
kernal of the pine apple1 but is softer 

and more aromatic4 ,the leaves of this  
tree resemble those of the laurel1 but  
are larger1 wider1 and more curved2 they
 come forth in a perpetual succession1  
so that the tree is always green4 ,on   
the north side of the trunk are two     
large tanks or cisterns of rough stone1 
or rather one cistern divided1 each half
 being twenty feet square1 and sixteen  
spans in depth4 ,one of these contains  
water for the drinking of the           
inhabitants1 and the other that which   
they use for their cattle1 washing and  
suchlike purposes4  ,every morning near 
this part of the island a cloud or mist 
arises from the sea1 which the south and
 easterly winds force against the       
fore-mentioned steep cliff1 so that the 
cloud having no vent but by the gutter1 
gradually ascends it and from thence    
advances slowly to the extremity of the 
valley1 where it is stopped and checked 
by the front of the rock which          
terminates the valley1 and then rests   
upon the thick leaves and wide-spreading

 branches of the tree1 from whence it   
distils in drops during the remainder of
 the day1 until it is at length         
exhausted1 in the same manner that we   
see water drip from the leaves of trees 
after a heavy shower of rain4 ,this     
distillation is not peculiar to the     
garse or til1 for the bresos1 which grow
 near it1 likewise drop water2 but their
 leaves being but few and narrow1 the   
quantity is so trifling1 that though the
 natives save some of it1 yet they make 
little or no account of any but what    
distils from the til2 which together    
with the water of some fountains and    
what is saved in the winter season1 is  
sufficient to serve them and their      
flocks4 ,this tree yields most water in 
those years when the ,levant or easterly
 winds have prevailed for a continuance2
 for by these winds only1 the clouds or 
mists are drawn hither from the sea4 ,a 
person lives on the spot near which this
 tree grows who is appointed by the     
council to take care of it and its      

water1 and is allowed a house to live   
in1 with a certain salary4 ,he every day
 distributes to each family of the      
district seven pots or vessels full of  
water1 besides what he gives to the     
principal people of the island4         
,,chapter ,,vi4      ,usefulness of the 
,ash ,tree--,its position among ,sacred 
,trees--,the     ,queen of              
,trees--,mythology of the ,ash--,scotch 
superstitious usages--,the     ,ash     
,faggot ,ball ,somersetshire--,pliny and
 others on the ,serpent and     the     
,ash--,the ,ash as a medium of cure of  
complaints--,anecdotes--,phallic        
,associations--,the ,new                
,birth--,ireland and the ,ash--,the     
,juniper     ,tree--,the ,madonna and   
the ,juniper--,the ,elm                 
,tree--,mythology of the     ,elm--,the 
,apple ,tree--,mythological allusions to
 the ,apple ,tree--,the     ,pine       
,tree--,wind ,spirits--,german          
,superstitions--,the ,oak               
,tree--,universal     ,sacredness of the

 ,oak--,the ,oak of the ,hebrew         
,scriptures--,classic                   
,oaks--,socrates and his oath--,greek   
sayings--,the ,trees speaking--,sacred  
,oak of ,dodona--,legend of ,philemon   
and ,baucis--,the ,hamadryads--,the     
,yule     ,log--,st4                    
,boniface--,mysteries connected with the
 ,oak--,the ,christmas     ,tree4   ,the
 ,ash1 while one of the most useful and 
valuable of ,british trees1 demands     
particular attention from the fact that 
it has always held a foremost position  
amongst the sacred trees of ancient     
nations4 ,in the ,scandinavian mythology
 it was the mundane tree--the symbolical
 tree of universal life4 ,best and      
greatest of trees1 it was called1 with a
 triple root reaching to the mythic     
regions of the first giants and the sir1
 and penetrating to the nebulous        
,niflheim1 its majestic stem overtopping
 the heavens1 its branches filling the  
world2 it is sprinkled with the purest  
water1 whence comes the dew that falls  

on the dales1 its life-giving energy is 
diffused throughout all nature4  ,it has
 been said that if the oak be regarded  
as the king of trees and the ,hercules  
of the forest1 the ash may fairly claim 
supremacy as their queen1 and ,gilpin   
terms it the ,venus of the ,woods4  ,at 
its foot is the ,undar fountain where   
sit the three ,norns or ,fates--time    
past1 time present1 and time to come2   
these give ,runic characters and laws to
 men1 and fix their destinies4 ,here is 
the most holy of all places1 where the  
gods assemble daily in council1 with    
,all-,father at their head4  ,these     
three ,norns have a certain analogy to  
the three mythic ,persian destinies     
seated by the fountain of perennial     
life2 and the tree itself is evidently a
 symbol of that inscrutable power which 
is the life of all things2 thus         
representing1 under an arborescent form1
 the most ancient theory of nature1     
analogous to that personified in the    
,indian ,parvati1 the goddess of life   

and reproduction2 also in the ,egyptian 
,isis2 and in the figure so frequently  
met with in the museums of ,italy1      
called ',diana of the ,ephesians1' a    
variety of the ,indian ,maya4  ,in the  
,chinese sacred books1 'the ,taou 7the  
divine reason or wisdom1 but here put   
for the ,deity7 preserves the heavens   
and supports the earth3 he is so high as
 not to be reached1 so deep as not to be
 followed1 so immense as to contain the 
whole universe1 and yet he penetrates   
into the minutest things4' ,the sacred  
ash of the ,scandinavians corresponds as
 a symbol with the ,chinese ,taou4#ai   
,hesiod and ,homer both mention the ash2
 the latter mentioning the ashen spear  
of ,achilles1 and telling us that it was
 by an ashen spear that he was slain4   
,in the heathen mythology1 ,cupid is    
said to have made his arrows first of   
ash wood1 though they were afterwards   
formed of cypress4  ,so much mystery has
 always been associated with the ash    
tree1 that in all ages and in all       

countries innumerable superstitions have
 grown up in connection with it1 and1   
from their modern propagation in an age 
of education1 will evidently die hard4  
,in many parts of the ,highlands of     
,scotland1 at the birth of a child1 the 
nurse puts one end of a green stick of  
this tree into the fire1 and while it is
 burning gathers in a spoon the sap or  
juice which oozes out at the other end1 
and administers it as the first spoonful
 of food to the newly-born babe4  ,in   
,somersetshire1 and some other counties1
 the burning of an ashen fagot is a     
regular ,christmas custom1 and it is    
supposed that misfortune will certainly 
fall upon the house where it is not duly
 fulfilled4 ,in the same county1 there  
is held annually the ,ash ,faggot ,ball4
 ,the fagot is bound with three withes1 
which are severally chosen to represent 
them by the young people present--the   
first withe that breaks in the fire     
signifying that they who selected it    
will be the first to be married4 ,it is 

said that these customs prevail         
extensively where the ,arthurian legends
 are very strong1 and that it is        
probable that the association of the ash
 with ,arthur grew out of its dedication
 to the gods of war1 on account of      
toughness for weapons4  ,while many of  
the surviving superstitions connected   
with the ash may probably be traced to  
,yggdrasill1 it has been observed that  
though ,yggdrasill was an ash1 there is 
reason to think that1 through the       
influence of traditions1 other sacred   
trees blended with it4 ,thus while the  
ash bears no fruit1 the ,eddas describe 
the stars as the fruit of ,yggdrasill4  
,this says ,mr4 ,conway1 with the fact  
that the serpent is coiled around its   
root1 and the name ,midgard1 i4e41 midst
 of the garden1 suggest that the        
apple-tree of ,eden1 may have been      
grafted on the great ash4 ,he also says 
there is a chapel at ,coblentz where a  
tree is pictured with several of the    
distinctive symbols of ,yggsdrasill1    

while on it the forbidden fruit is      
represented partly open1 disclosing a   
death's head4 ,the serpent is coiled    
round the tree's foot4 ,when ,christian 
ideas prevailed1 and the ,norse deities 
were transformed to witches1 the ash was
 supposed to be their favourite tree4   
,from it they plucked branches on which 
to ride through the air4 ,in ,oldenburg 
it is said the ash appears without its  
red buds on ,st4 ,john's ,day1 because  
the witches eat them on the night       
before1 on their way to the orgies of   
,walpurgisnacht4  ,froschmuster along   
with ,pliny records the ancient popular 
belief that a serpent will rather pass  
through fire in endeavouring to escape  
from an enclosed circle than go under   
the shade of or touch the bough of the  
ash4 ,in connection with this1          
,dioscorides affirms that the juice of  
ash leaves1 mixed with wine1 is a cure  
for the bite of serpents4  ,another and 
a studiedly cruel superstition was that 
if a hole were bored in an ash tree and 

a live shrew mouse enclosed therein and 
left to perish1 a few strokes with a    
branch of the tree thus prepared would  
cure lameness and cramp in cattle1      
afflictions supposed to have been       
brought on by the influence of the same 
little animal4  ,in our first volume of 
,phallic ,worship an interesting        
reference was made to certain curative  
properties supposed to be connected with
 the passing of a diseased or afflicted 
body through a cleft stick1 twig1 or    
tree4  ,just here1 when writing upon the
 ash tree1 it is proper again to allude 
to that peculiar custom1 or             
superstition4 ,this tree was long held  
in great veneration even in our own     
country for its supposed virtue in      
removing rickets or healing internal    
ruptures4 ,newspapers and old magazines 
record many instances illustrative of   
the profound faith of many of the       
country folk in this mode of getting    
relief1 and the method of procedure     
appears to have been nearly always the  

same1 and akin to the passing of a      
diseased or polluted person through a   
human image in the eastern parts of the 
world4  ,the author of the ,natural     
,history of ,selborne says that in      
,hampshire a tree was chosen1 young and 
flexible1 and its stem being severed    
longitudinally1 the fissure was kept    
wide open1 and the child to be healed1  
being duly undressed1 was passed three  
times through the aperture4 ,after the  
operation1 the tree was bandaged up and 
plastered over with loam4 ,it was       
believed that if the severed parts of   
the tree united the child and the tree  
gradually recovered together2 if the    
cleft continued to gape1 which could    
only happen through negligence or want  
of skill1 it was thought that the       
operation had proved ineffectual4       
,another account in a newspaper forty   
years ago says a poor woman applied to a
 farmer residing in the same parish for 
permission to pass a sick child through 
one of his ash trees4 ,the object was to

 cure the child of the rickets4 ,the    
mode in which the operation was         
performed was as follows3--,a young tree
 was split from the top to about the    
height of a person1 and laid            
sufficiently open to pass the child     
through4 ,the ceremony took place before
 three o'clock in the morning1 and      
before the sun rose4 ,the child had its 
clothes removed4 ,it was then passed    
through the tree by the woman and       
received on the other side by some      
person4 ,this was done three times and  
on three consecutive mornings2 the ash  
was then carefully bound together4  ,in 
the ,gentleman's ,magazine for ,june1   
#ahjd1 a letter from a correspondent    
says3 ,on ,shorley ,heath1              
,warwickshire1 on the left-hand side of 
the road going from ,shorley ,street to 
,hockley ,house1 there stands a young   
ash tree1 close to the cottage of ,henry
 ,rowe1 whose infant son1 ,thomas ,rowe1
 was drawn through the trunk or body of 
it1 in the year #agia1 to cure him of a 

rupture1 the tree being split open for  
the purpose of passing the child through
 it4 ,the boy is now thirteen years and 
six months old4 ,i have this day1 ,june 
#aith1 #ahjd1 seen the ash tree and     
,thomas ,rowe1 as well as his father    
,henry ,rowe1 from whom ,i received the 
above account2 and he superstitiously   
believes that his son ,thomas was cured 
of the rupture by being drawn through   
the cleft in the said ash tree1 and by  
nothing else4  ,in the month of ,october
 following1 another correspondent says3 
,the ash-tree described by your         
correspondent grows by the side of      
,shirley ,street1 at the edge of        
,shirley ,heath1 in ,solihull parish4   
,the upper part of the gap formed by the
 chisel has closed1 but the lower part  
remains open1 and the tree is healthy   
and flourishing4 ,thomas ,chillingworth1
 son of the owner of an adjoining farm1 
now about thirty-four1 was when an      
infant about a year old passed through a
 similar tree--now perfectly            

sound--which he preserves with so much  
care that he will not suffer a single   
branch to be touched1 for it is believed
 that the life of the patient depends on
 the life of the tree1 and the moment   
that it is cut down1 be the patient ever
 so distant1 the rupture returns1 and   
mortification ensues and terminates in  
death1 as was the case in a man driving 
a waggon on the very road in question4  
,rowe's son was passed through the      
present tree in #agbb1 at the age of one
 or two4 ,it is not1 however1 uncommon  
for persons to survive for a time the   
felling of the tree4 ,in one case the   
rupture returned suddenly and           
mortification followed4 ,these trees are
 left to close of themselves or are     
closed with nails4 ,the woodcutters very
 frequently meet with the latter4 ,one  
felled on ,bunnan's farm was found full 
of nails4 ,this belief is so prevalent  
in this part of the country1 that       
instances of trees that have been       
employed as a cure are very common4 ,the

 like notions obtain credit in some     
parts of ,essex4  ,with regard to the   
choice of a particular tree for these   
superstitious cures1 ,moor says3 ,the   
ash is said to be the tree always       
selected on these occasions1 perhaps    
because it is more easily cleft than    
most others1 and may more readily       
recover of such a wound4 ,i have heard  
of a bramble being substituted1 but not 
on ocular authority4  ,there is no      
passage in the ,christian or ,hebrew    
,scriptures on which1 as concerning the 
ash1 the ,talmudists or ,targumists     
could in such proneness build anything  
mysterious4 ,the ash is but once--,isa  
xliv4 #ad--mentioned in the ,bible1 and 
this is in a plain non-mystical manner4 
,it may here be observed that the ash   
was of old a venerated tree4 ,hesiod    
makes it the origin of his brazen men4  
,among the mysteries of the             
,scandinavians1 the whole human race is 
of the same origin4 ,from one species of
 ash the ,calabrians gather manna4 ,it  

exudes in summer from incisions or      
perforations1 which almost necessarily  
assume1 when made and when healed an    
,ionic form4 ,another species of ash is 
poisonous3 again connecting it with     
,sivaic or ,kalaic fable4 ,the mountain 
ash1 a tree differing generically1 ,i   
believe1 from the common ash1 shares    
also in the mysterious repute4 ,in days 
of greater superstition than the        
present1 it was used as a counterspell  
against witchcraft4 ,if its name of     
mountain ash has been given to it from  
its supposed love of elevated regions1  
it will become more and more connected  
with ,kali1 in her character of the     
mountain-born1 mountain-loving ,diana2  
who1 in one of her characters1          
corresponds with the obstetric ,lucina4 
,a scholar1 duly imbued with mysticism1 
might1 haply1 trace and connect sundry  
poetical and widely-spread superstitious
 allusions to the ash4 ,moor says3 ,only
 one peculiarity in it occurs to me2    
this is1 that the wood of young ash is  

as tough1 hard1 and durable as of old3  
of seven years as of seventy4 ,this1    
with a certain class might seem a type  
or symbol of youth and age4 ,in common  
with the sycamore1 the ash tree bears1  
and is propagated1 by a key1 as we and  
certain other nations call the seed4 ,in
 our volume on ,phallism1 in the chapter
 on the ,crux ,ansata we have seen      
something of the mysticism connected    
with that name and form1 and it is not  
necessary to repeat it here4 ,moor says3
 ,it might be insufferable to hint at   
the ,kalaic sound in the initial of     
,clauis3 and that possibly something    
astronomical may have been fancied in   
the configuration of the spots on the   
singularly disposed black peculiarity of
 the foliage of the sycamore2 such      
leaves moreover in their exterior form  
being triunical and bifurcated at their 
base4  ,a longitudinal wound in the bark
 of a tree will primarily assume the    
,sivaic form--the erect1 obeliscal6 like
 the tree itself1 symbolic of the       

,linga4 ,expanded1 for a mysterious     
purpose--and it is curious what a number
 of such mysterious purposes seem to    
have occurred to prurient eyes--it is   
,ionic4 ,duplicated1 when healing and   
healed1 we find it still of like        
allusion4  ,moor proceeds3 ,in rural    
wanderings ,i have been struck with the 
uniformities of the wounds in           
trees--all1 be they recent or healed1   
incisions or perforations1 in sound or  
hollow trees1 exhibiting that almost    
all-pervading form so mystical in the   
eye of a ,saiva1 or a ,sakti1 or an     
,ioni jah2 and perhaps of ,brahmans     
generally4 ,as such they are borne on   
the foreheads of ,hindus of the present 
day1 as they were of old2 and as they   
probably were also among the ,egyptians2
 and1 more of individual or official    
than sectarial distinction perhaps among
 the ,israelites4  ,with ,hindus1 in a  
word1 it is the form of nature's matrix2
 with ,plutonists1 or ,vulcanists1 or   
,saiva1 it is creation--it is heat--it  

is renovation--it is fire--it is        
regeneration--it is all in all4 ,so it  
is with ,neptunists1 the ,vaishnavas3   
then1 of course1 of aqueous1 in lieu of 
igneous1 reference4 ,what is the sea1   
they say1 but the hollow of the         
hand--the great argha--of nature--or    
matrice of production and reproduction8 
,in the seemingly whimsical operation of
 the cleft tree1 now more immediately   
under our notice1 the all-pervading form
 and feeling may be recognised4 ,a child
 issuing head first 7by some            
practitioners feet first7 through such  
cleft--or a man through a natural or    
artificial similar fissure or cleft in a
 rock1 or through a like form of metal1 
down to the ridiculous cut cheese of    
,oxford--all seem to be indications of  
obstetricity1 and would not fail of     
reminding a 'twice-born' ,brahman of a  
'second birth' or regeneration--of which
 mysterious matter his ceremonial and   
spiritual books abound4  ,the 'new      
birth' of ,christians--let it not be    

deemed irreverent to mix such           
subjects--is expressly declared and     
universally understood to be of grace2  
spiritual1 though it produce no visible 
fruits4 ,superstition1 the offspring of 
ignorance and craft1 may occasionally   
symbolize it into carnality4 ,but such  
is the proneness of ,brahmans to general
 sexualization that although their      
esoteric dogma of regeneration is said  
to be sufficiently guarded on that      
point1 it has notwithstanding1 from such
 proneness1 been degraded into doctrines
 and ritual ceremonies that we may term 
mythological1 or whimsical1 or          
ridiculous1 or worse4  ,the investiture 
of the 'twice-born'--a common           
periphrasis for a ,brahman--of a        
mystical triple cord1 or rather a thread
 diversely re-triplicated up to the     
number ninety-six1 is understood to be a
 purifying rite4 ,this thread has       
several names4 ,that by which it is     
mostly called is ,zennaar4 ,by western  
writers it has been common to call it   

the 'sacerdotal thread1' or the         
',brahminical thread1' meaning thereby1 
probably1 to confine it to priests4 ,but
 it is not confined to priests nor to   
,brahmans4 ,the two next classes wear it
 and are canonically and ceremonially   
entitled4 ,if the reader supposes that  
,brahman and priest are synonymous he is
 in error4 ,with ,hindus all priests are
 ,brahmans4 ,through this mystical      
zennaar1 or vinculum1 the sanctified    
person is passed with endless           
ceremonials4 ,the figurative language   
common in eastern idioms of 'twice      
born1' being 'made whole' c41 is with us
 spirituality4 ,but it is by others     
misunderstood1 and hence those who are  
not 'broken-hearted1' not 'broken in    
spirit1' but broken in body1 seek to be 
'made whole' by a physical rite2 and    
pass regeneratively through a zennaar1  
or a tree1 or a stone1 of a peculiar    
form or figure4#bj  ,in ,ireland the    
mountain ash1 according to a popular    
belief1 was an antidote to charms1 and a

 protective against witchcraft1 the     
evil-eye and disease4 ,in ,scotland1    
known as the rowan-tree or roun-tree1 it
 was similarly regarded1 a branch of it 
being placed over the door of the       
cowshed for the safely of the cattle4   
,the saying was3    ,rowan tree and red 
thread   ,put the witches to their      
speed4  ,its position in ,scandinavian  
mythology we mention at length in other 
pages4  ,pliny says such is its         
influence that snakes will not rest in  
its shadow1 shunning it at a distance4  
,from personal knowledge1 he says if a  
serpent be so encompassed by a fence of 
ash leaves as that he cannot escape     
without passing through fire1 he will   
prefer the fire rather than come in     
contact with the leaves4#ba  ,the       
juniper1 says ,de ,gubernatis1 is much  
venerated in ,italy1 in ,germany1 and on
 the shores of the ,baltic1 by reason of
 its alleged power to dispel evil       
influences4 ,in ,esthonias1 holes and   
crevices in the walls or dwellings are  

beaten with a branch of juniper1 lest   
evil spirits bring sickness there4 ,when
 the wicked spirits draw nigh and see   
the juniper they take themselves off4   
,at ,pistoja the explanation given of a 
local custom of hanging a branch of     
juniper over every door is that whenever
 witches see the juniper they are       
impelled by an uncontrollable desire to 
count the leaflets2 but these are so    
numerous that they can never make the   
number right1 and in despair take flight
 lest they be surprised and detected4   
,there is an analogous belief in        
,germany4 ,in ,waldeck1 according to    
,dr4 ,maunhardt when a child falls sick 
it is customary for the parents to put a
 lock of wool and a piece of bread in a 
bunch of juniper1 that the evil spirits 
may find employment in eating and       
spinning therein1 and so forget the     
child1 with whom it is feared1 they have
 been over busy4    ',ye fiends and     
ministers of hell   ,here bring ,i      
wherewithal that ye may spin1   ,and eat

 likewise2   ,eat1 therefore1 and spin1 
,and forget my child4'#bb  ,in ,germany 
a ,frau ,wachholder 7,dame ,jupiter7    
personifies the genius of the juniper   
tree1 and is invoked to make robbers    
give up their spoil4 ,a branch of a     
juniper bush is bent down to the ground 
and kept down with a stone1 the name of 
the real or supposed thief being        
repeated at the same time1 with         
injunctions to bring back the booty4    
,whenever the desired result comes about
 the stone is removed and the branch set
 free4 ,here seems to be a counterpart  
of the thief-catching staff or rod of   
,indian folk-lore1 which survives in so 
many ,aryan usages and customs4 ,like   
other trees with hispid foliage1 the    
juniper has the special attribute of    
detaining fugitives2 but it sometimes   
shields them as well4 ,an ,italian      
legend described the ,madonna as saved  
in her flight by a juniper bush1 just as
 in ,german story the holy ,walpurga is 
hidden from her pursuers by a peasant in

 a patch of wheat4 ,an aged crone of    
,signa1 in ,tuscany1 thus relates the   
legend to ,de ,gubernatis3--,our ,lady  
was flying with the infant ,jesus1 and  
,herod's soldiers were in hot pursuit4  
,as they went the broom trees and chick 
peas rustled1 risking betrayal2 the flax
 stood bolt upright and apart2 but as   
the fugitives drew near1 a juniper bush 
parted its branches to receive them in  
its friendly embrace4 ,wherefore the    
,virgin then and there cursed both the  
broom and the chick pea1 which from that
 day forth have never ceased to rustle4 
,the fragility of the flax she forgave1 
but she laid her blessing on the        
juniper2 and to this clay at            
,christmastide1 in nearly every ,italian
 stall juniper is hung1 as bunches of   
holly are in ,england1 ,france1 and     
,switzerland4  ,like the holly1 juniper 
drives away evil influences of every    
kind from house and fold1 and is held to
 be peculiarly efficacious in protecting
 horses and cattle from the incorporeal 

monsters which sometimes haunt and      
trouble them4  ,in a very rare little   
work1 published at ,bologna in #afba1   
the author1 ,amadeo ,castra1 makes      
mention of a ,bolognese custom on       
,christmas ,eve of distributing branches
 of juniper to every house4 ,he adds1   
that all writers are agreed as to its   
efficacy against serpents and venomous  
beasts2 that it supplied the wood of the
 cross2 that it covered the flight of   
,elias2 finally arriving at the         
conclusion that the sanctity of the     
juniper equals that of the cedar2 that  
its usage is not a fashion or           
superstition1 but a holy mystery2 and   
that as its fragrant smoke arises from  
our hearths we should remember that so  
should our prayers ascend to the ears of
 the ,deity4#bc  ,the ancients regarded 
the ,elm as a funereal tree1 it is said1
 because it bears not fruit2 but ,de    
,gubernatis supposes because of its     
longevity and the ease with which it    
multiplies4  ,in ,catullus1 the elm is  

the husband and the vine the wife4 ,so1 
too1 the ,sanscrit ,klidasa makes the   
mango the husband of a climbing plant1 a
 species of jasmine4 ,when the charming 
,sakuntala comes into the presence of   
the young king ,dushyanti1 one of the   
female courtiers murmurs in the king's  
ear1 ',this navamallika 7jasmine7 that  
you call the light of the forest is     
married of her own free will to sahakara
 7the mango74'  ,in the ',iliad1'       
,achilles bridges the enchanted streams 
,xanthus and ,simois with the trunks of 
an elm tree4 ,when ,achilles kills the  
father of ,andromache he raised in his  
honour a tomb1 around which the nymphs  
came to plant elms4 ,at the first note  
of ,orpheus' lyre bewailing the loss1 of
 ,eurydice1 there sprang up a forest of 
elms4#bd  ,the ,apple tree was formerly 
supposed to be the ,tree of ,knowledge1 
the fruit of which was eaten by ,eve in 
,paradise2 and it is a curious fact1    
that the apple tree is also             
distinguished by legends in the         

mythologies of the ,greeks1 the         
,scandinavians1 and the ,druids4 ,the   
pagans believed that the golden fruit of
 the ,hesperides1 which it was one of   
the labours of ,hercules to procure1 in 
spite of the fierce dragon that guarded 
them and never slept1 were apples2      
though modern writers have supposed them
 oranges4 ,in the ,edda1 we are told    
that the goddess ,iduna had the care of 
apples which had the power of conferring
 immortality2 and which were            
consequently reserved for the gods1 who 
ate of them when they began to feel     
themselves growing old4 ,the evil spirit
 ,loke took away ,iduna and her apple   
tree1 and hid them in a forest where    
they could not be found by the gods4 ,in
 consequence of this malicious theft1   
everything went wrong in the world4 ,the
 gods became old and infirm2 and1       
enfeebled both in body and mind1 no     
longer paid the same attention to the   
affairs of the earth2 and men having no 
one to look after them1 fell into evil  

courses1 and became the prey of the evil
 spirit4 ,at length1 the gods finding   
matters get worse every day1 roused     
their last remains of vigour1 and1      
combining together1 forced ,loke to     
restore the tree4  ,hercules was        
worshipped by the ,thebans1 under the   
name of ,melius1 and apples were offered
 at his altars4 ,the origin of this     
custom was the circumstance of the river
 ,asopus having on one occasion         
overflowed its banks to such an extent1 
as to render it impossible to bring a   
sheep across it which was to be         
sacrificed to ,hercules2 when some      
youths1 recollecting that an apple bore 
the same name as a sheep in ,greek1     
offered an apple1 with four little      
sticks stuck in it to resemble legs1 as 
a substitute for the sheep2 and after   
that period the pagans always considered
 the apple as specially devoted to      
,hercules4#be  ,the ,pine tree1 from a  
very early date1 has been by many races 
looked upon as sacred4 ,it was          

consecrated in ,greece to ,poseidon and 
,dionysius1 and as sacred to ,zeus was  
beloved by the ,virgins4 ,in the        
pastorals of ,longus1 ,chloe is adorned 
with a ,pinea ,corona as an emblem of   
virginity1 which ,daphne takes from her 
and puts on her own head4  ,diana1 or   
maids mix its chaplets with the mastic1 
as a tree of all others most fruitful1  
but not with the myrtle1 which1 as      
sacred to ,venus1 may not appear in a   
professed virgin's wreath4 7,forlong47  
,the position occupied by the tree in   
,assyria may be seen in ,mr4 ,layard's  
works1 he speaks of it as the sacred    
tree along with the corner stone4 ,the  
corner stone1 says ,forlong1 is usually 
considered the principal stone of a     
building1 hence the principle in each   
religion is called its principal or     
corner stone1 and the fruit of this most
 sacred tree is the commonest and best  
gift to the gods4 ,this is probably why 
we find the tree everywhere1 and why the
 ,assyrian priests are usually shown as 

presenting a pine cone to their gods and
 altars4 ,the seed cone seems1 however1 
to be at times the cone of ,indian corn1
 but ,mr4 ,layard thinks that the pine  
or cypress cone is most used in the     
',cult de ,venus4' ,the ,thyrsus of     
,bacchus1 we may remember1 has a fir    
cone1 and the ,bacchic ,pole is usually 
held to be of pine1 as very inflammable 
and odoriferous--it is remarkably like  
the insignia of ,boodhism and of most   
other faiths1 as the ,tri-,sool or three
 thorns of ,siva1 the tridents of       
,neptune1 and other deities4  ,the pine 
was supposed by some to be inhabited by 
wind spirits1 like ,ariel1 owing to the 
whispering noise proceeding from it in  
the breeze4 ,the legend was that it was 
the mistress of ,boreas and ,pan1 an    
idea acceptable to the ,german mind in  
consequence of its holes and knots1     
which were believed to be the means of  
ingress and egress for the spirits4 ,it 
is told that a beautiful woman of       
,smland1 who was really an elf1 left her

 family through a knot-hole in the      
wooden house-wall4 ,frau ,fichte1 the   
pine of ,silesia1 is believed to possess
 great healing powers1 and its boughs   
are carried about by the children on    
,mid-,lent ,sunday1 adorned with        
coloured papers and spangles2 it is also
 carried with songs and rejoicing to the
 doors of stables where it is suspended 
in the belief that it will preserve the 
animals from harm4  ,in other parts     
superstitions equally striking prevail4 
,in ,bohemia men think if they eat the  
kernel of the pine cone from the top of 
a tree on ,st4 ,john's ,day they will be
 invulnerable against shot4 ,a writer in
 ,fraser's ,magazine in #ahgj1 said that
 he saw sprigs of pine stuck on the     
railway wagons bearing the ,german      
soldiers into ,france4 ,in some parts of
 ,germany it is quite common for a man  
subject to gout to climb a pine tree and
 tie a knot in its highest shoot as a   
cure for his malady1 saying as he does  
it3 ,pine1 ,i bind here the gout that   

plagues me4  ,with many nations of      
antiquity the oak tree was regarded as a
 special object of religious veneration1
 such as the ,kelts1 the ,teutonic      
races1 the ,druids1 the early           
inhabitants of ,palestine1 the early    
,greeks and ,hebrews4  ,between the     
,hebrew customs and those of the ,druids
 a very marked resemblance has been     
traced by various writers of learning   
and ability4 ,in ancient ,jewish history
 the oak is often mentioned and in a    
manner which seems to ascribe to it a   
symbolical meaning4 ,according to ,kitto
 it was regarded as the emblem of a     
divine covenant1 and indicated the      
religious appropriation of any stone    
monument erected beneath it2 it was also
 symbolical of the divine presence1     
possibly from association4#bf  ,from the
 earliest ages the oak has been         
considered as one of the most important 
of forest trees4 ,held sacred alike by  
,hebrews1 ,greeks1 ,romans1 ,gauls and  
,britons1 it was the fear of the        

superstitious for their oracle and at   
the same time the resort of the hungry  
for their food4 ,early history is full  
of references to this tree4 ,in ,genesis
 xii41 #f1 #g1 mention is made of the   
plain of ,moreh1 where it is said ,god  
appeared to ,abram1 the proper rendering
 of the word plain being oak4 ,the plain
 of ,mamre also occurs1 and wherever it 
does should be oak or ash groves4       
,genesis xviii41 #a1 for instance1 where
 it is recorded that the angels         
announced to the patriarch the birth of 
,isaac4 ,this oak1 ,jewish tradition    
says was1 long after ,abraham's time1   
held as an object of veneration1 indeed 
,bayle in his ,historical and ,critical 
,dictionary1 article ,abraham1          
says3--,this puts me in mind of the oak 
of ,mamre1 under which ,abraham is said 
sometimes to have cooled himself4 ,this 
oak1 they tell you1 was standing in the 
reign of ,constantine4 ,loudon mentions 
that this tree or rather the grove of   
,mamre1 is frequently alluded to in the 

,old ,testament2 and in ,eusebius's     
,life of ,constantine we find the oaks  
of ,mamre expressly mentioned as a place
 where idolatry was committed by the    
,israelites1 close to the tomb of       
,abraham1 and where ,constantine        
afterwards built a church4 ,numerous    
other instances may be found of the     
mention of the oak in the ,scripture not
 necessary to enter into here4  ,turning
 to classic lore1 the references are    
even more numerous4 ,we have the oak    
groves of ,dodona1 in ,epirus1 the most 
ancient and celebrated of oracles1 whose
 priests sent out their revelations on  
its leaves4  ,pliny says that the oaks  
in the forest of ,hereynia were believed
 to be as old as the world1 also that   
oaks existed at the tomb of ,ilus near  
,troy1 which had been sown when that    
city was first called ,ilium4  ,socrates
 took oath by the oak2 also the women of
 ,priene1 a maritime city of ,ionia1 in 
matters of importance4 ,on ,mount       
,lycus1 in ,arcadia1 there was a temple 

of ,jupiter with a fountain1 into which 
the priest threw an oak branch1 in times
 of drought1 to produce rain4 ,the      
,greeks had two remarkable sayings      
relative to this tree1 one of which was 
the phrase3 ,i speak to the oak1 as a   
solemn asseveration2 and the other1 born
 of an oak1 applied to a foundling2     
because anciently children1 when the    
parents were unable to provide for them1
 were frequently exposed in the hollow  
of an oak tree4  ,so important a        
position does the oak occupy in the     
history of the subject we are now       
discussing1 that before dismissing it we
 feel bound to call attention to some of
 those mythological allusions to it     
which have been collected by ,loudon for
 the enrichment of the pages of his     
admirable ,history of the ,trees and    
,shrubs of ,britain4  ,the oak was      
dedicated by the ancients to ,jupiter1  
because it was said that an oak tree    
sheltered that god at his birth on      
,mount ,lycus1 in ,arcadia2 and there is

 scarcely a ,greek or ,latin poet or    
prose author1 who does not make some    
allusion to this tree4 ,herodotus first 
mentions the sacred forest of ,dodona   
7ii4 c4 #eg47 and relates the traditions
 he heard respecting it from the priests
 of ,egypt4 ,two black doves1 he says1  
took their flight from the city of      
,thebes1 one of which flew to the temple
 of ,jupiter ,ammon and the other to    
,dodona1 where1 with a human voice1 it  
acquainted the inhabitants that ,jupiter
 had consecrated the ground1 which would
 in future give oracles4 ,all the trees 
in the grove became endowed with the    
gift of prophecy2 and the sacred oaks   
not only spoke and delivered oracles    
while in a living state1 but1 when some 
of them were cut down to build the ship 
',argo1' the beams and masts of that    
ship frequently spoke and warned the    
,argonauts of approaching calamities4   
7,see ,hom4 ,ody41 xiv42 ,lucian1 vi41  
#dbg2 ,apoll41 ,book ,i41 c47 ,after    
giving the account above related1       

,herodotus adds what he calls the       
explanation of it4 ,he says that some   
,phoenician merchants carried off an    
,egyptian priestess from ,thebes into   
,greece1 where she took up her residence
 in the forest of ,dodona1 and erected  
there1 at the foot of an old oak1 a     
small temple in honour of ,jupiter1     
whose priestess she had been at ,thebes4
 ,the town and temple of ,dodona are    
said by others to have been built by    
,deucalion immediately after the great  
flood1 when1 in gratitude for his       
preservation1 he raised a temple to     
,jupiter1 and consecrated the oak grove 
to his honour4 ,this grove1 or rather   
forest1 extended from ,dodona to        
,chaonia1 a mountainous district of     
,epirus1 so called from ,chaon1 son of  
,priam1 who was accidently killed there 
by his brother ,helenus4 ,the forest    
was1 from this1 sometimes called the    
,chaonian ,forest2 and ,jupiter         
,chaonian ,father4 7,see ,virgil1 ,ovid1
 c47 ,the oracle of ,dodona was not only

 the most celebrated but the richest in 
,greece1 from the offerings made by     
those who came to it1 to enquire into   
futurity4 ,the prophecies were first    
delivered by doves which were always    
kept in the temple1 in memory of the    
fabulous origin assigned to the oracle2 
but afterwards the answers were         
delivered by the priestesses2 or1       
according to ,suidas1 ,homer and others1
 by the oaks themselves3 hollow trees no
 doubt being chosen1 in which a priest  
might conceal himself4 ,during the      
,thracian war a deputation of ,boeotians
 consulting the oracle1 the priestess   
told them that if they would meet with  
success1 they must be guilty of an      
impious action3 when in order to fulfil 
the oracle1 they seized her and burnt   
her alive4 ,after this the ,dodonian    
oracles were always delivered to the    
,boeotians by men4 ,the oracular powers 
of the ,dodonian oaks are frequently    
alluded to1 not only by the ,greek and  
,latin poets1 but by those of modern    

times4 7,see ,cowper's ,address to the  
,yardley ,oak and ,wordsworth's ,lines  
to a ,spanish ,oak47  ,milo of ,croton  
was a celebrated athlete1 whose strength
 and voracity were so great that it was 
said he could carry a bullock on his    
shoulders1 kill it with a blow of his   
fist1 and afterwards eat it up in one   
day4 ,in his old age1 ,milo attempted to
 tear up an old oak tree by the roots2  
but the trunk split and the cleft part  
uniting1 his hands became locked in the 
body of the tree2 and being unable to   
extricate himself1 he was devoured by   
wild beasts4 7,ovid2 ,strab2 ,paus47    
,the oak was considered by the ancients 
as the emblem of hospitality2 because   
when ,jupiter and ,mercury were         
travelling in disguise1 and arrived at  
the cottage of ,philemon1 who was       
afterwards changed into an oak tree1    
they were treated with the greatest     
kindness4 ,philemon was a poor old man  
who lived with his wife ,baucis in      
,phrygia1 in a miserable cottage1 which 

,jupiter1 to reward his hospitality1    
changed into a magnificient temple1 of  
which he made the old couple priest and 
priestess1 granting them the only       
request they made to him1 viz41 to be   
permitted to die together4 ,accordingly1
 when both were grown so old as to wish 
for death1 ,jove turned ,baucis into a  
lime tree1 and ,philemon into an oak2   
the two trees entwining their branches1 
and shading for more than a century the 
magnificent portal of the ,phrygian     
temple4  ,the civic crown of the ,romans
 was formed of oak2 and it was granted  
for eminent civil services rendered to  
the state1 the greatest of which was    
considered to be the saving of the life 
of a ,roman citizen4  ,acorns having    
been the food of man till ,ceres        
introduced corn1 boughs of oak were     
carried in the ,eleusinian mysteries4   
,boughs of oak with acorns were carried 
in marriage ceremonies1 as emblems of   
fecundity4 ,sophocles1 in the fragment  
of ,rhizotomi1 describes ,hecates as    

crowned with oak leaves and serpents4   
,pliny relates of the oaks on the shores
 of the ,cauchian ,sea1 that1 undermined
 by the waves and propelled by the      
winds1 they tore off with them vast     
masses of earth on their interwoven     
roots1 and occasioned the greatest      
terror to the ,romans1 whose fleets     
encountered these floating islands4 ,of 
the ,hyrcynian forest he says1 ,these   
enormous oaks1 unaffected by ages and   
coeval with the world by a destiny      
almost immortal1 exceed all wonder4     
,omitting other circumstances that might
 not gain belief1 it is well known that 
hills are raised up by the encounter of 
the jostling roots2 or where the earth  
may not have followed1 that arches1     
struggling with each other1 and elevated
 to the very branches1 are curved as it 
were into wide gateways1 able to admit  
the passage of whole troops of horse4   
,this forest is described by ,csar as   
requiring sixty days to traverse it2 and
 the remains of it are supposed by some 

to constitute the forest on the         
mountains of the ,hartz2 and by others  
to be the ,black ,forest of the ,tyrol4 
,the beautiful fiction of the           
,hamadryads is frequently referred to by
 the ,greek poets4 ,the ,hamadryads were
 nymphs1 each of whom was    ',doomed to
 a life coeval with her oak4'           
,callimachus1 in the ,hymn to ,delos1   
represents ,melia as sighing deeply for 
her parent oak2 and adds--    ',joy     
fills her breast when showers refresh   
the spray3   ,sadly she grieves when    
autumn's leaves decay4'  ,in            
,appollonius ,rhodius1 ,book ,,ii41 we  
find one of the ,hamadryads imploring a 
woodman to spare the oak to which her   
existence is attached3    ,loud through 
the air resounds the woodman's stroke1  
,when lo6 a voice breaks from the       
groaning oak4   ',spare1 spare my life6 
a trembling virgin spare6   ,oh1 listen 
to the ,hamadryad's prayer6   ,no longer
 let that fearful axe resound2          
,preserve the tree to which my life is  

bound6   ,see from the bark my blood in 
torrents flows1   ,i faint1 ,i sink1 ,i 
perish from your blows4'  ,the oak1     
evidently1 was an object of worship     
among the ,celts and ancient ,britons4  
,the ,celts worshipped their ,god ,teut 
under the form of this tree2 and the    
,britons regarded it as a symbol of     
their ,god ,tarnawa1 the god of thunder4
  ,just here we are reminded by ,loudon 
and others of the ,yule log and ,yule   
festival1 a most ancient ,british       
institution1 now known to our dwellers  
in towns only by historical report4     
,professor ,burnet tells us the word    
yule comes from ,hu1 the ,bacchus of the
 ,druids2 others derive it from ,baal1  
,bal1 or ,yiaoul1 the ,celtic god of    
fire1 and who was sometimes identified  
with the sun and worshipped under the   
form of an oak4 ,baal was considered the
 same as the ,roman ,saturn1 and his    
festival 7that of ,yule7 was kept at    
,christmas1 which was the time of the   
,saturnalia4 ,the ,druids professed to  

maintain perpetual fire2 and once every 
year all the fires belonging to the     
people were extinguished1 and relighted 
from the sacred fire of the ,druids4    
,this was the origin of the ,yule log1  
with which1 even so lately as the       
commencement of the last century1 the   
,christmas fire in some parts of the    
country was always kindled2 a fresh log 
being thrown on and lighted1 but taken  
off before it was consumed1 and reserved
 to kindle the ,christmas fire of the   
following year4 ,the ,yule log was      
always of oak2 and as the ancient       
,britons considered that it was         
essential for their hearth fires to be  
renewed every year from the sacred fire 
of the ,druids1 so their descendants    
thought that some misfortune would      
befall them if any accident happened to 
the ,yule log4 7,see ,irving's          
,bracebridge ,hall47  ,the worship of   
the ,druids was generally performed     
under an oak2 and a heap of stones was  
erected on which the sacred fire was    

kindled1 which was called a cairn1 as   
,professor ,burnet says1 from ,kern an  
acorn4  ,the well-known chorus of ,hey  
derry down1 according to this gentleman1
 was a druidic chant1 signifying1       
literally1 ,in a circle the oaks move   
round4  ,criminals were tried under an  
oak tree2 the judge being placed under  
the tree1 with the jury beside him1 and 
the culprit placed in a circle made by  
the chief ,druid's wand4 ,the ,saxons   
also held their national meetings under 
an oak1 and the celebrated conference   
between the ,saxons and the ,britons1   
after the invasion of the former1 was   
held under the oaks of ,dartmoor4  ,the 
wood of the oak was appropriated to the 
most memorable uses3 ,king ,arthur's    
round table was made of it1 as was the  
cradle of ,edward ,,iii41 who was born  
at ,carnarvon ,castle2 this sacred wood 
being chosen in the hope of conciliating
 the feelings of the ,welsh1 who still  
retained the prejudices of their        
ancestors1 the ancient ,britons4  ,it   

was considered unlucky to cut down any  
celebrated tree2 and ,evelyn gravely    
relates a story of two men who cut down 
the ,vicar's ,oak1 in ,surrey2 one      
losing his eye and the other breaking   
his leg soon after4 7,see ,loudon's     
,arb4 et ,frut4 ,brit47  ,the reverence 
with which the oak was regarded was by  
no means confined to the ,celts4 ,st4   
,boniface during his wanderings in      
,central ,germany waged a sharp war     
against the heathen superstitions       
connected with trees and wells4 ,there  
was a ,thor's ,oak 7the oak was in an   
especial manner dedicated to ,thor7 of  
enormous size in the country of the     
,hessians1 greatly reverenced by the    
people1 which1 following the advice of  
some of the ,christian converts1 ,st4   
,boniface determined to cut down4       
,accordingly he began to hew at the     
gigantic trunk1 whilst the heathen folk 
stood round about1 prodigal of their    
curses1 but not daring to interfere4    
,the tree had not been half cut through1

 when1 says ,willibrord1 the biographer 
of ,boniface1 who was himself present1 a
 supernatural wind shook the great crown
 of its branches1 and it fell with a    
mighty crash divided into four equal    
parts4 ,the heathens1 he continues1     
recognised the miracle1 and most of them
 were converted on the spot4 ,with the  
wood of the fallen tree ,st4 ,boniface  
built an oratory1 which he dedicated in 
honour of ,st4 ,peter4#bg  ,the         
destruction of this oak has been        
considered a wise step1 as it was       
evidently a matter of tremendous        
difficulty1 in spite of innumerable     
decrees and canons condemnatory of      
heathen ceremonies in connection with   
trees1 to get rid of the idolatry while 
the object of it remained4  ,sometimes  
the tree was1 as it is called1          
re-appropriated by the saint of the     
district2 then the evils resulting      
seemed as bad as ever4 ,there was ,st4  
,colman's oak1 for instance1 any        
fragment of which1 kept in the mouth1   

was believed would effectually ward off 
death by hanging4 ,there was also ,st4  
,columba's oak at ,kenmare which1 when  
blown down in a storm1 no one dared to  
touch1 or to apply the wood of it to    
ordinary purposes1 except a certain     
tanner1 who used the bark for curing    
leather4 ,with the leather he made      
himself a pair of shoes2 but the first  
time he put them on he was struck with  
leprosy1 and remained a leper all his   
life4  ,it has for ages1 in ,england1   
been thought that the oak was specially 
and mysteriously protected4 ,aubrey in  
his history of ,surrey says3--,a strange
 noise proceeds from a falling oak1 so  
loud as to be heard at half-a-mile      
distant1 as if it were the genius of the
 oak lamenting4 ,it has not been        
unusually observed that to cut oak-wood 
is unfortunate4 ,there was at ,norwood  
one oak that had mistletoe1 a timber    
tree1 which was felled about #afeg4     
,some persons cut this mistletoe for    
some apothecaries in ,london1 and sold  

them a quantity for ten shillings each  
time1 and left only one branch remaining
 for more to sprout out4 ,one fell lame 
shortly after2 soon after each of the   
others lost an eye2 and he that felled  
the tree1 though warned of these        
misfortunes of the other men1 would1    
notwithstanding1 adventure to do it1 and
 shortly after broke his leg2 as if the 
,hamadryades had resolved to take an    
ample revenge for the injury done to    
their venerable oak4 ,i cannot here omit
 taking notice of the great misfortunes 
in the family of the ,earl of           
,winchelsea1 who1 at ,eastwell in ,kent1
 felled down a most curious grove of    
oaks1 near his own noble seat1 and gave 
the first blow with his own hands4      
,shortly after his countess died in her 
bed suddenly2 and his eldest son1 the   
,lord ,maidstone1 was killed at sea by a
 cannon bullet4  ,grimm points out many 
superstitions connected with the oak in 
,germany4 ,it is believed in ,india that
 holes in trees are doors through which 

the special spirits of those trees pass1
 and this is found in ,germany in the   
idea that the holes in the oaks are     
pathways for elves2 and that certain    
troubles1 especially of hand or foot1   
may be cured by contact with these      
holes4 ,near ,gundalskol stood an oak   
popularly regarded as the habitation of 
a ,bjarmand1 but he was driven away by  
the church bells4 ,it is said that a    
farmer was engaged to an elf-girl1 but  
instead of a bride he embraced an oak   
sapling4 ,in a churchyard at ,heddinge1 
,seeland1 are the remains of an oak wood
 declared to be the soldiers of the     
,erl-,king1 assuming the forms of armed 
men at night4 ,in ,westphalia1 it is the
 custom to announce formally to the     
nearest oak any death that has occurred 
in a family4 ,the process of healing    
rupture1 once common in ,england1 with  
the ash1 is performed in ,germany with  
the oak4  ,the ,christmas-tree has      
become a prevailing fashion in ,england 
at this season1 and is by most persons  

supposed to be derived from ,germany2   
such however is not the fact2 the       
,christmas-tree is from ,egypt1 and its 
origin dates from a period long         
antecedent to the ,christian era4 ,the  
palm-tree is known to put forth a shoot 
every month1 and a spray of this tree1  
with twelve shoots on it1 was used in   
,egypt at the time of the winter        
solstice1 as a symbol of the year       
completed4 ,egyptian associations of a  
very early date still mingle with the   
tradition and custom of the             
,christmas-tree2 there are as many      
pyramids as trees used in ,germany1 in  
the celebration of ,christmas1 by those 
whose means do not admit of their       
purchasing trees and their concomitant  
tapers4 ,these pyramids consist of      
slight erections of slips of wood1      
arranged like a pyramidal epergne1      
covered with green paper1 and decorated 
with festoons of paper-chain work1 which
 flutters in the wind and constitutes a 
make-believe foliage4 ,this latter1     

however1 is an innovation of modern     
days4#bh     ,,chapter ,,vii4           
,icelandic customs--,the ,sacred        
,ash--,the ,prose ,edda and ,tree       
,worship--,icelandic ,mythology of the  
,ash--,the ,norns--,the ,czeremissa of  
the ,wolga--,the ,jakuhti--,sacred      
,trees of ,livonia--,phallic ,tree      
,worship     and objects in ,bavaria4   
,in his ,northern ,antiquities1 ,m4     
,mallet says3 ,we have seen that the    
,icelandic mythology reckons up twelve  
goddesses1 including ,frigga1 the spouse
 of ,odin1 and the chief of them all4   
,their names and respective functions   
will be found in the ,prose ,edda4      
,besides these twelve goddesses there   
are numerous virgins in ,valhalla1 or   
the paradise of the heroes4 ,their      
business is to wait upon them and they  
are called ,valkyrior4 ,odin also       
employs them to choose in battles those 
who are to perish1 and to make the      
victory incline to whatever side he     
pleases4 ,the court of the gods is      

ordinarily kept under a great ash tree  
and there they distribute justice4 ,this
 ash is the greatest of all trees2 its  
branches cover the surface of the earth1
 its top reaches to the highest heaven1 
it is supported by three vast roots1 one
 of which extends to the ninth world4   
,an eagle1 whose piercing eye discovers 
all things1 perches upon its branches4  
,a squirrel is continually running up   
and down it to bring news2 while a      
parcel of serpents1 fastened to the     
trunk1 endeavour to destroy him4 ,from  
under one of the roots runs a fountain  
wherein wisdom lies concealed4 ,from a  
neighbouring spring 7the fountain of    
past things7 three virgins are          
continually drawing a precious water1   
with which they water the ash tree3 this
 water keeps up the beauty of its       
foliage1 and1 after having refreshed its
 leaves1 falls back again to the earth1 
where it forms the dew of which the bees
 make their honey4 ,these three virgins 
always keep under the ash1 and it is    

they who dispense the days and ages of  
men4  ,in the ',prose ,edda' just       
alluded to1 a piece of ancient ,norse   
literature commonly ascribed to ,snorri 
,sturluson1 we get a good deal          
respecting the veneration and regard    
paid by the people to this tree4        
',where1' asked ,gangler1 'is the chief 
or holiest seat of the gods8'  ',it is  
under the ash ,yggdrasill1' replied     
,har1 'where the gods assemble every day
 in council4'  ',what is there          
remarkable in regard to that place8'    
said ,gangler4  ',that ash1' answered   
,jafnhar1 'is the greatest and best of  
all trees4 ,its branches spread over the
 whole world1 and even reach above      
heaven4 ,it has three roots very wide   
asunder4 ,one of them extends to the    
sir1 another to the ,frost-giants in    
that very place where was formerly      
,ginnungagap1 and the third stands over 
,niflheim1 and under this root1 which is
 constantly gnawed by ,nidhgg1 is       
,huergelmir4 ,but under the root that   

stretches out towards the ,frost-giants 
there is ,mimir's ,well1 in which wisdom
 and wit lie hidden4 ,the owner of this 
well is called ,mirmir4 ,he is full of  
wisdom1 because he drinks the waters of 
the well from the horn ,gjoll every     
morning4 ,one day ,all-,father came and 
begged a draught of this water1 which he
 obtained1 but was obliged to leave one 
of his eyes as a pledge for it4 ,as it  
is said in the ,vlusp--    ',all know   
,i1 ,odin6   ,how thou hiddest thine eye
   ,in ,mimir's well-spring   ,of limpid
 water4   ,mead quaffs ,mimir   ,each   
morn from the pledge   ,valfadir left   
him4   ,conceive ye this or not8'  ',the
 third root of the ash is in heaven1 and
 under it is the holy ,urdar-fount4     
',tis here that the gods sit in         
judgment4 ,every day they ride up hither
 on horseback over ,bifrst1 which is    
called the sir ,bridge4 ,these are the  
names of the horses of the sir3         
,sleipner is the best of them2 he has   
eight legs and belongs to ,odin4 ,the   

others are ,gladyr1 ,gyllir1 ,glr1      
,skeidbrimir1 ,silfrintoppr1 ,synir1    
,gils1 ,falhofnir1 ,gulltoppr and       
,lettfeti4 ,baldur's horse was burnt    
with his master's body4 ,as for ,thor1  
he goes on foot1 and is obliged every   
day to wade the rivers called ,krmt and 
,o,ermt1 and two others called          
,krlaung4'  ',through these shall ,thor 
wade every day1 as he fares to the      
doomstead under ,yggdrasill's ash1 else 
the sir ,bridge would be in flames and  
boiling hot would become the holy       
waters4'  ',but tell me1' said ,gangler1
 'does fire burn over ,bifrst8'         
',that1' replied ,har1 'which thou seest
 red in the bow1 is burning fire2 for   
the ,frost-giants and the               
,mountain-giants would go up to heaven  
by that bridge if it were easy for      
everyone to walk over it4 ,there are in 
heaven many goodly homesteads1 and none 
without a celestial ward4 ,near the     
fountain1 which is under the ash1 stands
 a very beauteous dwelling1 out of which

 go three maidens1 named ,und1          
,verdaudi1 and ,skuld4 ,these maidens   
fix the life-time of all men and are    
called ,norns4 ,but there are indeed    
many other ,norns1 for when a man is    
born there is a ,norn to determine his  
fate4 ,some are known to be of heavenly 
origin1 but others belong to the races  
of the elves and dwarfs2 as it is said--
  ',methinks the ,norns were born far   
asunder1 for they are not of the same   
race4 ,some belong to the sir1 some to  
the elves1 and some are ,dvalin's       
daughters4'  ',but if these ,norns      
dispense the destinies of men1' said    
,gangler1 'they are1 methinks1 very     
unequal in their distribution2 for some 
men are fortunate and wealthy1 others   
acquire neither riches nor honour2 some 
live to a good old age1 while others are
 cut off in their prime4'  ',the        
,norns1' replied ,har1 ',who are of good
 origin1 are good themselves1 and       
dispense good destinies4 ,but those men 
to whom misfortunes happen ought to     

ascribe them to the evil ,norns4'       
',what more wonders hast thou to tell   
me1' said ,gangler1 'concerning the     
ash8'  ',what ,i have further to say    
respecting it1' replied ,har1 'is that  
there is an eagle perched upon its      
branches who knows many things2 between 
his eyes sits the hawk called           
,vedurflnir4 ,the squirrel named        
,ratatosk runs up and down the ash1 and 
seeks to cause strife between the eagle 
and ,nidhgg4 ,four harts run across the 
branches of the tree and bite the buds4 
,they are called ,dinn1 ,dvalinn1       
,duneyr1 and ,durathrr4 ,but there are  
so many snakes with ,nidhgg in          
,hvergelmir that no tongue can recount  
them4 ,as is said--    ',yggdrasill's   
ash   ,more hardship bears   ,than men  
imagine2   ,the hart bites above1   ,at 
the sides it rots1   ,below gnaws       
,nidhgg4'  ,and again--    ',more       
serpents lie   ,under ,yggdrasill's ash 
,than simpletons think of2   ,ginn and  
,minn1   ,the sons of ,grafvitnir1      

,grbak and ,grfyllud1   ,ofnir and      
,svafnir1   ,must for aye1 methinks1    
,gnaw the roots of that tree4'  ,it is  
also said that the ,norns who dwell by  
the ,urdar-fount draw1 every day1 water 
from the spring1 and with it and the    
clay that lies around the fount sprinkle
 the ash1 in order that its branches may
 not rot and wither away4 ,this water is
 so holy that everything that is placed 
in the spring becomes as white as the   
film within an eggshell4 ,as it is said 
in the ,vlusp    ',an ash know ,i       
standing   ,named ,yggdrasill1   ,a     
stately tree sprinkled   ,with water the
 purest   ,hence come the dewdrops      
,that fall in the dales2   ,ever        
blooming1 it stands   ,o'er the         
,urdar-fountain4'  ,the dew that falls  
thence on the earth men call honey-dew1 
and it is the food of the bees4 ,two    
fowls are fed in the ,urdar-fount2 they 
are called swans1 and from them are     
descended all the birds of this species4
  ,the ,yggdrasill myth1 with its three 

aborescent roots1 three fountains1 and  
three destinies1 is one of the most     
significant and poetical to be found in 
any system of mythology1 but its        
explanation has1 as usual1 given rise to
 the most conflicting theories4 ,grter  
and ,finn ,magnusen offer a physical1   
,trautwetter an astronomical1 ,mone an  
ethical explanation1 and ,grundtvig     
applies his favourite theory of the     
heroic theory of the north 7,norden's   
,kmpe ,aand7--pugnacious spirit would be
 a more appropriate designation--to     
this1 as indeed to every other myth     
which he treats of1 in that most        
singular and rather too crotchety work  
of his entitled ,norden's ,mythologi4   
,according to ,finn ,magnusen1          
,yggdrasill is the symbol of universal  
nature4 ,one of its stems 7so he terms  
the roots7 springs from the central     
primordial abyss--from the subterranean 
source of matter as it might be termed  
7,hvergelmir7--runs up through the      
earth1 which it supports1 and issuing   

out of the world's centre1 called       
,asgard1 ,caucasus1 ,borz1 c41 spreads  
its branches over the entire universe4  
,these wide-spreading branches are the  
ethereal or celestial regions2 their    
leaves1 the clouds2 their buds or       
fruits1 the stars2 the four harts are   
the four cardinal winds2 the eagle is a 
symbol of the air2 the hawk of the      
wind-still ether2 and the squirrel      
signifies hailstones1 snow flakes1      
vapourous agglomerations1 and similar   
atmospherical phenomona4  ,another stem 
springs in the warm south over the      
ethereal ,urdar-fountain1 the swans     
swimming in which denote the sun and    
moon4 ,the third stem takes its rise in 
the cold and cheerless regions of the   
north1 over the source of the ocean1    
typified by ,mimir's well4 ,the myth of 
,odin leaving his eye as a pledge to    
,mimir1 signifies the descent of the sun
 every evening into the sea--to learn   
wisdom from ,mimir during the night2 the
 mead quaffed by ,mimir every morning   

being the ruddy dawn that1 spreading    
over the sky1 exhilarates all nature4   
,nidhgg1 and the other monsters that    
gnaw the fruits of the mundane tree1 are
 the volcanic and other violent torrents
 that are constantly striving to consume
 or destroy the earth's foundations4    
,although we agree with ,finn ,magnusen 
in regarding ,yggdrasill as the symbol  
of universal nature1 we think that in   
attempting to explain the myth in all   
its details1 he has let his imagination1
 as usual1 get the better of his        
judgment1 and lead him into the most    
palpable inconsistencies2 insomuch so1  
in fact1 that when we begin to examine  
his theory we are almost tempted to     
exclaim1 with ,grundting1 one would     
think it was meant for a joke4 ,jacob   
,grimm--how refreshing it always is to  
turn to his admirable pages--very justly
 observes that the whole myth of        
,yggdrasill bears the stamp of a very   
high antiquity1 but does not appear to  
be fully unfolded4 ,we learn1 he says1  

something respecting the enmity between 
the eagle and the snake1 and that it is 
kept up by ,ratatsk1 but nothing as to  
the destination of the hawk and the four
 harts4 ,these remarks of ,grimm are    
fully borne out by the very meagre      
account given of the ,yggdrasill myth in
 the ,vlusp1 and the ,grimnis-mal1 the  
only ,eddaic poems that make mention of 
it4 ,in order that the reader may be    
aware on what very slight foundations   
,finn ,magnusen can construct an        
elaborate theory1 we subjoin a literal  
translation of all the ,eddaic strophes 
that relate to the myth1 the words in   
brackets being inserted to render the   
obscure passages more intelligible4     
,from the ,vlusp3--  ,st4 #ag4--';,an   
ash know ,i standing1 called            
,yggdrasill4 ,a high tree sprinkled with
 the purest water4 ,thence comes the dew
 that falls in the dales4 ,it 7the ash7 
stands ever-green over the              
,urdar-fountain4'  #ah4--',thence come  
the much-knowing maidens--three from    

that lake 7fountain7 which is under the 
tree4 ,one is called ,urd1 another      
,verdani1 and the third ,skuld4 ,they   
engraved 7,runic inscriptions1 i4e41    
recorded events7 on tablets4 ,they laid 
down laws2 they determined 7determine7  
the life of the sons of men2 they tell  
7fix7 the destinies 7of men74'  ,from   
,grimnis-mal3--  ,st4 #bi4--',kormt and 
,o,ermt1 and the two ,kerlangar--these  
rivers must ,thor wade through every day
 as he fares to the doomstead under     
,yggdrasill's ash1 otherwise the        
sir-bridge would be in flames1 and      
boiling hot would become the holy       
waters4'  #cj4--'7,the horses71 ,gladr1 
,gyllir1 ,glr1 ,skeidbrimir1            
,silfirintoppr1 ,synir1 ,falhofnir1     
,gulltoppr1 and ,lettfetti1 are ridden  
by the sir every day when they go to the
 doomstead under the ash ,yggdrasill4'  
#ca4--',three roots stand in three ways 
7extend to three regions7 under the ash 
,yggdrasill4 ,hela dwells under one2    
7under7 another 7dwell7 the             

,forest-giants2 7under7 the third       
7dwell7 mortal men' 7literally human    
men74  #cb4--',ratatsk is called the    
squirrel that shall run 7that runs7 on  
the ash ,yggdrasill4 ,the eagle's words 
he shall bear 7he bears7 downwards1 and 
shall tell 7tells7 them to ,nidhgg      
below4'  #cc4--',there are also four    
harts that on the summit 7of the ash71  
with bent necks1 bite 7the leaves71     
,dain1 ,dvalin1 ,duneyr and ,durathrr   
are their names4'  ,we think that all   
that can be gathered from this account  
of the ash ,yggdrasill1 and that given  
in the ,prose ,edda1 is that the mundane
 tree is represented as embracing with  
its three roots the whole universe2 for 
one of these roots springs from         
,hvergelmir in ,niflheim1 another from  
,mimir's well1 situated somewhere or    
other in the region of the              
,forest-giants1 and the third from the  
,urdar-fount1 which is obviously placed 
in the celestial regions4 ,we have thus 
a super-terrestial or supernal 7the     

,urdar7 root2 a terrestial 7the ,mimir7 
root2 and a sub-terrestial or infernal  
7the ,hvergelmir7 root4 ,that the       
fountain of the ,norns was supposed to  
be in the ethereal regions is           
unquestionable2 for we are told in      
,grimnis-mal that man-kind dwelt under  
it1 and the ,prose ,edda expressly      
states that it is in heaven1 and it     
would appear above ,asgard1 for the sir 
are described as riding up to the       
,urdar-fountain4 ,finn ,magnusen1 as we 
have seen1 places this fountain and     
roots issuing from it in the warm south4
 ,in his ,eddaloeren he gives us1 in    
fact1 to understand that the fountain   
springs from a high and steep cliff at  
the south pole1 though he admits1 for   
once1 that nothing respecting such a    
cliff is to be found in the ,eddaic     
,poems2 the only authority he is able to
 adduce in support of this strange      
hypothesis being a figurative expression
 made use of by a ,skald1 in a poem     
written after his conversion to         

,christianity4 ,finn ,magnusen is also  
of opinion that the pure water with     
which the tree is sprinkled by the      
,norns means the snow agglomerated in   
the northern sky1 and that dew that     
falls in the dales1 signifies the ever  
verdant aspect of the southern parts of 
the earth1 as well as the clear azure   
sky by which this perennial verdure is  
canopied4  ,mone regards the ash as the 
emblem of human life4 ,man is born of   
water2 the swan is therefore the        
infantile soul that swims on the water3 
but the eagle1 the mature experienced   
mind that soars aloft2 the hawk perched 
between the eagle's eyes being eternal  
sensation4 ,the snakes that gnaw the    
root of life are the vices and passions2
 the squirrel1 the double-tongued       
flatterer1 constantly running between   
these passions and the mind 7the eagle7 
which has raised itself above their     
control4 ,the harts denote the passions 
of the mind1 folly1 madness1 terror and 
disquietude1 and therefore feed on the  

healthy thoughts 7the green leaves74    
,but as man in his levity remarks not   
what enemies threaten his existence1 the
 stem rots on the side1 and many a one  
dies before he attains to wisdom1 or    
figuratively before the bird of his soul
 7the eagle7 is seated amidst the       
perennial verdure of the mundane tree4  
,ling supposes ,yggdrasill to be the    
symbol both of universal and human life1
 and its three roots to signify the     
physical1 the intellectual1 and the     
moral principles4  ,other writers cited 
by ,finn ,magnusen take these roots to  
have been meant for matter1 organization
 and spirit1 and the ash itself for the 
symbol of universal primordial vitality4
  ,the translator of ,mallet adds in a  
note3 ,the ash was the most appropriate 
tree that could have been chosen for    
such an emblem4 ,virgil describes it    
with its outspreading branches as       
enduring for centuries1 and it is a     
singular coincidence that he should have
 represented it as a tree that reaches  

with its roots as far downwards as it   
does upwards with its branches4 ,we may 
here remark that the maypole and the    
,german ,christbaum have a ,pagan       
origin1 the type of both being the ash  
,yggdrasill4  ,strahlenberg informs us  
that the ,czeremisi or ,scheremissi were
 a ,pagan people under the government of
 ,casan4 ,those who lived on the right  
side of the ,wolga were called          
,sanagornya1 and those on the left side 
of that river ,lugowija4 ,these people  
had no idols of wood or stone1 but      
directed their prayers to heaven in the 
open air1 and near great trees to which 
they paid honour1 holding their         
assemblies about them4 ,the hides and   
bones of the cattle they sacrificed they
 hung about these holy trees to rot1 by 
way of sacrifice to the air4  ,the      
,jakuhti were a ,pagan people under the 
,russian ,government1 along the river   
,lena and about the city of ,jakutskoi4 
,while not actually worshipping idols   
carved in wood1 like the ,ostiaks and   

,tungus1 they had a type or image of    
their invisible god stuffed out with a  
body like a bag1 with monstrous head and
 eyes of coral4 ,this image they hung   
upon a tree and round it the furs of    
sables and other animals4 ,they had many
 superstitious customs in common with   
other nations1 which they celebrated    
about certain trees regarded as sacred4 
,when they met with a fine tree they    
hung all manner of nick-nacks about     
it--of iron1 brass copper1 c4 ,they are 
said to have carried nine different     
sorts of things for offerings to their  
,hayns or idolatrous groves4  ,their    
priests1 when they performed their      
rites1 put on garments trimmed with bits
 of iron1 rattles and bells4 ,as soon as
 the fields began to be green1 each     
generation gathered together at a place 
where there was a fine tree and a       
pleasant spot of ground4 ,there they    
sacrificed horses and oxen1 the heads of
 which they stuck up round the trees4   
,strahlenberg1 speaking of the ,pagans  

in ,russia 7of #aej years ago71 says3   
,in general it may be said of them all1 
that they believe one ,eternal ,being1  
who created all things1 and whom they   
pretend to worship under the form of    
many sorts of strange things4 ,some of  
them have taken a fancy to many sorts of
 images2 some to animals1 birds1 and    
stars2 they set apart for their         
offerings1 which they make to heaven1   
certain places or holy groves1 and have 
regard to fire and other elements4#cj   
,in the interesting dictionary of ,mr4  
,peter ,bayle1 under ,rubenus           
7,leonard71 we have a notice of ,tree   
,worship which may very well be         
introduced here as assisting generally  
with our discussion of the subject4     
,rubenus was a native of ,essen in      
,germany1 and entered the order of ,st4 
,benedict at ,cologne in the year #aeif4
 ,he was in ,transylvania in the year   
#aehh1 and he there published theses    
concerning idolatry1 dedicating them to 
,prince ,sigismund ,battori4 ,he relates

 a thing which shews that ,livonia was  
still infected with heathenish idolatry4
 ,having received an order from his     
superiors to go to ,dorpat1 which is    
almost the outmost town of ,livonia1 in 
his way he passed through the sacred    
woods of the ,esthonians4 ,he saw there 
a pine tree of an extraordinary height  
and size1 the branches whereof were full
 of divers pieces of old cloth1 and its 
roots covered with many bundles of straw
 and hay4 ,he asked a man of the        
neighbourhood what was the meaning of   
it2 he answered that the inhabitants    
adored that tree1 and that the women    
after a safe delivery brought thither   
these bundles of hay2 that they also had
 a custom to offer at a certain time a  
tun of beer1 and to throw a tun of it   
into the lake of ,mariemburg when it    
thundered1 and that they thought the    
thunder was the son of ,god1 and that he
 was appeased by the effusion of that   
liquor4 ,he desired they would bring him
 a good hatchet1 for that which he had  

in his chariot was not sharp2 and when  
they asked him what he designed to do   
with it1 ,i will show you1 said he1 the 
weakness of what you worship4 ,the      
,esthonians replied that they could not 
do what he desired without the utmost   
danger1 and cried to him to take care of
 going under the tree1 and if he did    
both he and his chariot would be taken  
up into the air4 ,however1 he made his  
horses go under it2 and1 taking his     
hatchet1 in a devout manner he cut the  
figure of a cross on the pine1 and lest 
that figure made by a man1 whom they    
honoured with the appellation of the    
great temple of ,god1 should increase   
their superstition1 he cut a gibbet on  
the same tree1 and1 in derision1        
said--behold your ,god4  ,there is no   
mistake1 says a writer in ,fraser       
7#ahga71 as to our old ,tree and        
,serpent faiths4 ,each hamlet 7he is    
speaking of his visit to ,ammer in      
,bavaria7 has its ,maienbaum--a long    
pole1 one hundred feet or more in       

height1 with alternate blue and white   
stripes coiling round it4 ,the ,may-pole
 is intersected by seven or sometimes   
nine bars1 beginning at about ten feet  
from the ground and running to the top1 
which is adorned with streamers4 ,on    
these bars are various emblematic       
figures4 ,the one at ,murau had on the  
lower limb a small tree and a nail with 
circular nob2 on the next a small house1
 a horseshoe and wheel on one side2 a   
hammer crossed by a pair of pincers on  
the other1 a broom1 perhaps ,ceres as a 
sheaf of corn2 below this was seen the  
,lingam1 with ,maya's symbols1 the cup  
and cock or the bird of desire sacred to
 her4 ,elsewhere we see a heart1 fire1  
pyramid1 and inverted pyramid1 anchor   
and water as in ,egypt1 and a circle    
pierced by a line1 c4 ,can any ,phallic 
tale be more complete8 ,we must be here 
content with our general knowledge that 
the ,maienbaum was a ,pagan object1 and 
that its decorations were originally    
symbols of the gods and goddesses4      

,christian significance is given to all 
these2 for as the priest could not      
efface the old faiths he told his       
credulous herd that this hammer is that 
which nailed ,christ to the cross1 that 
the tree is the conventional olive of   
church pictures1 and that the cross1 the
 cock1 the cup and sacred heart are all 
connected with the ,passion of ,christ4 
,the broom represents witches1 and the  
horseshoe the corona or ,mary's head    
dress2 it is also ,maiya's sign1 and is 
there as a charm to hold witches at bay 
like the ,ephod of old4 ,he who may1 ,i 
fancy1 be taken as one great tree of    
life4  ,on ,may-day it is festooned with
 branches1 for the ,bavarian peasants   
keep up1 in many ways1 the ancient      
reverence for sacred trees4  ,when a    
house is finished it is consecrated by  
having a birch sapling stuck into the   
roof1 and in a thousand tales the poor  
and ignorant are still taught to fear   
trees4 ,one story says that before a    
large fir tree ,king ,ludwig's horse    

fell three times forward on his knees1  
and here he built a celebrated church1  
taking care that the fir tree should be 
in its very centre4  ,the most          
interesting feature of the ,passion     
,play to me1 continues the writer1 was  
that nine young birch trees1 reaching   
from floor to ceiling1 had been set     
along the walls inside1 at intervals of 
ten to fifteen feet4 ,that the sacred   
tree of ancient ,germany and even of    
ancient ,greece1 which has so long been 
held as a charm against witches1 against
 lightning and other evils1 should be   
here overshadowing ,christian           
worshippers was curious enough4 ,the    
enclosure was also surrounded by birch  
trees1 regularly planted4 ,like our     
remote ancestors who worshipped ,odin1  
we sat amidst the sacred grove4 ,there  
are some remote corners of these        
mountains1 it is said1 where one who has
 a fever still goes to a birch tree and 
shakes it1 with the words3 ',birch1 a   
fever plagues me2 ,god grant it may pass

 from me to thee6' and where one subject
 to cramp takes a broom made of birch   
switches into his bed4 ,the presence of 
these trees is one among the features of
 the ,ammergau ,play which justify      
antiquaries in tracing its origin to a  
period far anterior to that with which  
it is connected in the records of the   
village4 ,the story has often been told 
of how1 nearly two and a half centuries 
ago1 a pilgrim came to some sacred      
festival in the village and brought with
 him a plague which devastated it2 how  
the people got together and united in a 
holy vow1 that if their village were    
spared further ravages they would1 every
 tenth year1 represent solemnly the     
sufferings and death of ,christ2 and how
 immediately the scourge was removed1   
not another person dying even of those  
who lay sick when the vow was made4 ,but
 though the villagers do not care to    
look beyond this story on their records1
 the legend itself suggests that there  
was already some festival there which   

had attracted the pilgrim who brought   
them so much woe4 ,professor von ,lher  
informed me that there is some evidence1
 not only that somewhat similar dramatic
 performances occurred occasionally at  
,oberammergau before the period         
mentioned in the village tradition1 but 
that even far away in ,pagan times it   
was one of the spots where the people   
represented the deeds of their gods and 
heroes theatrically4 ,it is well known  
that in many regions the early          
,christians avoided all interference    
with such ,pagan customs when they found
 them preferring to substitute their own
 sacred characters for those of         
heathenism4 ,there are probabilities1   
therefore1 that the sacred birches which
 now surround the scenes of ,christian  
story once witnessed the life and death 
of ,baldur2 or that later still1 the    
birch boughs which the children now     
strew in the path of ,christ as he      
enters ,jerusalem1 were once cast before
 the chariot of the ,sun-god1 to        

symbolize the fresh foliage with which  
his warm beams invested the earth4  ,the
 same writer adds3 ,with the birch trees
 waving around1 and these old symbols of
 once great religions before me1 ,i felt
 thrilled by an impression of having    
reached a spot where the prehistoric    
religion could be traced visibly        
blending with ,christianity4  ,tree and 
,serpent worship is the theme of many an
 ancient ,greek myth4 ,the destruction  
of the dragon ,python by ,apollo1 who   
takes possession of the oracle which the
 serpent guarded2 the conversion of     
,cadmus and his wife into serpents when 
they were regarded as objects of        
veneration2 the story of the ,argonautic
 expedition1 which was undertaken to    
recover a fleece that hung on a tree    
guarded by a dragon2 the strangling of  
serpents by ,hercules2 his adventure in 
the garden of the ,hesperides1 which    
reminds us of the garden of ,eden1      
though with a different moral2 his fight
 with ,lernan hydra2 on the other hand1 

his intercourse with the serpent        
,echidna1 through whom he is said to    
have become the progenitor of the whole 
race of serpent-worshipping ,scythians2 
the keeping of serpents at ,delphi and  
other places for oracular purposes2 the 
serpent worship at ,epidaurus1 where    
stood the temple of sculapius and the   
grove attached to it2 the contention    
between ,athene and ,poseidon for the   
guardianship of the city of ,athens when
 the goddess created the olive1 planting
 it on the ,acropolis1 and handed over  
the care of it to the serpent-god       
,ericthonius2 the statement that when   
the ,persians were approaching ,athens  
the ,athenians1 though warned by the    
oracle1 refused to leave their homes    
till they learned that the great        
serpent1 the guardian of the city1 had  
refused its food and left its place2 the
 curious record concerning the descent  
of ,alexander the ,great from a serpent2
 the part which snakes played in the    
,bacchic cultus--all these tales show   

the tenacity of that early form of      
worship4  ,fergusson adds to this       
summary of his words by an ,american    
writer3--,the traces of ,tree ,worship  
in ,greece are even fuller and more     
defined than those of the ,serpent      
,cultus just alluded to4 ,as each       
succeeding ,buddha in the ,indian       
mythology had a separate and different  
,bo-tree assigned to him1 so each god of
 the classical ,pantheon seems to have  
had some tree appropriated as his emblem
 or representative4 ,among the most     
familiar are the oak or beech of        
,jupiter1 the laurel of ,apollo1 the    
vine of ,bacchus4 ,the olive is the     
well-known tree of ,minerva4 ,the myrtle
 was sacred to ,aphrodite4 ,the apple or
 orange of the ,hesperides belonged to  
,juno4 ,the populus was the tree of     
,hercules1 and the plane-tree was the   
numen of ,atrid4  ,we have now presented
 a view of this interesting cultus      
extending over the principal nations of 
the ,eastern and ,western worlds1 and   

reaching from the remotest ages to      
modern times4 ,in doing so1 many curious
 legends and superstitious customs have 
been described upon the best authority1 
and1 in most instances1 upon the        
testimony of actual eye witnesses4 ,the 
story must now stop as our usual limits 
have been reached2 it will probably be  
resumed again in a future volume1 which 
it is hoped will1 in conjunction with   
its predecessors1 form a complete       
exposition of the mysteries of what is  
called ,phallic ,worship4               
,bibliography of ,authorities consulted 
and referred to in the preparation of   
these volumes4   ,,class ,i4  ,,special 
,,works ,,upon ,,the ,,phallic ,,cultus4
  ,,boudin 7,j4 ,c47 ,etudes            
,anthropologiques1 ,considerations sur  
le ,culte et les pratiques rligieuses de
 divers peuples anciens et modernes2    
,culte du ,phallus2 ,culte du ,serpent2 
#hvo1 pp4 #hh ,paris1 #ahfd  ,,campbell 
7,r4 ,a47 ,phallic ,worship1 an ,outline
 of the ,worship of the ,generative     

,organs1 as being or as representing the
 ,divine ,creator1 with ,suggestions as 
to the influence of the ,phallic idea on
 religious ,creeds1 ,ceremonies1        
,customs1 and ,symbolism1 past and      
present2 #bjj illustrations ,st4 ,louis1
 ,u4,s4,a41 #ahhg  ,,davenport 7,j47    
,aphrodisiacs and ,anti-,aphrodisiacs1  
three essays on the ,phallic ,worship   
and ,powers of ,reproduction2           
illustrated1 #dto ,privately printed1   
#ahfi  ,,davenport 7,j47 ,curiositates  
,erotic ,physiologie1 or a ,tabooed     
,subject freely treated2 #dto ,privately
 ,printed1 #ahfi  ,,dulaure 7,j4 ,a47   
,des ,divinits ,gnratrices1 ou du ,culte
 du ,phallus chez les anciens et les    
modernes2 #ast edition1 #hvo1 pp4 xxiv4 
#dbh ,paris1 #ahje  ,,dulaure 7,j4 ,a47 
,histoire abrege de differens ,cultes1  
des ,cultes qui ont prcd et amn         
l'idolatrie ou l'adoration des figures  
humains 7vol4 ,i72 et des ,divinits     
gnratrices chez les anciens et les      
modernes 7vol4 #b72 #b vols #hvo1 pp4 x4

 #eeh1 xvi4 #dfd ,paris1 #ahbe      ,the
 #bnd vol4 is a reprint of foregoing    
considerably enlarged1 and was          
suppressed4  ,,dulaure 7,j4 ,a47 ,des   
,divinits ,gnratrices1 ou de ,culte du  
,phallus1 chez les anciens et les       
modernes1 augmente par l'auteur2 #hvo1  
pp4 xvi4 #dbb ,paris 7,siseux71 #ahhe   
,a reprint of the suppressed #bnd vol4  
of the #ahbe edition  ,,domenech        
7l',abb7 ,manuscrit pictographique      
,amricain1 prcd d'une notice sur        
l'idographie des ,peux--,rouges2 #hvo1  
#bbh pp4 of illustrations ,paris1 #ahfj 
,,domenech 7l',abb7 ,la ,verit sur le   
,livre des ,savages2 #aj pp4 of plates  
and text1 #hvo ,paris1 #ahfa  ,,forlong 
7,major-,general7 ,rivers of ,life1 or  
,sources and ,streams of the ,faiths of 
,man in all ,lands1 with maps1 many     
illustrations1 and large coloured chart 
of ,faith ,streams2 #b vols4 #dto1 pp4  
xii4 #efe and #fei1 and chart in case   
,london1 #ahhc  ,d',,hancarville 7,p4   
,f4 ,hugues7 ,monumens de la vie prive  

des douze ,csars1 d'aprs une suite de   
pierres graves sans leur regne2 #dto1   
front4 and #ej plates and text  ,rome1  
#aghf  ,d',,hancarville 7,p4 ,f4        
,hugues7 ,monumens du ,culte ,secret des
 ,dames ,romaines1 d'aprs1 c41 c41 pour 
,servir de ,suite  la vie des douze     
,csars2 #dto1 front4 and #ej plates and 
text  ,rome1 #agij      ,both works     
since reprinted4  ,,inman 7,thos41      
,m4,d47 ,ancient ,faiths embodied in    
,ancient ,names1 an attempt to trace the
 religious belief1 sacred rites1 and    
holy emblems of certain nations1 by an  
interpretation of the names given to    
childhood1 c42 #c vols4 #hvo1 privately 
printed ,london1 #ahfi      ,the #crd   
vol4 having the same title was printed1 
but not published1     and in that form 
is excessively rare2 but it was         
subsequently     reprinted with a       
different title and other alterations1  
as3      ,ancient ,faiths and ,modern1 a
 ,dissertation upon ,worships1 ,legends 
and     ,divinities1 in ,central and    

,eastern ,asia1 ,europe and elsewhere1  
before     the ,christian era1 showing  
their relations to religious customs as 
they now exist2 #hvo ,new ,york1 #ahgf  
,,inman 7,thos41 ,m4,d47 ,ancient1      
,pagan and ,modern ,christian           
,symbolism1 #bnd edition1 enlarged with 
,essay on ,baal-,worship1 the ,assyrian 
,groves1 and other allied symbols1 by   
,john ,newton1 ,m4,r4,c4,s42 #hvo1 many 
illustrations ,london1 #ahge  ,,jennings
 7,hargrave7 ,phallism1 celestial and   
terrestrial1 heathen and ,christian1 its
 connexion with the ,rosicrucians and   
the ,gnostics1 and its foundation in    
,buddhism1 with an ,essay on ,mystic    
,anatomy2 #hvo1 pp4 xxvii4 #bih ,london1
 #ahhd  ,,jennings 7,hargrave7          
,illustrations of ,phallism1 consisting 
of ten plates of remains of ancient     
,art1 with descriptions2 #hvo ,london1  
#ahhe  ,,knight 7,r4 ,p47 ,an ,account  
of the ,remains of the ,worship of      
,priapus1 lately existing at ,isernia1  
in the ,kingdom of ,naples1 in two      

,letters1 one from ,sir ,william        
,hamilton1 ,k4,b4 444 to ,sir ,joseph   
,banks 444 and the other from a person  
residing at ,isernia2 to which is added 
,a ,discussion on the ,worship of       
,priapus1 and its connexion with the    
mystic ,theology of the ,ancients2 #dto1
 pp4 #aie1 #ah plates and an extra one  
,london1 #aghf  ,,knight 7,r4 ,p47 ,a   
,discourse on the ,worship of the       
,priapus1 and its connexion with the    
mystic theology of the ,ancients2 to    
which is added1 ,an ,essay on the       
,worship of the ,generative ,powers     
during the middle ages of ,western      
,europe2 #dto1 pp4 xvi4 #bed1 and #dj   
plates1 p4p4 ,london1 #ahfe      ,the   
,essay is understood to have been       
written by the late ,thos4     ,wright1 
assisted by ,sir ,james ,emerson        
,tennent and ,mr4 ,george ,witt2 #abe   
copies were printed1 of which six were  
on large paper1 and are     naturally   
very scarce4  ,,knight 7,r4 ,p47 ,le    
,culte de ,priape et les rapports avec  

la ,thologie ,mystique des ,anciens1 par
 ,richard ,payne ,knight1 ,suivi d'un   
,essai sur le ,culte des ,pouvoirs      
gnrateurs durant le moyen age1 traduits 
de l',anglais1 par ,e4,w4 7said to have 
been ,madame ,yga72 #dto1 pp4 viii4     
#bbd1 #dj plates1 ,luxembourg ,brussels1
 #ahhf      #aaj copies only printed4   
,,knight 7,r4 ,p47 ,do4 do41 #dto1 pp4  
xviii4 #bjj1 #dj plates ,bruxelles1     
#ahhc      #ejj copies printed4         
,,knight 7,r4 ,p47 ,the ,worship of     
,priapus1 an ,account of the ,fte of    
,st4 ,cosmo and ,damiano1 celebrated at 
,isernia in #aghj1 in a letter to ,sir  
,joseph ,banks4444 ,in which is added1  
,some ,account of the ,phallic ,worship1
 principally derived from a ,discourse  
on the ,worship of ,priapus1 by ,richard
 ,payne ,knight1 edited by ,hargrave    
,jennings2 #dto1 pp4 xi4 #cg ,london1   
#ahhc      #ajj copies printed4         
,,macfie 7,m47 ,religious ,parallelisms1
 and ,symbolisms ancient and modern     
7,phallic ,worship1 c472 #hvo ,london1  

#ahgi  ,,mulji 7,karsands7 ,history of  
the ,sect of ,mahrjas1 or ,vallabchryas 
in ,western ,india2 #hvo1 pp4 xv4 #ahb  
and app4 #ahc1 illustrated ,london1     
#ahfe      #ejj copies were printed1 but
 only #ge reserved for sale in ,europe1 
the     rest were sent to ,bombay1 so   
the work is now scarce4  ,o',,brien     
7,henry7 ,the ,round ,towers of         
,ireland1 or the ,history of the ,tuath 
de ,danaans for the first time unveiled2
 #hvo1 illustrated ,london1 #ahcd       
,a curious ,preface is to be found in   
the earlier impressions4                
,,ophiolatreia4--,an ,account of the    
,rites and ,mysteries connected with the
 ,origin1 ,rise and ,development of     
,serpent ,worship1 ,serpent ,mounds and 
,temples1 the whole forming an          
exposition of one of the phases of      
,phallic or ,sex ,worship2 #hvo1 vellum 
p4p41 ,london1 #ahhi  ,,phallism4--,a   
,description of the ,worship of         
,lingam-,yoni in various parts of the   
,world and in different ,ages1 with an  

,account of ancient and modern ,crosses1
 particularly of the ,crux ,ansata1 and 
other ,symbols connected with the       
,mysteries of ,sex ,worship2 #hvo p4p41 
,london1 #ahhi  ,,phallic ,,worship4--,a
 ,description of the ,mysteries of the  
,sex ,worship of the ,ancients1 with the
 ,history of the ,masculine ,cross2 #hvo
 p4p41 ,london1 #ahhf  ,,phallic        
,,objects1 ,monuments and ,remains1     
,illustrations of the ,rise and         
,development of the ,phallic ,idea 7,sex
 ,worship7 and its embodiment in ,works 
of ,nature and ,art2 #hvo1 etched       
frontispiece p4p41 ,london1 #ahhi       
,,phallic ,,objects ,,and               
,,remains4--,catalogo del ,museo        
,nazionale di ,napoli1 ,raccolta        
,pornographica 7,phallic ,collection72  
folio ,napoli1 #ahff  ,,phallic         
,,objects ,,and ,,remains4--,guide pour 
la ,muse ,royal ,bourbon1 par ,verde1   
trad4 par ,c4 ,c4 ,j4 7,phallic         
,collection1 #afa subjects1 ii4 pp4     
#afi-aid72 #b vols4 #hvo ,naples1       

#ahca-b  ,,phallic ,,objects ,,and      
,,remains4--,muse ,royal de ,naples1    
,peintures1 ,bronzes1 et ,statues       
rotiques du ,cabinet ,scret1 avec notes 
explicatives de plusieurs auteurs2 #fb  
gravs4 colories1 #b vols4 #dto          
,bruxelles1 #ahgf  ,,phallic ,,objects  
,,and ,,remains4--,the ,secret ,museum  
of ,naples1 being an account of the     
,erotic ,paintings1 ,bronzes and        
,statues contained in that famous       
,cabinet ,secret1 by ,col4 ,fanin2 #dto1
 #fj full-page illustrations1 some      
coloured p4p41 ,london1 #ahgb  ,,phallic
 ,,objects ,,and ,,remains4--,histoire  
des ,antiquits de la villo de ,nismes et
 de ses ,environs1 extrait de ,m4       
,mnard1 #ast edition1 #ahbi1 avec       
,supplment et de ,notes1 c4 7with       
curious plates of ,phallic ,remains72   
#hvo ,nimes1 #ahbi-cj  ,do4 do4 #eth    
edition1 par ,perrot2 #hvo1 enlarged    
,nismes1 #ahcd  ,,phallic ,,objects     
,,and ,,remains4--,herculaneum et       
,pompi1 ,recueil gnral des ,peintures1  

,bronzes1 ,mosaques 444 augment de      
sujets indits1 gravs au trait sur       
cuivre1 par ,h4 ,roux ain1 et accompagn 
d'un texto explicatif par ,m4 ,l4       
,barre2 #h vols4 #hvo ,paris1 #ahge-f   
,the ,phallic collection--la ,muse      
,secret--is in a separate case4  ,,rocco
 7,sha7 ,the ,masculine ,cross and      
,ancient ,sex ,worship2 woodcut         
illustrations1 crown #hvo ,new ,york1   
#ahgd  ,,rolle 7,p4,n47 ,recherches sur 
le ,culte de ,bacchus1 symbole de la    
force reproductive de la ,nature1 sous  
ses rapports gnraux dans les mystres    
d',eleusis1 les ,dionysiaques2 #c vols4 
#hvo ,paris1 #ahbd  ,,rosenbaum 7,dr4   
,j47 ,geschichte der ,lustseuche im     
,alterthume1 nebst ausfhrlichen         
untersuchungen her den ,venus1 und      
,phallus ,cultus1 ,bordelle1            
,paederastie1 c44442 #bnd edition1 pp4  
#dfd1 #hvo ,halle1 #ahde  ,do4 do4 #crd 
edition1 pp4 #dhd1 #hvo ,halle1 #ahhb   
,do4 traduct4 ,franaise par ,santluz1 in
 ,archives de la ,medicine ,belge2 #c   

vols4 #hvo #ahde-f-g  ,,sellon 7,e47    
,annotations on the ,sacred ,writings of
 the ,hinds1 being an ,epitome of some  
of the most remarkable and leading      
tenets in the faiths of that people2    
#hvo p4p41 ,london1 #ahfe  ,,sellon     
7,e47 ,on the ,phallic ,worship of      
,india 7in ,mems4 ,anthrop4 ,socy41 i4  
pp4 #cbg-ccd7 ,london1 #ahfe  ,,sellon  
7,e47 ,on ,indian ,gnosticism1 or ,sacti
 ,puja1 the ,worship of the ,female     
,powers1 pp4 #ab 7in ,mems4 ,anthrop4   
,socy41 ii4 #bfd-bgf7 ,london1 #ahff    
,,simpson 7,h4 ,t47 ,archaeologia       
,adelensis1 a ,history of the ,parish of
 ,adel 7,yorks72 #hvo ,london1 #ahgi    
,phallic ,worship is treated fully pp4  
#aed-aeh1 with many etchings of         
,phallic ,rockmarkings1 by ,w4 ,l4      
,ferguson4  ,,veneres ,,et ,,priapi1 ut 
observantur in gemmis antiquis2 #hvo1   
#gj plates ,lugdun ,batov4      ,in     
several editions--an ,english one quite 
recently4  ,,wake 7,c4 ,staniland7      
,serpent ,worship and other ,essays1    

,phallism in ,ancient ,religions1       
,sacred ,prostitution1 c41 with a       
chapter on ,totemism2 #hvo ,london1     
#ahhh  ,,wake 7,c4 ,staniland7 ,ancient 
,symbol ,worship1 ,influence of the     
,phallic ,idea in the ,religions of     
,antiquity1 by ,h4 ,westropp and        
,staniland ,wake1 with ,introduction and
 ,notes by ,dr4 ,wilder2 #bnd edition1  
illustrated1 #hvo ,new ,york1 #ahge     
,,westropp 7,h4 ,m47 ,primitive         
,symbolism1 as illustrated in ,phallic  
,worship or the ,reproductive           
,principle1 with ,introduction by       
,general ,forlong2 #hvo ,london1 #ahhe  
,,priapeia1 or the ,sportive ,epigrams  
of divers ,poets on ,priapus1 now first 
completely done into ,english prose from
 the original ,latin1 with              
,introduction1 ,notes explanatory and   
illustrative1 an excurss1 to which is   
appended the ,latin text2 #hvo p4p41    
,london1 #ahhi   ,,class ,,ii4  ,,works 
,,referring ,,incidentally ,,to ,,the   
,,phallic ,,cultus ,,and ,,closely      

,,allied ,,subjects4  ,abbe de          
,tressau's ,heathen ,mythology          
,acosta's ,history of the ,indies       
schylus  ,alabaster's ,modern ,buddhist 
,all the ,year ,round1 vol4 vii4        
,ancient ,pillar ,stones of ,scotland1  
,aberdeen1 #ahfe  ,anderson's           
,constitutions  ,anthropological        
,society's ,transactions ,the ,memoirs  
,antiquities of ,orissa ,rajendralala   
,mitra  ,archologia ,scotia             
,aristophanes  ,arundale's ,jerusalem   
and ,sinai  ,asiatic ,researches        
,bacchic ,mysteries1 ,on                
the--,pamphleteer1 vol4 viii4           
,bardwell's ,temples  ,banier's         
,mythology1 iv4 vols4  ,baring ,gould's 
,myths of ,middle ,ages  ,baring        
,gould's ,origin and ,development of    
,religious ,belief  ,barker's ,ancient  
,world  ,barker's ,aryan ,civilization  
,barlow on ,symbolism  ,bastian's       
,beginnings of ,life  ,barth's          
,religions of ,india  ,bateman's ,ten   
,years' ,diggings  ,bayle's ,dictionary 

,beale's ,legends of ,buddha  ,bede's   
,ecclesiastical ,history  ,bellamy's    
,history of ,religions  ,bernier's      
,travels in ,mogul ,empire  ,betham's   
,etruria ,celtica  ,bird's ,travel's in 
,japan  ,birdwood's ,indian ,arts       
,blair's ,chronology  ,blavatsky's ,isis
 unveiled  ,bonwick's ,egyptian ,beliefs
  ,borlase's ,antiquities of ,cornwall  
,bradford's ,american ,antiquities      
,brand's ,popular ,antiquities1 iii4    
vols4  ,bruite's ,myths of the ,new     
,world  ,british ,quarterly1 #cd        
,brown's ,vulgar ,errors  ,bryant's     
,analysis  ,buchanan's ,journey from    
,madras1 iii4 vols4  ,buchanan's        
,researches in ,asia  ,buckingham's     
,travels in ,palestine1 ii4 vols4       
,bullock's ,mexican ,exhibition         
,burckhardt's ,travels in ,nubia1 c4    
,burden's ,oriental ,customs  ,burton's 
,travels  ,calcutta ,review  ,callcott  
on ,freemasonry  ,calmet's ,antiquities 
,calmet's ,dictionary  ,camden's        
,britannia by ,gough1 iv4 vols4         

,carne's ,letters from the ,east        
,catholic ,world1 vi41 ix4  ,chambers's 
,journal1 viii41 xix41 xxii4  ,chardin's
 ,travels in ,persia1 ii4 vols4         
,clarke's ,prehist4 ,compar4 ,philology 
,clarke's ,travels in ,greece and       
,albania  ,clarke's ,travels1 vi4 vols4 
,classical ,magazine  ,closmadeuc1      
,g4--,sculptures ,lapidaires et ,signes 
,graves des dolmens dans le ,morbihan2  
many plates1 #hvo4 ,vannes1 #ahgc4      
,colbourn's ,mythology1 v4  ,coleman's  
,mythology of the ,hindus  ,collyer     
7,r471 ,ilkley1 ,ancient and ,modern    
,comical ,pilgrim's ,pilgrimage to      
,ireland  ,contemporary ,review1 xii4   
,conway's ,sacred ,anthology  ,cooper's 
,archaic ,dictionary  ,cornhill         
,magazine1 xix4  ,cory's ,ancient       
,fragments  ,cox's ,aryan ,mythology    
,crawford's ,history of the ,indian     
,archipelago  ,cudworth's ,intellectual 
,system  ,cunningham's ,ancient         
,geography of ,india  ,davies on        
,british ,coins  ,d',anville on ,ancient

 ,geography  ,davies's ,celtic          
,researches  ,davies's ,history and     
,mythology of the ,druids  ,davies's    
,unorthordox ,london  ,dawkins's ,early 
,man  ,dean's ,worship of the ,serpent  
,delaure's ,culte du ,phallus  ,denon's 
,travels in ,egypt  ,didron's ,christian
 ,iconography  ,dinsdall's ,isocrates   
,diodorus  ,dow's ,history of ,hindostan
  ,dowson's ,dictionary of ,hindu       
,mythology  ,dublin ,penny ,journal1    
viii4 vols  ,dublin ,university         
,magazine  ,dubois on the ,institutions 
of ,india  ,du ,halde's ,history of     
,china  ,duncker's ,history of          
,antiquities  ,dupuis's ,origine de tout
 les ,cultes  ,eclectic ,magazine1      
lxxii4  ,edinburgh ,magazine            
,eleusinian ,mysteries1 ,on             
the--,pamphleteer1 vol4 viii4           
,englishwoman in ,russia  ,euripides    
,eusebius  ,faber's ,mysteries of the   
,cabirri  ,faber's ,pagan ,idolatry     
,farrer's ,primitive ,customs           
,fellows's ,mysteries of ,freemasonry   

,fenton's ,history of ,pembrokeshire    
,furgusson's ,rock ,cut ,temples of     
,india  ,furgusson's ,rude ,stone       
,monuments  ,furgusson's ,tree and      
,serpent ,worship  ,fleury's ,manners of
 the ,ancient ,israelites  ,forbin's    
,travels in the ,holy ,land  ,forester's
 ,sardinia  ,foquet 7,a47 ,guide des    
,jouristes et des ,archeologues dans le 
,morbihan3 nouv4 ed41 #abmo4 #ahgc4     
,fraser's ,magazine1 lxxxii4  ,gage's   
,survey of the ,west ,indies  ,gale's   
,court of the ,gentiles1 iii4 vols41    
#dto4  ,gibbon's ,roman ,empire  ,gill's
 ,myths of the ,south ,pacific  ,glass's
 ,history of the ,canary ,isles         
,glennie's ,pilgrim ,memories  ,good    
,words1 xiii41 xiv4  ,goranson's        
,histories in ,mallet's ,northern       
,antiquities  ,gorius's ,etruscan       
,antiquities  ,gray's ,sculptures of    
,etruria  ,grimm's ,tuetonic ,mythology 
,grose's ,antiquities of ,england1      
,scotland and ,ireland  ,grose's        
,provincial ,glossary  ,grose's ,voyage 

to the ,east ,indies  ,grote's ,history 
of ,greece  ,gumpach's ,history of      
,antiquities of ,egypt  ,haeckel's      
,history of ,creation  ,hales's         
,analysis of ,chronology  ,halhed's     
,code of ,gentoo ,law  ,hamilton's      
,egyptica  ,hanway's ,persia  ,harper's 
,magazine1 xli4  ,haslam's ,cross and   
,serpent ,worship  ,heeren's ,ancient   
,history  ,herbert's ,antiquity of      
,stonehenge  ,herodotus  ,hesiod        
,heywood's ,cup and ,ring ,stones of    
,ilkley1 ,yorkshire  ,hibbert ,lectures 
for #ahgh and #ahhj  ,higgins's         
,anacalypsis  ,higgins's ,druids        
,holwell on the ,feasts of the ,hindoos 
,holwell's ,historical ,events          
,holwell's ,mythological ,dictionary    
,hone's ,ancient ,mysteries  ,horus and 
,serpent ,myths--,cooper ,vic4 ,inst4   
,hours at ,home1 i4  ,household ,words1 
xv41 xvi4  ,huc's ,travel's in ,thibet1 
c4  ,humboldt's ,monuments of ,ancient  
,inhabitants of ,america  ,humboldt's   
,personal ,narrative1 vii4  ,hunter's   

,imperial ,gazeteer of ,india  ,hunter's
 ,non-,aryan ,languages  ,hunter's      
,rural ,bengal  ,hutchinson's ,history  
of ,cumberland  ,hutchinson's ,spirit of
 ,masonry  ,hutchinson's ,two ,years in 
,peru  ,indian ,antiquary               
,international ,magazine  ,irving's     
,bracebridge ,hall  ,jamieson's         
,scottish ,dictionary  ,jenning's       
,jewish ,antiquities  ,jenning's        
,rosicrucians  ,jones's 7,sir ,w47      
,works  ,jones's 7,stephen7 ,masonic    
,miscellanies  ,josephus  ,journal of   
,asiatic ,society of ,bengal  ,journal  
of ,forestry1 vol4 viii4  ,joyce's      
,history of ,irish ,names  ,joyce's ,old
 ,celtic ,romances  ,kmpfers' ,history  
of ,japan  ,kerney's ,outlines of       
,primitive ,belief  ,keane's ,towers and
 ,temples of ,ireland  ,keightly's      
,mythology  ,kelly's ,indu-,european    
,traditions  ,kennett's ,roman          
,antiquities  ,kenrick's ,ancient ,egypt
  ,kenrick's ,phoenicia  ,kilkenny      
,archological ,journal  ,kitto's        

,journal of ,sacred ,literature         
,klaproth's ,travels in the ,caucasus   
,knight's 7,payne7 ,symbolic ,language  
,lamb's ,hieroglyphics  ,landseer's     
,saboean ,researches  ,latham's         
,ethnology of the ,british ,isles       
,laurie's ,freemasonry in ,scotland     
,laws of ,manu  ,layard's ,nineveh and  
,babylon  ,le ,compte's ,memoirs of     
,china  ,ledwich's ,antiquities of      
,ireland  ,leslie's ,ancient ,races of  
,scotland  ,leslie's ,ceylon  ,leslie's 
,origin of ,man  ,lewis's ,origines     
,hebrcoe  ,lord's ,banian ,religion     
,lubbock's ,pre-historic times          
,lubbock's ,origin of ,civilization     
,lucan's ,pharsalia  ,lucretius's       
,nature of ,things  ,lundy's ,monumental
 ,christianity  ,lyell's ,asiatic       
,studies  ,maclagan's ,scottish ,myths  
,maclean's ,celtic ,language            
,macpherson's ,indian ,khonds  ,madden's
 ,shrines and ,sepulchres  ,maimonides  
de ,idolatria  ,mailland's ,church of   
the ,catacombs  ,malcolm's ,history of  

,persia  ,malcolm's ,memoirs of ,central
 ,india  ,mallet's ,northern            
,antiquities  ,manning's ,ancient and   
,medival ,india  ,macquoid's journey    
through ,brittany  ,marco ,polo's       
,travels by ,yule  ,marshman's ,history 
of ,india  ,massey's ,book of           
,beginnings  ,maundrell's ,journey      
,maurice's ,ancient ,history of         
,hindostan  ,maurice's ,indian          
,antiquities1 vii4 vols4  ,maurice's    
,modern ,history of ,hindostan          
,meyrick's ,history of ,cardigan        
,mill's ,history of ,chivalry  ,mill's  
,history of the ,crusades  ,milman's    
,history of the ,jews  ,montfaucon1     
,l',antiquit explique  ,moore's ,ancient
 ,stones of ,scotland  ,moor's ,hindu   
,pantheon  ,morris's ,new ,nation       
,moule's ,fish ,heraldry  ,mounier's    
,influence of ,freemasonry on the       
,french ,revolution  ,muir's ,mahomet   
and ,hist4 of ,islam  ,nature1 xvii4    
,newton's ,chronology  ,niebuhr's       
,voyage in ,arabia  ,nieuhoff's ,travels

 in ,india  ,nightingale's ,religious   
,ceremonies of all nations  ,nineteenth 
,century1 iv41 vii4  ,norden's ,travels 
in ,egypt and ,nubia  ,north ,american  
,review1 cx4  ,o',brien's ,round ,towers
 of ,ireland  ,ockley's ,saracens  ,old 
,statistical ,account of ,scotland      
,oliphant's ,land of ,gilead  ,oliver   
7,l4 ,p471 ,megalithic ,structures of   
the ,channel ,islands1 their ,history   
and ,analogies1 #ahgj  ,oliver's        
,antiquities of ,masonry  ,oliver's     
,history of ,beverley  ,oliver's        
,history of ,initiation into ,ancient   
,rites  ,oliver's ,signs and ,symbols   
,oliver's ,star in the ,east            
,o',neill's ,fine ,arts of ,ancient     
,ireland  ,oort's ,worship of ,baalim   
,orme's ,historical ,fragments  ,orme's 
,transactions in ,india  ,osburn's      
,monumental ,egypt  ,ousley's ,travels  
in the ,east  ,ovid  ,owen's ,serpent   
,worship  ,palgrave's ,arabia  ,palmyra1
 ,antiquities of  ,pampheteer1 ,the     
,parsons's ,remains of ,japheth         

,pausanias  ,pennant's ,fire ,worship in
 ,india  ,pennant's ,journey to ,alston 
,moor  ,pennant's ,tour in ,scotland    
,petrie's ,round ,towers of ,ireland    
,philpot's ,heraldry  ,picart's         
,religious ,ceremonies  ,pindar's ,odes 
,pinkerton's ,collection of ,travels    
,pliny's ,natural ,history  ,plutarch's 
,lives  ,pococke's ,india in ,greece    
,pontoppidon's ,history of ,norway      
,popular ,science ,review1 xvii4        
,potter's ,archology  ,potter's ,grecian
 ,antiquities  ,prescott's ,conquest of 
,mexico  ,prescott's ,conquest of ,peru 
,preston's ,illustrations of ,masonry   
,prideaux's ,connection  ,pritchard's   
,celtic ,nations  ,propertius           
,purchas's ,pilgrim  ,purchas's ,voyages
 and ,travels  ,quarterly ,review1 cxiv4
  ,raleigh's ,history of the ,world     
,ramsay on the ,theology of the ,pagans 
,reade's ,veil of ,isis  ,renouf's      
,hibbert ,lectures  ,rivett1 ,carnac1   
,snake ,myths of ,india  ,roberts's     
,cambrian ,antiquities  ,robertson's    

,history of ,america  ,rolle's          
,recherches sur le ,culte de ,bacchus   
,rollins's ,ancient ,history  ,ross's   
,view of all ,religions  ,rou 7,c471    
,cup-shaped and other ,sculptures in the
 ,old ,world and in ,america1 #ahha     
,rousselet's ,india and its ,princes    
,royal ,institutions of ,cornwall       
,royal ,irish ,academy1 ,transactions   
,rust's ,druidism ,exhumed  ,sacred     
,books of the ,east1 many vols4  ,sale's
 ,koran  ,sanhita of ,sama              
,veda--,thomson's ,translation  ,samme's
 ,britannia  ,satires of ,persus        
,savary's ,letters on ,egypt  ,savary's 
,letters on ,greece  ,sayce's ,lectures 
,schlieman's ,mycen and ,tiryns  ,secret
 ,societies of the ,middle ,ages        
,seeley's ,wonders of ,elora  ,seldon's 
,fabulous ,god's ,denounced in the      
,bible  ,septchenes's ,religion of the  
,ancient ,greeks  ,sharpe's ,hebrew     
,nation  ,simpson's ,archological       
,essays  ,simpson 7,sir ,j47 ,archaic   
,sculpturings of ,cups1 c41 upon ,stones

 and ,rocks in ,scotland1 ,england and  
other countries4  ,sinclair's ,statist1 
vol4 xvii4  ,skene's ,celtic ,scotland  
,skertchly's ,dahomy as it is  ,smiddy's
 ,druids and ,towers of ,ireland        
,smith's ,chaldean ,genesis  ,smith's   
,greek and ,roman ,antiquities  ,society
 of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1          
,proceedings  ,sonnerat's ,voyages      
,socrates' ,eccles4 ,hist4  ,spencer's  
,ceremonial ,institutions  ,spineto's   
,lectures  ,squier's ,serpent ,symbols  
,st4 ,james's ,magazine1 xxv4           
,stanley's ,eastern ,races  ,stanley's  
,history of the ,philosophers           
,stanley's ,sinai and ,palestine        
,stephens's ,yucatan and ,central       
,america  ,strabo's ,geography          
,strahlenberg's ,description of ,n4 and 
,e4 ,europe and ,asia  ,strange's       
,developement of ,creation  ,stukeley's 
,itinerary  ,stukeley's ,stonehenge and 
,abury  ,tavernier's ,voyages  ,taylor's
 ,etruscan ,researches  ,taylor's ,hymns
 of ,orpheus  ,taylor's ,mexico and the 

,mexicans  ,taylor's ,proclus           
,tenison's ,idolatry  ,thales's ,origin 
of ,mankind  ,the ,living ,age1 xx41    
cxxxix4  ,thevnot's ,travels into the   
,levant  ,tiele's ,history of ,ancient  
,religions  ,tod's ,antiquities of      
,rajasthan  ,toland's ,history of the   
,druids  ,tooke's ,pantheon             
,transactions of the ,royal ,society of 
,literature  ,turnbull's ,voyage ,round 
the ,world  ,turner's ,history of the   
,anglo-,saxons  ,tylor's ,primitive     
,culture  ,ulster ,journal of ,archology
  ,unitarian ,review1 ,boston  ,universe
 ,displayed1 iv4 vols4  ,upham's        
,buddhism  ,urquhart's ,spirit of the   
,east  ,vallancey's ,ancient ,irish     
,language  ,vallancey's ,bulgaria       
,vallancey's ,colec4 de ,rebus ,hibern  
,vancouvre's ,voyage ,round the ,world  
,virgil's ,works  ,volney's ,travels in 
,syria  ,wait's ,jewish ,antiquities    
,wait's ,oriental ,antiquities          
,wakeman's ,archologia ,hibernica       
,ward's ,view of the ,hindoos  ,waring's

 ,monuments and ,ornament  ,wheeler's   
,history of ,india  ,weber's ,indian    
,literature  ,welsh ,archology          
,westropp's ,archological ,handbook     
,wilder's ,ancient ,symbol ,worship     
,wilkinson's ,ancient ,egypt  ,willis's 
,current ,notes  ,wilson's ,egypt of the
 ,past  ,wilson's ,pre-historic ,annals 
of ,scotland  ,wormius's ,danish        
,monuments  ,young's ,egyptian          
,antiquities  ,xenophon ,anabasis       
,,footnotes3  #a ,english ,forests and  
,forest ,trees4  #b ,edin4 ,rev41 #ahfi4
  #c ,see ,quar4 ,rev41 #aad4  #d       
,symbolism4  #e ,rivers of ,life1 vol4  
,i4  #f ,indian ,antiquities4  #g       
,barlowe's ,symbolism4  #h ,forlong4  #i
 ,moses ,maimonides4  #aj ,geograph4    
,lib41 ,,ix4  #aa ,id41 ,,xviii4 #dc4   
#ab ,metam4 ,lib41 ,,viii4 #fhi4  #ac   
,metam4 ,lib41 ,,viii4  #ad ,theb4      
,lib41 ,,ii4 #gcf4  #ae ,ousley's       
,persia1 vol4 ,i4  #af ,ousley1 vol4 ,i4
  #ag ,ousley1 vol4 ,i4  #ah ,barlow's  
,symbolism4  #ai ,barlowe's ,symbolism4 

#bj ,oriental ,fragments4  #ba ,lib4    
xv41 c4 #bd  #bb ,le ,mythologie des    
,plantes1 vol4 ,,ii4  #bc ,forestry     
,journal1 vol4 ,,viii4  #bd ,forestry1  
p4 #acb4  #be ,landon's ,arboretum4  #bf
 ,barlow4  #bg ,life by ,willibrord1    
chap4 viii4  #bh ,willis's ,current     
,notes for ,february1 #ahed4  #bi       
,percy's ,mallet's ,northern            
,antiquities4  #cj ,descrip4 ,n4 and ,e4
 of ,europe1 p4 #bhi4     ,,phallic     
,,series  ,,cr4 #h,,vo1 ,,vellum1 #g_/f 
,,each4  ,only a very limited number1   
privately printed4   ,,phallicism4--,a  
,description of the ,worship of         
,lingam-,yoni in various parts of the   
,world1 and in different ,ages1 with an 
,account of ,ancient and ,modern        
,crosses1 particularly of the ,crux     
,ansata 7or ,handled ,cross7 and other  
,symbols connected with the ,mysteries  
of ,sex ,worship4 ,nearly out of print4 
,,ophiolatreia4--,an ,account of the    
,rites and ,mysteries connected with the
 ,origin1 ,rise1 and ,development of    

,serpent ,worship in various parts of   
the ,world1 enriched with ,interesting  
,traditions1 and a full description of  
the celebrated ,serpent ,mounds and     
,temples1 the whole forming an          
exposition of one of the phases of      
,phallic1 or ,sex ,worship4  ,,phallic  
,,objects1 ,,monuments ,,and ,,remains2 
,illustrations of the ,rise and         
,development of the ,phallic ,idea 7,sex
 ,worship71 and its embodiment in ,works
 of ,nature and ,art4 ,etched           
,frontispiece4  ,,cultus ,,arborum4--,a 
,descriptive ,account of ,phallic ,tree 
,worship1 with illustrative ,legends1   
,superstitious ,usages1 c42 exhibiting  
its ,origin and ,development amongst the
 ,eastern and ,western ,nations of the  
,world1 from the earliest to modern     
times4   ,,in ,,preparation4  ,,fishes1 
,,flowers1 ,,and ,,fire as ,phallic     
,symbols4     ,transcriber's ,notes3    
,passages in italics are indicated by   
italics4  ,letters with diacritical     
marks are not represented in this text  

version4  ,foonote #bi appears on page  
#ib of the text1 but there is no        
corresponding marker on the page4  ,the 
following misprints have been corrected3
   enveloved corrected to enveloped     
7page #eb7   acauthaceous corrected to  
acanthaceous 7page #fa7   medim         
corrected to medium 7page #fd7          
neglience corrected to negligence 7page 
#fg7   heoric corrected to heroic 7page 
#hh7   respresented corrected to typo   
represented 7page #ia7  ,other than the 
corrections listed above1 spelling      
inconsistencies have been retained from 
the original4