Animals and plants in Slavic mythology. Magic plants, herbs and roots Mythical flowers

Let's take a look at what mythical plants are known in Indian traditions. world tree in the mythological model of the world of the Indo-Europeans, it is a symbol of the unity of the three worlds - the upper (heavenly), middle (terrestrial) and lower (underground). According to these beliefs, the crown of the World Tree reaches the heavens, the roots descend to the underworld, and the trunk marks the center of the earth, its axis. Relative to the surface of the earth, the trunk of the World Tree symbolizes the center of the main directions: east, west, north and south. Therefore, the World Tree is surrounded by four more gods with their sacred animals, denoting the cardinal points. In Indian mythology, the axis of the three worlds is Mount Meru, but the symbolism of the World Tree is also present in many other myths.

In Hindu mythology, a tree is often mentioned growing in the Primordial Ocean. According to some sources, this is the tree of Vetas, which grew when the world was created from fragments of the shell of the Golden Egg. Apparently, it has a real prototype, because vetas trees are mentioned in many sources as growing in nature. According to other sources, Narayana, the Supreme God, reclines on a leaf of a banyan tree floating on the primordial waters (Nara), and sucks his toe, symbolizing eternity. In yet another version of this myth, Narayana, in the form of a baby, reclines on the branches of a banyan tree growing from the Primordial Ocean.

In the Upanishads, Ashwattha (pippal) is a metaphor for creation, “whose root is above, and whose branches grow downward.” In the mythological symbolism of the Mahabharata, the nyagrodha tree (Skt. nyag-rodha - “growing down”) appears as an equivalent of the “world tree”. The name is explained by the specifics of the structure of this plant: its branches, roots, go down and grow into the ground. Ashvattha, pippal, banyan, nyagrodha are the names of plants from the ficus genus, which will be discussed later.

mythical plants. Parijata tree.

The Parijata tree obtained by churning the ocean was planted in his garden by the god Indra, the king of the gods and the lord of the heavenly world Indraloka. The bark of the tree was made of gold, it was adorned with emerging copper-colored young leaves and branches with numerous clusters of fragrant fruits. Rishi Narada brought the flower of this tree as a gift to his friend Krishna, who gave it to one of his wives, Rukmini. Narada reported this to another wife of Krishna, Satyabhama, surprised that the flower was not presented to her as a beloved wife. Satyabhama, of course, was upset, and then Narada advised her to ask Krishna for the Parijata tree itself as a gift in order to plant it near the house. But the tree belonged to Indra, who would not part with it voluntarily, and Krishna would have to kidnap Parijat. Having given such advice, the sage flew to Indra and warned him to guard the tree more strictly, after which he began to wait for the development of events.

Satyabhama retired to the "room of wrath", where wives retired when they felt miserable. When Krishna came to her, she asked to give her a Parijat tree as a proof of love. Sneaking into Indra's garden, Krishna began digging up Parijat to carry away the rooted tree and plant it at Satyabhama's house. Then Indra appeared, however, seeing who was the kidnapper - after all, Krishna was an avatar of the god Vishnu - he generously allowed the tree to be carried away. Krishna proved his love to both wives by planting a tree in Satyabhama's garden, but its branches extended over Rukmini's garden, dropping their flowers there. After the death of Krishna, the city of Dvaraka, where he lived, sank into the ocean, and the Parijata tree returned to heaven.

It is probable that before "returning to heaven" this wonderful tree had time to thrive, for parijata or har singhar trees still grow in India. Their flowers resemble jasmine, but the corolla tubes are painted in Orange color. Asvagosa, the spiritual mentor of King Kanishka, when describing the jungles of the lower belt of the Himalayas, mentions a lot beautiful trees, including parijata, shining in their majesty and regally rising above other trees burdened lush bloom. They are widely distributed in the gardens of eastern Rajasthan.

mythical plants. Kalpa vriksha.

The Indian epic often mentions Kalpa-vriksha, translated as "tree of desires", the image of which is captured in ancient Indian sculptural decorations. According to legend, one must stand under the branches of a tree, and it will give everything that is asked of it. Kalpa vriksha is dedicated to one of the earliest sculptures of vegetation in India. It was created in Besnagar in the 3rd century BC. It is now in the Calcutta Museum. M. Radhava describes this tree as a banyan, at the foot of which are jugs and a shell, from which coins and lotus flowers are pouring. The Kalpa Vriksha is often referred to as the coconut palm.

It is believed that in the forest of Vrindavana, a favorite place of Krishna's pastimes in childhood, kalpa vrikshas used to grow, but it was not possible to establish what kind of trees they were. According to the Hare Krishnas, these trees fulfilled the wishes of not every person who approached them with a request. First, the supplicant had to become a devotee of Lord Krishna. The desire tree is impartial and free from material attachment. It bestows the fulfillment of desires only on those who deserve such mercy.

The Indian botanist K. M. Waid is inclined to consider the prototype of this magic tree baobab, but baobabs do not grow in India. Perhaps Waid was referring to shemal (shalmali) - a cotton tree from the genus Bombax, species of which are often also called baobabs. Cotton or silk tree (B.malabaricum or B.ceiba) is one of the largest trees in India. This tree is called cotton because its fruits contain a lot of fine hairs, which are used instead of cotton wool. In spring, its long branches are covered with scarlet cup-shaped flowers, “which makes the tree look like the many-armed goddess Lakshmi, who holds red lamps on her palms” (M. Randhava).

mythical plants. Jambu tree.

The Puranas talk about seven mythical continents, the innermost of which is our world. This world is called Jambudvipa (Mainland of Jambu) after the name of the mythical tree Jambu, which grows on one of the mountains. The fruit of this tree, the size of an elephant, when ripe, they fall on the mountain, and their juice forms the Jambu River, the waters of which bring health and life. There is also a real jambu tree, or "pink apple tree", which is quite possible to grow.

In Buddhist cosmogony, Jambudvipa is one of the four continents of the universe, the world of people, located on the south side of Mount Sumeru. In the north of the mainland, between the mountains of Snezhnaya and Blagovonnaya, there is the dwelling of the king of dragons and the quadrangular Mapam Sea, on the shore of which the Jambu tree grows. The tree got its name from the sound "jambu" with which its ripe fruits fall into the sea. Part of them serves as food for the king of dragons, and part turns into gold of the Jambu River, which is called "gold-bearing". Further north lives the king of the trees, Sala.

Aconite (Greek akoniton, lat. aconitum) is one of the most poisonous flowering plants. Russian folk names for some types of this flower are “wrestler-root”, “wolf root”, “wolf-killer”, “king-grass”, “black root”, “goat death”, “lumbago-grass”, etc. The flower is poisonous from root to pollen. In ancient times, the Greeks and Chinese used it to make poison for arrows. Folk names the plants “wolf slayer”, “wolf poison” are explained by the fact that earlier the wrestler was used to bait wolves - the bait was treated with a decoction of the root. In Nepal, they also poisoned the bait for large predators and drinking water when attacked by an enemy.

The etymology of the name is unclear, some associate this flower with the ancient Greek city of Akone, in the vicinity of which aconites grew in abundance, others derive its name from the Greek. Aconae - "rock, cliff" or Acontion - "arrows". The toxicity of the plant is caused by the content of alkaloids in it, which, acting on the central nervous system cause paralysis of the respiratory center.

For the gathering of the divine cactus Peyote, which did not grow in their country, the Huichols made a special trip to Wirakuta once a year, furnishing their enterprise with special rituals. The Indians of this tribe believe that their ancestors came out of this desert and represent it as a kind of paradise, a sacred space, essentially belonging to the other world. In fact, this physical journey is a reflection of the spiritual penetration into the world of spirits, access to which the Huichols received in the rituals of eating peyote.

Mythology is the oldest way of understanding the world. The ancient Slavs, like most peoples, divided the whole world into the upper, “higher”, where the gods lived, into the middle, “lower”, in which people lived, and the lower, the world of the dead or the underworld.

The ancient Slavs imagined the world as a "world tree", the top of which rested on the sky, and the roots descended to groundwater. Above its branches were the sun or the moon, sacred birds lived in the crown - an eagle, a nightingale; a squirrel ran along the trunk, bees swarmed, snakes, frogs and beavers lived in the roots. The whole tree as a whole could also be understood as a person, most often a woman: Russian embroideries depicted a tree or a woman between two horsemen, deer, birds.
Among the Slavs, like among all the inhabitants of the forest belt, the bear was surrounded by exceptional reverence. His strength, far superior to that of any forest creature, his deft climbing of trees aroused the admiration of ancient hunters, and the cases of walking on his hind legs made him look like people, which took shape in the minds of primitive people in the idea of ​​their kinship with bears. The bear was called relative, father, grandfather, and this greatness was preserved in Russian folk tales and songs.
As with any totemic animal (an animal that served as an object of religious veneration among tribal groups), our ancestors periodically arranged a ritual hunt for a bear, and then ritually eating its meat and blood by the entire community, after which the remnants of the meal were buried. Ancient hunters believed that by eating a piece of bear meat or tasting the blood of a bear, they would acquire all the properties of their totem, and most importantly, they would be as strong as this beast.


The bear cult among the ancient Slavs is evidenced by many archaeological finds in the Slavic mounds of the Upper Volga and Ladoga regions: ritual burials of bears, amulets from bear claws, the remains of bear paws and their clay models. An ancient bear cult is also represented at the settlement of Tushemlya (VII-VIII centuries) in Smolensk region. In the center of the settlement, behind a pillar fence, there was a dug pillar, the top of which was crowned with a bear's skull.

Particular attention should be paid to the cult of bear paws among the Slavs. There was a belief that they protect livestock from wild predators, so every livestock owner wanted to have such an amulet. Due to the fact that there were not enough real bear paws, they began to make models of them, which, it was believed, had the same magical properties just like real bear paws. N. M. Nikolsky describes the following peasant customs associated with belief in the protective functions of the bear: “For the sake of protection from evil spirits, a Russian peasant hangs a bear’s head in the stable, fumigates the house and outbuildings with bear hair, calls the bear cub and asks him to circle the bear around the yard ". The bear paw itself was called the cattle god and was hung out even at the beginning of the 20th century. in the courtyards of peasants near Moscow.


The cattle god in the mythology of the Slavs was called Volos (Veles). B. A. Rybakov believes that the veneration of Volos is rooted in the bear cult. This is indicated by many coincidences, which, precisely because of their number, are not accidental. Firstly, as a result of excavations, traces of a bear cult were found near a village called Volosovo. Secondly, in the center of Rostov, Yaroslavl region, where there was a pagan temple of Volos, archaeologists found a ritual ax with a bear's head. Thirdly, according to the beliefs of the Slavs, the constellation Pleiades, called in the old days "Hair", portends a successful hunt for a bear. And, finally, the name of the bear's paw "cattle god" also indicates the connection of the cult of this animal with the cult of Veles.

The bear was the most revered animal among the Slavs. But others were surrounded by reverence forest animals: wolves, wild boars, hares, moose, lynx. The wolf was the totem of many Indo-European tribes. The cohesion of wolves in a pack, the distribution of functions within the pack (“the laws of the pack”) reminded the ancient people of their own team, which led to ideas about the family relationship of people with wolves. The special reverence of the wolf among the Slavs is indicated by the fact that in the tales of the Slavic peoples, of all wild animals, the wolf is the most frequent character. In addition, the Slavic peoples have personal male names: Wolf, Vuk and diminutive Vuchko (just like the Germans commonly know the name Wolf).

In our minds, the image of the wolf is mostly endowed with negative characteristics. This is not quite the case in Russian folklore: the wolf often helps the heroes of fairy tales, he is considered the devourer of devils (originally: evil spirits), and meeting with a wolf on the way is a good omen. Serbs believe that the wolf can predict the harvest.

In general, in Slavic mythology, a wolf is a creature endowed with the gift of omniscience. In Russian folk tales, he also appears, if not omniscient, then a beast experienced in various matters. In addition, according to Slavic beliefs, people with the gift of supernatural knowledge can turn into wolves. In some Slavic languages, werewolves are called by names derived from the verb vedati (Slovenian vedomci, vedun-ci; Ukrainian vishchuni).

No less than animals, the Slavs revered plants. Both individual trees, which stood out for something (a large hollow, for example, or struck by a lightning strike), and entire groves were revered.

Of the trees, the Slavs revered oak and birch most of all, which can be explained by the ubiquity of these trees in the zone of settlement of the Slavs, as well as their economic significance. Oak has long been revered as a tree associated with thunderstorms. Until now, people consider it dangerous to be under an oak tree during a thunderstorm, because it attracts lightning. In the pagan mythology of the Slavs, the oak is the tree of Perun, the god of thunder. Medieval toponymy knows the tract Perunov oak in the Galician land, and the ceremony of worshiping the oak is described byzantine emperor Konstantin Porphyrogenitus in the treatise "On the Governance of the State". The author tells about the difficult and dangerous crossing of the Russian boats through the Dnieper rapids. After this crossing, the Rus on the island of Khortytsya make thanksgiving sacrifices. “On this island they make their sacrifices, as there is a huge oak tree: they sacrifice live roosters, they strengthen and arrows around (the oak), and others - pieces of bread, meat and what everyone has, as their custom dictates. They also cast lots for roosters: either slaughter them, or eat them, or let them go alive.

That section of the Dnieper, where the described events took place, was called "Perun Ren". The connection of the oak with Perun is also indicated by the fact that the idols of this god were usually made of oak. With the adoption of Christianity by Russia, the oak as the tree of Perun “fell into disgrace.” Firstly, under the fear of a church court, it was forbidden “to sing prayers before the oak” (which, in principle, referred to prayer under any tree). And, secondly, a certain transformation of this image took place in the popular consciousness: due to its connection with a thunderstorm and the pagan god of thunderstorms, the oak was declared an unclean tree.
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Fairy tales and legends are full of mythical plants and animals. The world around us is full of new, undescribed species, but we continue to invent new representatives of flora and fauna. Today's post is dedicated to plants from old myths and legends.


The first thing that comes to mind is a four-leaf clover, which promises great luck to its owner. This symbol of good luck is so popular that it is hunted in many countries. Although difficult to find, such a clover is a very real plant. I confess that I have never seen one in my life. In the fantastic animated series "Futurama" it was already told about the seven-leaf clover, which brought fantastic luck.

Many fabulous flowers or trees in reality had prototypes, but not all legends are based on reality. Most a prime example- Fern flower. The Slavic peoples have a belief that on the night of Ivan Kupala you need to go into the forest in search of a flowering fern. Further, the legends differ in testimony, such a flower can promise love, good luck and untold wealth. In the latter case, you need to look for a treasure in the place where this fabulous flower was found (reminiscent of stories about the end of the rainbow and leprechauns). But the fern flower is just a figment of the fantasy of storytellers. These ancient plants reproduce by spores, which can be seen on the inner surface of the "leaf", so that the ferns never bloom. Alas. But the legend continues to live, now it is part of the summer entertainment, and no one cares about the result anymore, the search process is much more interesting.

In Chinese mythology, the five-color mushroom Zhi is very popular, which is a symbol of the boundless wisdom of the prince and is able to work miracles, up to the resurrection of the dead. Medieval writings mention green, red, yellow, white and even purple Zhi mushrooms. The five-colored zhi is a magical relative of the ling zhi (or tinder fungus) mushroom, which was considered very healing and was even called the mushroom of immortality.

In ancient Greece, there was the legendary food of the gods - ambrosia, which bestowed immortality and youth on anyone who tasted it. By different sources it was invented by Demeter or produced by the moon or moonlight. Now this beautiful name is common grass, which is a dangerous weed, and its pollen can cause hay fever. Not very divine, is it?

In Greek mythology, there was another mysterious plant - the Lotus Tree, the fruits of which caused a pleasant nap. People eating these fruits forgot their relatives and friends and remained to live on the island in laziness, eating only from this tree. Some analogy of the modern Internet. This myth has given rise to the term Lotophagus to describe people who lead a decadent lifestyle but essentially live boring and meaningless lives.

One of the most dangerous representatives of the flora for people is the cannibal plant - it is very popular in late XIX century urban legend. These plants were large and bloodthirsty enough to feed on humans. Travelers of that time liked to describe such "predators" in their notes, apparently, this gave charm and romanticism to their memoirs.

The Umdglebi plant belongs to the same variety, which destroys all life around it with carbonic acid vapors. An article about him appeared in 1882 in Nature, but in more than 130 years since the publication of other evidence of his existence, there is still no. Therefore, it is recognized as a hoax.

In many mythologies, plants themselves did not possess any mysterious powers, but were the dwellings of spirits. For example, in Yakutia there is a very popular legend about Al Luk Mas, an old tree where the mistress of the area lives. Very old birches or larches were chosen for the role of Al Luk Mas, these trees were treated with respect, their branches could not be broken in any case.

Often in ancient times, the trees themselves were a kind of divine symbol that connects different matters: the roots go into the ground, and the branches high into the sky. Apparently, therefore, many peoples had legends about the world tree - a tree that unites all aspects of the universe. In Scandinavian myths, it was a huge ash tree (Yggdrasil), which is the structural basis of all things and connects nine worlds. A wise eagle sits on top of Yggdrasil, and snakes and a dragon gnaw its roots, a squirrel that carries messages runs between the eagle and root pests. Descriptions of all the functions of this tree go into the details of Scandinavian mythology, and it is extremely difficult to understand all its roots and branches without preparation.

However, the largest collection mystical plants is, of course, in

V.N. Toporov Plants Myths of the peoples of the world in 2 vols. M., 1992

PLANTS. The role of R. in mythopoetic representations is determined primarily by the presence of a special plant (“vegetative”) code, which is the reason for the participation of R. in numerous classification systems. A single plant image, embodying universal concept world, the world tree appears (see. world tree and its variants tree of life, tree of knowledge, shaman tree, etc.). The exclusive role of R. - wild and especially cultivated - in human life contributed to the mythologization of the entire context in which R. act, starting with the earth, understood as the mother's womb of R. and life in general, and ending with all favorable factors, affecting R. (rain, winds, hail, etc.). The field itself (as well as R.) was often represented as a living being, a pregnant woman expecting offspring, or a grave hiding a dead grain in itself.

In different traditions, a huge number of deities are associated with R., the earth that gives rise to them, and the general idea of ​​\u200b\u200bvegetative fertility - Gaia, Demeter, Persephone (and Kore), Dionysus, Narcissus, Hyacinth; Flora, Ceres, Virbius; Soma, Ara-nyani; Ukko and others.

In many traditions, the isomorphism of R. to a person is also distinguished. There are mythologems about a god or a person hanging on a tree (Scandinavian Odin on a tree Yggdrasil, Celtic deity on a tree, Jesus Christ on a cross tree, etc.), about a person growing out of R. or sprouting in the form of R. (“germination” of Osiris; the so-called gardens of Adonis, despite the fact that Adonis himself was born from a world tree; the rebirth of Attis in the form of flowers and trees; the vegetable past of Dionysus; connection with trees of nymphs and dryads, etc.), about the transformation of mythological characters into R., in particular into flowers (Daphne, Narcissus, Hyacinth, etc.), about conception from the fetus R. [the daughter of the river Sangarios conceived Attis from eating the fruit of an almond (option: pomegranate) tree], about the origin of R. from the blood or body of a mythological character.

The symbolism of fertility, prosperity, wealth, new life, expressed in the plant code, is manifested in stories about how people learned to grow R. in this tradition; cf. the Eleusinian mysteries as a memory of the transfer by Demeter of the rudiments of agriculture and wheat grains to Triptolemus, personifying the triple plowing of the earth, or how people (gods) learned to prepare an intoxicating drink from R., tasting which gives strength, prosperity, increases fertility, opens the way to a new life (the highest form of such a divine drink is the drink of immortality, eaten by the gods). Special myths associate R. itself with a mythological character turned into him, and with a drink obtained from him (Soma in the Indian tradition, the goddess Mayahuel among the Central American Indians, etc.). In Greek mythology, the motifs associated with Dionysus are known for his birth from the Thunderer Zeus, who struck the mother of Dionysus Semele with lightning, dismemberment by the Titans (in the cult of Dionysus-Zagreus), teaching people about viticulture and winemaking, etc., in Mesoamerican tradition - plots about the birth in the underworld (sometimes in a place struck by an arrow of the god of thunder) of the god of maize, about the origin of edible fruits from its different parts, etc. In folklore, this scheme corresponds to numerous texts such as "John Barleycorn ”, where an intoxicating drink (beer, ale, etc.) is prepared from the seeds (grains) of a personified plant. Many R. or their flowers and fruits are associated with images of male and female childbearing beginnings. Idea eternal life and fertility can also be realized on the material of the totality of R., forming a garden, which in some cases is understood as paradise. In the biblical version, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge grow in paradise. In the Slavic mythological and logical tradition, the symbolism of paradise is associated with the tree of paradise (or an egg containing livestock), and with the growing plant power, the harvest of bread (the image of paradise-loaf), and with the personified image of fertility - Paradise, sometimes alternating with another pronounced plant symbol of fertility (in some cases, excessive, breaking out of control) - Sporysh.

In cosmogonic myths, R. act as, in fact, the first object from everything that appeared or was created by the gods. However, as an object of mythological and ritual systems, R. crystallized later than animals. The core of mythopoetic ideas about R. presupposes already more or less developed agricultural cults, and, consequently, agriculture itself, which appears much later than cattle breeding, and even more so hunting and fishing. The late mythologization of R. probably explains the weak (unlike animals) and, moreover, limited connection of R. with totemism, which is noted primarily in the most archaic cultures familiar with the most primitive agriculture (among pas -Puases of New Guinea, etc.). Among the marindanim tribe, totemic myths are characterized by the presence of such motifs as the origin of the banana, coconut tree, sugar cane, etc., which are well known outside the totemic scheme. Germanic tribe the semnons derived their origin from the trees of one grove, which they revered as sacred; at European nations there were widespread beliefs that people take babies from under trees (cf. German Kleinkinderbaum, lit. "tree of little children") or that the souls of ancestors live in a tree, branches, leaves, flowers, etc. (cf. the common motif of a divine voice or human voices heard in the rustling of leaves and its use in divination, the realm of manticism and magic). D.K. Zelenin associated with totemism and so-called. “construction” sacrifices, considered as compensation for cutting trees, from which a house, a bridge, etc. were built. In folk beliefs, trees are often perceived as living beings: they feel, breathe, speak to each other friend (and even with people with special abilities), they cannot be beaten, chopped, sawn, desecrated. For the same reason, numerous taboos, omens, beliefs, etc. are often associated with trees and other R. mandra mountains). Ideas about the spirits of R. as carriers of the properties of this R. are especially widespread. Among them are the so-called. grain spirits or demons, which were often represented in human or animal form: “bread mother”, “bread woman”, “bread old man”, “bread maiden”, “mother of bread”, “ rice mother”, “rye man”, “oat bride” or “bread wolves”, “rye dogs”, “rye pigs”, “rye heifers”, “rye hares”, etc. Characteristically that many typical plant deities (Dionis, Demeter, Attis, Virbius, etc.) also have animal attributes (and sometimes incarnations). In folklore, the harvest itself is often likened to a bloody feast, murder. In a number of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean traditions, there was a rite of mourning for the first compressed sheaf. In some cases, agricultural rituals embodied the most general idea of ​​fertility (Christmas tree, willow or the so-called "Maypole" in Western Europe, the introduction of a sacred branch, flower days, holidays such as Roman florals, Serbo-Croatian and partly Bulgarian "Lazarica" ​​and "Kralice", Green Yuri, Yarilin's day; compare also the curling of a birch on the day of the Trinity, Makovei, apple and other "saviors" in Christianized Slavic traditions, etc.) , while in others they were devoted to specific cycles of the spring-summer season and the corresponding agricultural work (welcome of spring, going out into the field, sowing, harvest, harvest festival, etc.; in the same row are such ancient Greek rites as sacred - plowing in the month of Pianepsion, timed to coincide with the Thesmophoria, cooking beans for pre-plow sacrifice, cooking and distribution of sacred porridge, qualified as "all-grain"). Plant symbols in their natural and processed (food, drinks) form, ritual games and amusements, as well as corresponding texts ranging from indecent jokes to the theme of death (mourning) largely determine all other holidays directly not directly related to agricultural issues and the theme of R., first of all, marriage ceremonies (among the Greeks, the patronesses of marriage and marriage unions were the goddesses of earthly fertility Demeter and Persephone - Thesmophores, i.e. legislators) and funerals. R. is an important attribute of the ceremony of choosing a leader, poetic and other competitions, court, etc. A special class of myths and ethnological legends explain the emergence and spread of cultural R. Often their origin is associated with the activities of a cultural hero.

The objects of mythologization are not only the R. themselves, but also their roots, leaves, branches, as well as those parts that express the quintessence of not only this, but in general all R. (flowers, fruit, grain, seed). The fruit (fruit) in various mythological traditions symbolizes the idea of ​​abundance, fertility, success, harvest; in spiritual terms - wisdom (in heraldic - happiness, luck, peace, etc.). In Christianity, the fruit is a symbol of heavenly bliss, virtue, an attribute of the virgin Mary. The forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is associated with an apple, fig, lemon, orange, pomegranate, pear, quince. Spiritual fruit - in the Christian tradition, it is represented by a fig tree with fruits on it and flowers, plum tree, vine, etc. Grain and seed are the most common and deepest of all plant symbols, emphasizing the idea of ​​continuity of development life and fertility (in the animal code, they correspond to an egg).

Bamboo plays a significant role in Chinese and Japanese symbolism, is one of the attributes of the New Year, marriage and funeral images.

Birch in a number of traditions symbolizes light, radiance, purity, obscurity, femininity, etc. In the Druidic tradition, birch is the tree of the beginning, a symbol of the first month of the year (December 24 - January 21). In Rome, birch attributes were used when the consul entered the board. In Scotland, birch was associated with ideas about the dead.

The hawthorn in the Celtic tradition is the tree of the deity of winter and darkness, in another version related to the same theme, the hawthorn is the father of Olwen, who, due to the heavy large eyelashes that covered his shoulders, was unable to see until as long as he (as the Slavic Viy) did not raise an eyelash with a pitchfork. The Celts considered hawthorn a tree of forced chastity. He associated with May as a month of ritual abstinence from sexual intercourse, later becoming a month of orgiastic ritual festivities around the "May" tree. IN Ancient Greece hawthorn branches were burned on the altars of Hymen, and flowers adorned the bride at the marriage ceremony (cf. Russian hawthorn, hawthorn, young lady). In the Christian tradition, it is associated with the Virgin Mary.

Elderberry in mythopoetic representations different peoples belongs to the number of, as a rule, dubious R. associated with misfortune, death, evil spirits, creatures of the chthonic type. In some versions of the Christian tradition, Judas hanged himself on an elder tree; at the same time, some Christian authors also call it the tree of the crucifixion. In Ireland, it was believed that witches use elder twigs as horse-days. The sending of bad dreams, sometimes divinations, is associated with elderberry (cf. the mythologized image of elderberry in the “Golden Pot” by E. T. A. Hoffmann). At the same time, among the Prussians, elder is a sacred tree. Beneath it dwell Pushkites and the dwarves-badgers and marco-poli who are in his service.

Beech often acts as a symbol of majesty, prosperity, honor and victory, perseverance and fullness of vitality. Later, the symbolism of writing, literal knowledge, literature (Russian letter, Anglo-Sax. boc, English book "book", etc.) begins to be associated with it.

Pomegranate in a number of traditions acts as a heavenly (golden) apple, a fruit from the tree of knowledge, a miraculous remedy (in a number of fairy-tale motifs). In ancient Greece, it was considered an image of death, oblivion, but also divine food, the hope of immortality, which is explained in the myth of Persephone, who swallowed a pomegranate seed. It was also believed that the pomegranate originated from the blood of Dionysus. In Christianity, the image of a pomegranate corresponds to the gift that Jesus Christ brought from heaven (cf. also the idea of ​​​​a pomegranate as a sign of God's blessing in Hinduism); pomegranate is one of the emblems of the Virgin Mary. In Korea, the pomegranate was interpreted as the food of the gods and was dedicated to the dead ancestors.

Oak in many Indo-European traditions is a sacred tree, a heavenly gate through which a deity can appear before people, the dwelling place of a god or gods. The oak is dedicated to Perkunas (probably also to Perun), Thor, Zeus, Jupiter and other thunderbolts; an oak broken by lightning in some traditions was considered unkind, in others (for example, in Lithuania), on the contrary, it was a favorable sign. Oak sometimes also acts as an image of a tree, on which a deity deprived of productive forces (often solar) is crucified, which, however, is destined to be reborn. A special role in mythology is played by the image of an oak entwined with the “golden branch” of mistletoe. The oak log was also considered sacred; with his help, an eternal fire was maintained in the temple of Vesta; he was ritually burned in the middle of summer, comparing this action with the deprivation of the deity of the fertility of his male power. At the same time, the burning of logs was also considered as an act leading to the resurrection of the spirit of fertility (characteristic in this regard is the widespread use of oak ash in folk medicine). An oak club as an instrument of a thunderer or a solar god symbolized the firmness of power, severity. A wreath of oak leaves referred to the idea of ​​strength, power, dignity. At the oak, revered as a royal tree, the most important rituals were performed (sacrifices, court, oaths, etc.), holidays were arranged. In the biblical tradition, oak (along with cedar) is a symbol of pride and arrogance; Abimelach becomes king by the oak, Saul sits under the oak, Deborah is buried under the oak, Jacob buries other gods under the oak, Abes-salom finds his end on the oak. For Christians, oak is the emblem of Christ (according to some versions of Christian tradition, the crucifixion cross was made of oak). In ancient Greece, the center of the sanctuary of Zeus in Dodona was an old oak tree, under which there was a source. A special winged oak was also dedicated to Zeus, on which a veil was thrown with the image of the earth, ocean and stars. In Athens, the boy who uttered the marriage formula during the Eleusinian mysteries was crowned with oak leaves and thorns (in Rome, oak branches were worn in marriage processes, seeing them as a symbol of fertility). According to some versions, the mast of the Argonauts' ship was made of oak. The gods Philemon and Baucis were posthumously transformed into oak and linden. "Oak" nymphs were also Greek dryads and hamadryads. The oak played a significant role in the mythopoetic representations of the Celts. In particular, the hero of folk tales Merlin works his spells under the oak. In a number of traditions, the origin of the human race was associated with oak.

Spruce is a symbol of courage, courage (to the point of insolence, recklessness), high spirits, fidelity, immortality, longevity, arrogance, royal virtues. In ancient Greece, spruce was considered a tree of hope (there was an idea that the Trojan horse was partly made of spruce; the Greeks used spruce branches in divination). In the Celtic Druidic calendar, December 23 is dedicated to spruce, when, according to Celtic tradition, a divine child is born, embodying the spirit of fertility. The Christmas tree symbolizes the beginning of the annual cycle and life in general. The fir cone is a symbol of the fire of life, the beginning, the restoration of health; in some traditions associated with the phallus. However, the spruce itself was also a symbol of fire (including heavenly), perhaps because of its similarity

forms with the shape of a flame (cf. English fir, “spruce”, fire, “fire”).

Willow has different (often opposite) symbolic meanings, sometimes found in the same traditions. It can act as a world tree or a tree of life and symbolize longevity and abundance of life. In the European grassroots tradition, spells against the moon and witches were attributed to the willow. In medieval Europe, she was called the tree of singers and poets, because it was believed that she was able to bestow eloquent speech. In China, ideas about female beauty, softness, suppleness, and spring were associated with willow; there was a belief about the ability of willow branches hung on the gates to drive away evil spirits, which is consistent with the more general idea of ​​willow as a means of communication with the spiritual world. The complex of negative semantics of the willow image includes such symbols as misfortune and ignorance (among the ancient Jews), sadness, sadness, death, funerals (cf. the image weeping willow in folklore and poetry), In ancient Greece, willow was dedicated to female deities, one way or another connected with the idea of ​​​​death (Hecate, Kirk, Persephone). In Japan, willow is a tree of sadness, weakness, but also tenderness, girlish grace, calmness, the need for constancy or connection.

The palm tree in many Middle Eastern traditions of antiquity (Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Egypt) acted as a tree of life (as a tree of life, correlated with a righteous person, a palm tree is sometimes depicted in Christian art), and in Ancient Egypt as an image time, year. In a number of traditions, it is understood as an image of the phallus with a flame escaping from it, or as an androgynous and solar emblem, correlated with images of the May tree type. In Christian art, it is a symbol of martyrdom and purity, a sign of those who visited the Holy Sepulcher (also a talisman against temptations), “Palm Sunday” is the day Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem.

The peach tree, its fruits, flowers and branches were especially revered in Ancient China as one of the main symbols of immortality. Branches and flowers, in particular, were used to exorcise demons, in the treatment of "diseases, as amulets (especially during epidemics). A number of ritual objects were made from the peach tree. It was believed that arrows were made from it, with which Zhang Xian struck sky dog. The idea of ​​immortality associated with the peach tree and fruit was mythologically motivated by the legends of Si-wang-mu with its peach orchards of immortality. The peach color, distinguished by its special tenderness, symbolized the feminine principle (in the spring, during the wedding, the bride was presented with a blossoming peach branch). The peach tree and fruits were also revered in Iran, the countries of the Middle East, Central Asia, etc.

Reed in the Eastern Mediterranean (in particular, in Egypt) acts as an emblem of royal power, in Christianity, on the contrary, it is a symbol of humility, but also justice. The triad (reed, lily and oak leaf) in the Eastern Christian tradition embodies the weakness of man (reed), transformed through the resurrection (lily) into strength (oak leaf). At ancient population Central America is a symbol of drought, lost youth and vitality. In Greek mythology, fire is associated with reeds as a vital principle (Prometheus brings fire to people in a hollow reed). In myths, various wind musical instruments are made from reeds, often appearing in mythological texts (cf. Pan's flute).

The fig tree (fig tree) is understood as a symbol of marriage, fertility, lust, femininity, but also truth; often compared with the image of a multi-breasted tree (fruits are visible earlier than leaves). Leaves and fruits are sometimes interpreted as a combination of male and female principles, symbolizing life and love. Sometimes the biblical tree of the knowledge of good and evil is considered a fig tree. The fig leaf was Adam's first garment after he ate the forbidden fruit. In Muslim tradition, the fruit of the fig tree is considered sacred. In Buddhism, the sacred bodhi tree is associated with the fig tree, under which the truth was revealed to the Buddha.

Not only trees and other large trees are subjected to mythologization, but also grasses, moss, and other objects of the plant world. Grass often acts as a symbol ordinary people, obedience, subordination, obscurity, obscurity, but also usefulness. In the Japanese tradition, the opposition of grass as a feminine principle to trees as a masculine principle is known. Ideas of longevity and health are associated with grass. In a number of traditions, the idea of ​​​​grass as the hair of a certain first person is widespread, from whose members the earth or the Universe arose. Some mythologically marked shi-roko herbs are used in rituals. Moss often symbolizes boredom, in Japan, old age.

Special systems of symbolic meanings form flowers and mushrooms.