"Axis of the World" and "Tree of Life" as symbols of the multidimensional Universe in ancient mythology. world tree of life world tree

The World Tree, the tree of life - in Slavic mythology, the world axis, the center of the world and the embodiment of the universe as a whole. The crown of the WORLD TREE reaches the heavens, the roots - the underworld (cf. in the article Slavic mythology). The image of the WORLD TREE is typical for Russian riddles and conspiracies. Wed a riddle about the road: “When the light was born, then the oak fell down, and now it lies”; this image combines different - vertical (tree from earth to heaven) and horizontal (road) - coordinates of the world. The WORLD TREE embodies not only spatial, but also temporal coordinates; cf. riddle: “There is an oak, there are 12 branches on the oak, 4 nests on each branch”, etc. - about a year, 12 months, 4 weeks, etc. In conspiracies, the WORLD TREE is placed in the center of the world, on an island in the middle of the ocean (“the umbilical cord of the sea”), where on the stone Alatyr there is a “damask oak” or a sacred tree of cypress, birch, apple tree, sycamore, etc. Gods and saints live in conspiracies on the WORLD TREE - the Mother of God, Paraskeva, etc. trees are demonic and chthonic creatures, a demon is chained, a snake (Shkurupeya) lives in a nest (“rune”), etc.

In wedding folklore and “vine” songs (performed for young people - “vines”), the image of the WORLD TREE embodied the fertility of wildlife, the tree of life: a nightingale builds a nest in the crown, bees bring honey in the trunk, and an ermine brings out small children at the roots , or the young themselves, matrimonial bed; near the “three-year-old” tree there is a tower, where a feast takes place and “honey dishes” are prepared (honey is the food of immortality in many traditions). In Belarusian folklore, the image of the WORLD TREE is directly related to the wedding ceremony: the groom should not put his horses at the “unlucky tree” of viburnum, but should put them at the happy sycamore, where bees bring honey flowing down to the roots so that the horses get drunk, beavers live at the roots, in krone - falcon, etc.

In traditional culture, the success of any rite was made dependent on how the ritual performed corresponded to the general picture of the world: hence the importance of the image of the WORLD TREE embodying this picture, both in folklore (whether it be a charm or a wedding song), and in the rite itself. Wed the use of ritual trees, symbols of the world axis, during a wedding (see also in Art. Tree), building a house (when a ritual tree was placed in the center of the planned building), etc. up to the latest customs to establish a Christmas (New Year) tree, etc. Among the Serbs, the sacred tree “record” was considered a symbol of the well-being of the entire village - with a cross carved on it; in the old days, sacrifices were made near this tree (see Sacrifice). the roots, trunk and carved cross were sprinkled with blood.

In addition to the ritual tree, numerous ritual objects are associated with the symbolism of the WORLD TREE - a Christmas log - a badnyak among the southern Slavs, ritual bread, a loaf, etc. Each rite, therefore, was performed, as it were, in the center of the universe, at the WORLD TREE, and repeated the act of creation world, renewal of the cosmos (on the New Year and other calendar holidays), renewal of social life (weddings and other family ceremonies), etc. In folklore, the image of the WORLD TREE can be replaced by the image of a pillar, a “beam” (cf. the riddle about the road - “a beam lies in all of Rus'”), mountains (cf. the Russian proverb “The world is a golden mountain”), etc.

In the medieval apocrypha, which influenced the formation of the Slavic folk picture of the world, in particular, the myth of the creation of the world is transmitted, where the earth rests on water, water on stone, stone on four whales, whales on a fiery river, that one on universal fire, and fire - on "an iron oak, planted above all else, and all its roots rest on God's power" ("Razumnik", an apocryphal text of the 10th - 11th centuries). In the “Legend of the Cross Tree” by presbyter Jeremiah (Bulgaria, 10th century), Moses plants a tree at the source, “woven” from three trees (spruce, cedar and cypress), a prototype of the Trinity; from this tree, according to many prophecies, a cross should be made for the crucifixion of Christ. Solomon ordered the tree to be cut down to be placed in the Temple, but it did not fit in the Temple and was exposed outside. When the time came for the crucifixion, the tree was sawn into three parts, from the bottom - the root - they made a cross for Christ, setting it on Golgotha, where Adam's head was buried: the blood of the Savior, poured out on the head, saved the soul of the first man. Cypress - a cross tree in Russian folklore, “the father of all trees”, growing on the holy Zion mountains; to this tree, according to spiritual verses, the Pigeon Book falls out, which tells about the foundations of the universe. In the ancient Russian apocrypha about Solomon, in the form of a tree with golden branches, a month at the top, a cornfield at the roots, an ideal state is depicted, where the month is the king, the cornfield is the Orthodox peasantry.

Lit.:

Toporov V.N. On the structure of some archaic texts correlated with the concept of the world tree // Proceedings on sign systems. Issue \ 5. Tartu, 1971;
Ivanov V.V., Toporov V.N. Research in the field of Slavic antiquities. M., 1974 Golden jet spring. Monuments of Bulgarian literature of the IX-XVIII centuries. M., 1990.

TREE OF LIFE OF THE SLAVES

Slavic worldview

The origins of the primordially Slavic world-understanding:

How many years of our history do we know: 100, 200, 1000? And how old are our epics? After all, Bylina is what it was: By whose calendar do we live now? What is the current year according to the original Slavic chronology? Based on the annals, now there is 7516 years from the Creation of the world. And this is certainly not the first date. And if the chronology was carried out, then there was a culture, then there was a letter and literate people who watched the sun and stars, noticed various natural phenomena, etc.

Where did 6,500 years of our unknown go? Why don't we remember them? How did our Ancestors live in those distant times? We do not know the answers to these questions and may never know. However, there are some milestones of the Slavic tradition that are known for certain. Let's figure out what?!...

Everything in the world and the Universe is similar to each other and is permeated with the finest interconnections. As well as possible, this idea is reflected precisely in the Slavic Tradition. Our Great Ancestors lived in full harmony with the world around them, which was once created by Rod and Rozhanitsa, the unity of two principles, primary energies. Hence, everything that surrounds us, since ancient times, we call “nature”, that is, that which is always with the Family, the Great Rozhanica, the Foremother, the personified and embodied female energy of the Universe: the World is one and many-sided at the same time, like the Family itself. Man is a part of the world and exists according to its laws. Consequently, the life of the world and man, material and spiritual, are closely connected. Our great-great-grandfathers and great-great-grandmothers firmly knew this, therefore, what surrounded them in everyday life was the most necessary, formed the basis of this life, and became the most important symbols and archetypes.

Ancient Slavic legends tell us that the whole world, the cosmos is organized like an egg, as a source from which life arises. The center of the "egg" - the yolk is identified with the earth, the upper part of the yolk is the earthly world, and the lower part is the underground. According to legend, the egg is surrounded by the World Ocean, a symbol of the element of life. And the whole world is surrounded by 9 skies, which were equated to 9 egg films, to spheres, among which each has its own meaning.

Hence the well-established expression about the seventh heaven. The seventh heaven is the "firmament of heaven", i.e. transparent bottom of the celestial oceans. According to legend, there are “abysses of heaven” in it - reserves of rainwater, when they break through, the water flows like a stream onto the ground, so we get the expression “the abysses of heaven opened up”.

The main axis of the world is the World Tree (Tree of Life), most often identified with oak. It links all space - heaven, earth and the underworld. The crown of the tree personifies the "upper world", in which there are 9 heavens, the sun, stars, birds live, it is also the world of Gods and Ancestors, the world of Rule, Svarga Heavenly (hence the words and concepts - truth, rule, correct :). The tree trunk is the “middle world”, which included our entire earthly world, the world of Reveal (explicit, phenomenon, manifested :). The roots of the tree reached the “underworld”, with the chthonic, dark, that is, unknown to us creatures living there, the world of Navi.

The metaphor of the World Tree reflects the inseparable connection of the worlds, "circular movement in nature", the change of seasons, the principle of "rotation around the year" (the cycle of the seasons and the cyclical nature of time in general) and the sacred meaning of human life.

Our ancestors had very deep knowledge about the world around us, space and the universe. Natural forces and elements received names based on their functions and properties. And then the figurativeness, the metaphorical nature of our thinking and language personified them and turned them into Gods and Goddesses.

Everything in the world is endowed with a soul, spiritualized, is in constant and continuous interaction, the world is holistic and diverse. “There is no silver lining”, “there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped,” we recall our proverbs, which reflect the dualism of the world around us, as our ancestors understood it. Life and death, good and evil, love and hate, man and woman are two sides of the same coin, two halves of a single whole and do not exist separately. So our Gods are all paired - Rod and Rozhanitsa, Svarog and Makosh, Perun and Perunitsa, etc.

Each person has his own creators - the creators are his PARENTS, who also have their own parents, and those, in turn, also have their own parents. And who was at the beginning and where is it? And in the beginning, we all had common creators, first ancestors, grandparents - Rod and Rozhanitsa. The genus is the progenitor of all things, it is one and many-sided at the same time. He has many names (like our parents), the main of which is Svarog - the heavenly father, and the name of Rozhanitsa - Makosh - Mother Earth Cheese, Mother Nature or Lada (okay, get along, get along :). All the rest are children and grandchildren of Svarog, Svarozhichi.

The myth of Rod and Rozhanitsa tells that the love of the Earth and Heaven was so strong that it came to life and split into two: female love (Lada) and male love (Rod).

This is where the ideas of our ancestors, the Slavs, about gods and goddesses follow. The Slavs understood God as an eternal and eternally creative being. God is everywhere and everywhere - in the wind, rain, thunder, grass, stone, water and fire. So it turns out that our Gods are our Ancestors, and we are the Slavs, their children and grandchildren, and not slaves, as later Christians. And everything that we need for life, our Ancestral Gods have already given (the universe, earth, fire, law, knowledge and various tools), now it's up to us. Each person chooses his own destiny, which road to take - the path of truth or falsehood, creation or destruction. And only our Co-News is our judge. Our Ancestors rarely turned to the Gods with requests, but only glorified them and sang them in their poems and hymns, precisely because it is not to the face of the Slav - the descendant of the great Ancestors and Gods - to ask something from someone, to beg, he can do everything himself . And only in the most exceptional cases - when the matter depends not only on the will of a person, but also on the will of natural forces and elements (Gods), you can turn to them with a son's need.

We Slavs - "Dazhgod's grandchildren, who should not tremble before the gods, we must know and remember them, then they will be able to help us, because "the gods have no eyes but ours and hands other than ours"...

Likhanova Tatiana, Museum employee

The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree (World Tree, World Tree). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of people with the World of Gods and the Underworld. Accordingly, the crown of the tree reaches the World of the Gods in heaven - Iriy or Svarga, the roots of the tree go underground and connect the World of the Gods and the World of people with the underworld or the world of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Marena and other "dark" Gods.

Somewhere in the sky, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; above the seventh sky), the crown of a sprawling tree forms an island, here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only Gods and human ancestors live, but also the progenitors of all birds and animals. Thus, the Tree of the World was fundamental in the worldview of the Slavs, its main component. At the same time, it is also a staircase, a road through which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It can be oak, and sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple tree or pine.

In the views of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on Buyan Island on Alatyr-stone, which is also the center of the universe (the center of the Earth). Judging by some legends, light gods live on its branches, and dark gods live in its roots. The image of this tree has come down to us, both in the form of various fairy tales, legends, epics, incantations, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting dishes, chests, etc. Here is an example of how the Tree of the World is described in one of the Slavic folk tales that existed in Rus' and tells about the extraction of a horse by a hero-hero: "... a copper pillar stands, and a horse is tied to it, on the sides there are clear stars, a moon shines on the tail , in the forehead a red sun ... ". This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe (the Horse of Dazhdbog, if you remember), which is still tied to the center-pillar or tree.

The image of the World Tree was imitated during funeral rites. In ancient times, people were buried in the branches of trees. Later, this rite was modified and now, after cremation, the ashes of people were left on the so-called Bdyny - pillars with huts, which are also a prototype of the World Tree and help the deceased both ascend to the World of the Gods and descend this tree to the World of People to visit their descendants. It is also worth mentioning that the ancient tribes built huts and temples in such a way that a living tree would be inside, that is, they built a dwelling around a tree - oak, ash, birch and others. Like the idols representing the Gods on earth, the tree inside the house was the embodiment of the World Tree, which could also connect all three worlds and be the main place for some kind of home rituals. This tradition was alive until the beginning of the 20th century practically throughout Russia and beyond, but already in its simplified form. Before the construction of the house, a young tree was dug out and planted in the center or the red corner of the future log house of the building, while saying: “Here you are, my dear friend, a warm house and a shaggy cedar!” There it grew until the very end of construction. Then he was taken out and planted in another place. In ancient times, it grew together with people and towered with its crown above the roof, as if above the firmament.

In ritual songs and in general traditional folklore, such descriptions of the World Tree have come down to us: a nightingale (as well as other sacred birds - Gamayun, Sirin, Alkonost, Duck, Firebird, etc.) makes a nest in its crown, bees live in the trunk, which they bring honey, an ermine lives at the roots, a snake (Shkurupeya) is in a hole (nest), a demon is chained on a chain (the last apparently late layer that appeared after Christianization), the fruits of the World Tree are the seeds of all existing herbs, flowers, trees. Traditional in folklore are the squabbles of the very snake that lives in the roots and the bird that lives in the crown. At the same time, the serpent constantly threatens to burn the tree, and the bird each time defends itself or goes to the trick. The sun and moon are often placed in the crown of this tree. In Belarusian folklore, beavers live at the roots of a tree, and a falcon lives in the crown, the leaves are covered with beads, the flowers are like silver, the fruits are pure gold. Since this is the World Tree, the Slavic tradition in its folklore placed here all the most amazing creatures, from mythological birds to half-humans, half-horses, half-bulls, half-dogs, all possible Deities and creatures. Here their place is near the center of the world.

The World Tree was so revered by the Slavs that it participated in many celebrations. In particular, the tradition of setting up a Christmas tree for the New Year has come down to us to this day. Now no one thinks why this is done, but the main and sacred meaning of the New Year tree is precisely the image of the Center or the Axis of the Universe. In a sense, it is an idol of the Sacred World Tree. Also, a ritual tree was installed just before the construction of a new house in the very center of the planned construction, thus attracting power to this place and making it sacred, with a powerful energy base. The builder of a new dwelling makes his house, as it were, a projection of the center of the universe, the same mystical modeling of the center occurs when a tree is brought into the house, placed in the middle of it or in a red corner. Another rite can be a round dance on sunny holidays around a tree, which often chooses a birch or oak. In ancient times, there were entire sacred groves, sacred forests, where it was strictly forbidden to cut down or damage trees. This directly applies to the very figure of the World Tree, since, by analogy with it, the sacred trees were the habitat of spirits, creatures, and a kind of stairs (portals) to other worlds. In such groves, holidays, rituals, rituals for curing diseases were held, but this is already a topic for a separate article.

It must be said that the Tree of the World, in one form or another, existed in almost all ancient beliefs, ranging from Scandinavian (evergreen tree Yggdrasil or Great Ash) to Indian (Ashvattha). In Erzya beliefs, the tree is called Echke Tumo, where the nest of the sacred duck Ine Narmun is located, which gives birth to the very egg from which the whole world is born. In Turkic mythology, the tree is called Baiterek - with its roots it holds the earth in place, and with its branches supports the sky so that it does not fall down. In Kabbalah, it is the Mekabtziel Tree. In the Qur'an it is Sidrat al-muntaha. In China, this is Kien-Mu, along which the Sun and Moon descend and descend, lords, sages, Gods, spirits, and so on.

The symbol of the World Tree is depicted in different ways. It can be either a fairly accurate image with roots, branches, leaves and other attributes of an ordinary tree, or a schematic image in the form of a vertical stick and three branches that rush up (Rune World). Also, the Tree of the World is depicted as a woman with raised hands, around which birds fly. In embroidery and painting, there are often elements such as a green tree with leaves and flowers, as a symbol of life, and a dry tree, as a symbol of death. There are such images where spirits and deities are placed on one side of the tree, and glorious warriors, heroes, priests are placed on the other.

The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree ( World Tree, World Tree). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of people with the World of Gods and the Underworld. The crown of the tree reaches the World of the Gods in heaven - Iriy, the roots of the tree go underground and connect the World of the Gods and the World of people with the underworld or the world of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Marena. Somewhere in the sky, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; over the seventh sky), the crown of a sprawling tree forms an island, here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only Gods and human ancestors live, but also the ancestors of all birds and animals . Thus, the Tree of the World was fundamental in the worldview of the Slavs, its main component. At the same time, it is also a staircase, a road through which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It can be oak, sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple or pine.

In the views of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on Buyan Island on Alatyr-stone, which is also the center of the universe (the center of the Earth). Judging by some legends, light gods live on its branches, and dark gods live in its roots. The image of this tree has come down to us, both in the number of various fairy tales, legends, epics, incantations, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting dishes, chests, etc. Here is an example of how the Tree of the World is described in one of the Slavic folk tales that existed in Rus' and tells about the extraction of a horse by a hero-hero: forehead red sun ... ". This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe, which is still attached to the center-pillar or tree.

Image of the World Tree imitated in funeral rites. In ancient times, people were buried in the branches of trees. Later, this rite was modified and now, after cremation, the ashes of people were left on the so-called pillars with huts, which are also a prototype of the World Tree and help the deceased both ascend to the World of the Gods and descend this tree to the World of People to visit their descendants.

The ancient tribes built huts and temples in such a way that a living tree was inside, that is, they built a dwelling around a tree - oak, ash, birch and others. Like the idols that represented the gods, the tree inside the house was the embodiment of the World Tree, which could also connect all three worlds and be the main place for some kind of domestic rituals. This tradition was alive until the beginning of the 20th century practically throughout Russia, and beyond, but in a simplified form. Before the construction of the house, a young tree was dug out and planted in the center or the red corner of the future log house of the building, while saying: “Here you are, my dear friend, a warm house and a shaggy cedar!” There it grew until the very end of construction. Then he was taken out and planted in another place. In ancient times, it grew together with people and towered with its crown above the roof, as if above the firmament.

In ritual songs and in general traditional folklore, such descriptions of the World Tree have come down to us: a nightingale (as well as other sacred birds - Gamayun, Sirin, Alkonost, Duck, Firebird, etc.) they bring honey, an ermine lives at the roots, a snake (Shkurupeya) lives in a hole (nest), a demon is chained on a chain, the fruits of the World Tree are the seeds of all existing herbs, flowers, trees. Traditional in folklore are the squabbles of the very snake that lives in the roots, and the bird that lives in the crown. At the same time, the serpent constantly threatens to burn the tree, and the bird each time defends itself or goes to the trick. The sun and moon are often placed in the crown of this tree. In Belarusian folklore, beavers live at the roots of a tree, and a falcon lives in the crown, the leaves are covered with beads, the flowers are like silver, the fruits are pure gold. Since this is the World Tree, the Slavic tradition in its folklore placed here all the most amazing creatures, from mythological birds to half-humans, half-horses, half-bulls, half-dogs, as well as all possible deities and creatures. Here their place is near the center of the world.

The World Tree was so revered by the Slavs that it participated in many celebrations. In particular, the tradition of setting up a Christmas tree for the New Year has come down to us to this day. Now no one thinks why this is done, but the main and sacred meaning of the New Year tree is precisely the image of the Center or the Axis of the Universe. In a sense, it is an idol of the Sacred World Tree. Also, a ritual tree was installed just before the construction of a new house in the very center of the planned construction, thus attracting power to this place and making it sacred, with a powerful energy base. The builder of a new dwelling makes his house, as it were, a projection of the center of the universe, the same mystical modeling of the center occurs when a tree is brought into the house, placed in the middle of it, or in a red corner. Another rite can be a round dance on sunny holidays around a tree, which often chooses a birch or oak. In ancient times, there were entire sacred groves, sacred forests, where it was strictly forbidden to cut down or damage trees. This directly applies to the very figure of the World Tree, since, by analogy with it, the sacred trees were the habitat of spirits, creatures, and a kind of stairs (portals) to other worlds. In such groves, holidays, rituals, rituals for curing diseases were held.

The symbol of the World Tree is depicted in different ways. It can be either a fairly accurate image with roots, branches, leaves and other attributes of an ordinary tree, or a schematic image in the form of a vertical stick and three branches that rush upwards. Also, the Tree of the World is depicted as a woman with raised hands. In embroidery and painting, there are often elements such as a green tree with leaves and flowers, as a symbol of life, and a dry tree, as a symbol of death. There are such images where spirits and deities are placed on one side of the tree, and glorious warriors, heroes, priests on the other.

About them the wolves of nature are very numerous and multifaceted. There is no such symbol that would mean nature itself. But quite a lot of magical signs are dedicated to her. First of all, it is magical nature. Therefore, let's start with the symbols of the World Tree (Tree).

The World Tree (among the Scandinavians - Yggdasil ash) is the “axis of the world”, it holds all the worlds on itself. The world of Rule is located in the crown. At the trunk - Yav, in the roots, where the World Serpent Yusha huddles - Nav. The shaman, being in a trance, can travel through these worlds.

The image of a tree is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. It arose long ago and determined the structure of all mythological systems. Thanks to the World Tree, a person saw the world as a whole and himself in this world as a particle of it ... The tree entered our genetic memory, into the sphere of the unconscious. As psychologists prove, at a certain stage in the development of the child's psyche, it makes itself felt as a primary image that has entered the flesh and blood: if a child draws a lot, then wood predominates in his drawings. Some psychologists believe that this is the World Tree, the Tree of Life - the meeting place of man with the Universe, their common symbol is the symbol of any whole made up of parts, the basis of any language with its branching phrases, an idea that permeates poetry, painting, architecture, any games, choreography, social, economic and even mental structures.

On it, as on an axis, all the elements of the world began to be strung: from specific gods and animals to abstract concepts like temporary categories. The vertical structure of the World Tree consisted of three parts, or levels: lower (roots), middle (trunk) and upper (branches). Thus, the main cosmic zones were formed in the imagination of the ancients, and with them the dual opposites: earth - sky, earth - hell, fire (dry) - moisture (wet), past - present, present - future, day - night. These pairs are mixed in the structure of the tree with trinity unities: past - present - future; ancestors - contemporaries - descendants; three parts of the body: head - torso - legs; three elements: fire - water - earth. Pairs and triplets covered a wide variety of life forms. People comprehended the interconnection of opposites, the essence of any development.

The World Tree is the basis for streamlining thinking, memory, perception. The images of the external and internal world are strung on this trunk, and now they can be expressed in sign systems - in words, numbers, formulas, images. The tree with its three levels is schematized in the mind, and now abstractions and symbols appear. Next to the horses and bees, a sun wheel appears, an eight-pointed cross inscribed in a circle. We meet this symbol both in Orthodox churches and in Tibetan temples.

Each of the three parts of the Tree included certain creatures. Above, on the branches, birds were depicted, in the middle, at the trunk - ungulates (deer, elk, cows, horses), sometimes humans and bees, and at the roots - snakes, frogs, fish and beavers. God sat at the very top of the tree. Sometimes he entered into battle with a serpent or dragon and freed the cattle they had stolen. The tree, symbolizing conception and fertility, was depicted on women's clothes.

The vertical structure of the Tree has more to do with cosmology, while the horizontal structure has more to do with magical rituals. Most often, the Tree was depicted with eight branches, four on each side. It also had four main colors: red, black, white, blue.

It is well known that for the ancient Slavs, trees were not just a building material. Our pagan ancestors saw in them the same as themselves, children of earth and heaven, moreover, having no less right to life. From a tree, according to some legends, the very first people were created - which means that trees are older and wiser than people. Cutting down a tree is like killing a person. But after all, a hut must be built!

Russian peasants preferred to cut huts from pine, spruce, larch. These trees with long, even trunks fit well into the frame, tightly adjoining each other, retained the internal heat well, and did not rot for a long time. However, the choice of trees in the forest was regulated by many rules, the violation of which could lead to the transformation of a built house from a house for people into a house against people, bringing misfortune.

Of course, there could not even be a question of raising a hand on a tree that was revered, “sacred”. There were entire sacred groves in which all trees were considered divine, and it was a sin to pluck even a branch from them.

Individual trees could also be considered sacred if they attracted attention by their unusual size, age, or developmental features. As a rule, local legends were associated with such trees. Legends have come down to us about righteous old men, at the end of their days turned into trees by the gods.

An ancient man would never have dared to cut down a tree that had grown on a grave. Even at the end of the XIX century. the peasants showed the ethnographers a large pine tree, supposedly grown from the braid of a ruined girl; But what if a human soul settled in a tree? In Belarus, a creak emitted by a tree was considered a sure sign of this: according to beliefs, the souls of tortured people wept in creaky trees. Whoever deprives them of their shelter will surely be punished: they will pay with their health, and even with their lives.

In some places in Russia, a strict ban on cutting down all old trees in general was kept for a very long time. According to the peasants, it was a sin to deprive the forest patriarchs of the right to natural, “spontaneous” death from a windfall or simply from old age. Whoever encroached on such a tree would inevitably go mad, be injured or die. The felling of the "young" - a young, immature forest - was also revered as a sin. In this case, the mythological view was based on a completely natural desire to preserve young trees that have not reached the best conditions. In relation to the “forest elders”, the law of mythological thinking acted: the elder means the main, revered, sacred.

Trees with developmental anomalies - a large hollow, a stone or some other object grown into the trunk, with an unusual trunk shape, with an amazing interlacing of roots - were also not subject to felling: “not like everyone else” - you never know what kind of power could lurk in them !

In different areas, there were also bans on felling certain species. First of all, of course, this applied to the "cursed" trees, such as aspen and spruce. These rocks are energetically unfavorable for a person, “pump out” vital energy from him, and even objects made from their wood retain this property. So the reluctance of our ancestors to live in a spruce or aspen house was, again, not without reason. On the other hand, a person who cut down a completely “benevolent” linden was bound to get lost in the forest. Apparently, the gods sternly stood up for the tree, which for centuries has been shoeing, and even dressing the people ...

Dead, dry trees were not suitable for construction. It is understandable: such trees do not have vitality in themselves, they bear the seal of death - which is good, they will bring it into the house. And even if no one dies in the house, the “dry coat” will definitely become attached. In a number of places, for this reason, they avoided cutting down trees in winter, when they are devoid of juices and "temporarily dead."

With the ideas of death, the afterlife, there is also a ban imposed on trees that fell while cutting with their tops to the north side, “at midnight”: our ancestors associated this side of the world with eternal darkness, winter, lifeless cold - in a word, the other world. Insert such a tree into a log house, and people in the house will not live long!

A special and very dangerous variety of forbidden trees are "violent", "evil", "thinny". Such a tree seems to seek revenge on a person for its death: it can crush a lumberjack, and they will knock out a log from it for a hut - and look, it will bring down the whole house on the head of the residents. Even a chip from such a tree, deliberately planted by an evil carpenter, was capable, according to Russian peasants, of destroying a new house or a mill. If the "violent" forest was cut down for firewood, one should have been wary of a fire!

The Belarusians called the "violent" trees "styarosovye". This is where our expression "stupid club" comes from, meaning a stupid and unkind person.

"Wild" trees, according to beliefs, most often grew on abandoned forest roads, especially at the crossroads of such roads. The fact is that the Slavs attributed to the road a great mythological meaning, moreover, a negative one. The road that goes into the distance, according to our ancestors, eventually led to the other world - for outside the tribal territory, as you know, the kingdom of unknown forces began, and the border between the worlds of the dead and the living was close. And besides, the road was conceived by the pagans as a kind of "horizontal projection" of the World Tree, connecting the worlds. It is no coincidence that riddles about the road have been preserved, such as: “When the light was born, then the oak fell down, and now it lies,” and etymologists claim that the words “tree” and “road” in Russian go back to the same root. The twisted trunk, twisted against the sun, also did not inspire confidence in the pagans.

There was also a ban on the use of trees planted by man in construction. First of all - garden trees, moreover, located inside the fence of the estate. Scientists believe that the point here is in the mythological understanding of such opposites as "ours" - "foreign", "natural" - "cultural", "wild" - "home". A tree taken from the forest and used for the construction of human habitation, certainly had to undergo a "change of quality": from "alien" to become "one's own". With a garden tree, such a transformation certainly could not happen, and besides, garden apple trees and cherries were almost family members for our pagan ancestors ...

If the first three trees scheduled for felling turned out to be unsuitable for any reason, then on this day it is better not to get down to business at all - there will be no good.