The World Tree
The world tree is a universal concept and symbol. It is a giant tree whose branches support the sky, connected to the earth via its trunk and to the underworld by its roots (analogous to the shamanic upper world, middle world, and lower world cosmology). Other names for the world tree are axis mundi, world (or cosmic) mountain, or world pillar. It can also be a human made tower or a column of smoke or fire. Artists sometimes show it inverted with its roots in the sky and its branches in the earth. The world tree is also associated with the concepts of the tree of life or knowledge in religions. The species of the world tree differs across cultures, variously being ash, oak, olive, apple, spruce, larch, fig, or birch.
Functions and interpretations of the world tree include:
Connects physical reality and spiritual reality
gives stability, order, and harmony
is the center of the world and the center direction
a means to travel between the worlds
a symbol of Mother Earth or an earth goddess
a sanctuary
a place of protection
a source of knowledge and wisdom
a place to obtain visions or enlightenment
a means to obtain immortality (from fruits or water that flows from its roots, a well or river)
There is a connection with stars and birds (eagles, owls, or mythical creatures like the Thunderbird) who appear at its top or in its branches, and snakes or water monsters that live in its roots. The world tree is associated with the pole star at the top of the world pillar or world pole. The constellations that circle the pole star are often associated with horses tethered to the world pillar or pole.
Well known examples of the World Tree include seen in mythology:
Yggdrasil in Norse mythology is an ash tree on which the nine Norse worlds exist, and in the roots of which live the Norns (goddesses of destiny). Bifröst the rainbow bridge connects Midgard (earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods. Yggdrasil grows out of the well of Urd, an endless source of universal wisdom and cosmic forces. The god Odin sacrificed an eye and hung on Yggdrasil for nine days to get knowledge (including of the runes) which he brought back for the benefit of humanity.
The Celtic Tree of Life whose trunk is in the physical world, roots connect the underworld, and branches reach the heavens. It symbolizes connection between humans and spirits or deities and stands for wisdom and protection.
The Greek oak world tree that results from the union of Zeus and the earth goddess Gaia, whose roots reach Tartarus, the Greek underworld.
The Egyptian tree of life, the sycamore tree that grew around the coffin of Osiris (the god of agriculture, the underworld, and rebirth) and which connects the underworld, physical world, and the gods.
Yax imix che in Mayan mythology. In the Mayan creation story the gods planted a ceiba tree in each of the four corners of the world to hold up the heavens, and a fifth tree in the center whose roots connect to the underworld and its branches to the heavens, used by gods to travel to the middle world and human souls to travel to the underworld and heavens.
Aśvattha (the sacred fig) in Hindu mythology is associated with Brahman and is the same species as the Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha sat and gained enlightenment.
Jianmu the magical tree in Chinese mythology connects heaven and earth and supplies equilibrium, balancing universal forces. Gods and magicians use it to travel between the two worlds.
Other examples of trees include Bai-Terek, a poplar tree in Altai and Kyrgyz mythology, the Modun tree in Mongolian mythology, the Hungarian égig érő fa, the Turkic Ağaç Ana, the Latvian Austras koks, the Armenian Andndayin Ca˙r, the Yakut Aal Luuk Mas, and the Kazakh Baiterek.
Examples of the world mountain include the Mesopotamian ziggurat, the Asian Mount Meru, and Mount Qaf in Islamic cosmology. Mount Kailash is the abode of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, and is sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Bon, Buddhism, and Jainism. In Chinese culture, there is the K'un Lun cosmic mountain, the abode of Taoist immortals. The world mountain is often associated with the dead and ancestor worship. An example of the world pillar is Irminsul, the Germanic pillar-like object.
The world tree, pillar, or mountain is associated with cities or temples, and temple towers or stupas can stand for the world mountain. In construction, the first stone placed, the foundation or cornerstone, mystically stands for the peak of the cosmic mountain, which then rises to fill the earth and heavens.
The world tree has similarities with the tree of knowledge and tree of life seen in religions. The idea of the world tree being the center has two forms. In one the tree is the vertical dimension binding heaven, the earth, and the underworld; in the other it is the horizontal centre of the earth protected by supernatural guardians that is the source of fertility, life, and immortality. In biblical terms the former is the tree of knowledge and the latter the tree of life.
In the Old Testament Adam and Eve are not to eat from the tree of knowledge, and there is a separate tree of life, although in the Book of Revelation humans can obtain wisdom from the tree of knowledge (now called the tree of life). In Christianity Golgotha is the center of the world and the peak of the cosmic mountain. It is also the place where God created Adam (and the location of his grave).
The Quran refers to the tree of immortality growing in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve eat fruit from the tree, Allah sends them to earth to learn from their mistake but assures them that they will have guidance. The tree of immortality thus represents repentance as well as Allah’s mercy.
In The Kabbalah the tree of life is a symbol that has ten sephirot, or channels of divine energy and sacred principles, connected by twenty-two pathways. The Kabbalah tells we can reach enlightenment and a direction connection to God via the tree of life.
In folk and fairy tales a human often journeys to the underworld and protect the nest of a bird in the world tree from the snake or similar creature that lives at the bottom of the tree. The bird then helps the human escape from the underworld. Variants of this involve motifs such as three princesses that the hero rescues from the underworld but who then trap him there. A fairy tale that features the world tree is Jack and the Beanstalk. The world tree is also the motif in Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Objects suspended on an axis between heaven and earth can become repositories of knowledge as well as standing for the world tree. Examples of this include mistletoe and rod and snake symbols, such as the rod of Asclepius or the caduceus, both of which are symbols related to medicine.
The world tree exists in all shamanic cultures, where it is a mechanism shamans use to travel between the worlds for purposes including learning how to heal diseases or to get other knowledge and wisdom. In Altaic shamanism and other traditions shamans often paint the world tree on their drums. Mircea Eliade mentions a giant bird at the top of the tree “hatching” shamans whose souls sit in its branches. This is like the Judeo-Christian tree of life which produces new souls.
How do we work with the World Tree? In shamanic work we can take journeys such as those suggested below. It is also possible to work with the world tree (or mountain or similar symbol) in meditation, lucid dream, or creative visualization. Suggested intentions for shamanic journeys that you can take to work with the world tree include the following:
Journey to the world tree to descend to the lower world or ascend to the upper world.
Journey to the world tree to merge with or into it, which allows you to connect to all aspects of spiritual reality.
Journey to the roots of the world tree to work with destiny goddesses or to meet the snake or other creature that lives there.
Journey to the top of the world tree to meet the eagle or other creature that lives there.
Journey to the Urd to ask for wisdom and power.
Journey to the Bodhi tree to ask for enlightenment.
Journey to the tree of knowledge to ask for knowledge and wisdom.
Journey to the tree of life to ask for fertility.
Journey to the tree of life to understand the nature and meaning of immortality.
Journey to ask for an initiation that involves being reborn from the world tree.
The header image for this blog post “Yggdrasil [L'arbre Monde]” by imAges ImprObables is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.