Religion Past and Present

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Trees and Plants
(1,210 words)

[German Version]

I. Religious Studies

The worldwide significance that trees and plants have in cultus and mythology is connected to the essential relationship between plants, animals and human beings. Trees and plants play an important part in archaic cultures and tribal religions. In religious studies three overlapping areas may be identified:

1.

Cosmic connections. The world tree holds the cosmos together as axis mundi, with its roots in the underworld, its trunk in the human world, and its top in the world of the gods; for example…

Cite this page
Hutter, Manfred, Rüterswörden, Udo and Gemünden, Petra von, “Trees and Plants”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_COM_01582>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013



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