World tree among the Slavs. World tree Where does the world tree grow

About them, the oxen 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. This is, first of all, magical nature. Therefore, let's start with the symbols of the World Tree (Tree).

The World Tree (among the Scandinavians - the Yggdasil ash tree) is the “axis of the world”, it supports all the worlds. The world of Pravi is located in the crown. At the trunk - Reality, 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 a long time ago and determined the structure of all mythological systems. Thanks to the World Tree, man saw the world as a single whole and himself in this world as a part of it... The tree entered our genetic memory, into the sphere of the unconscious. As psychologists prove, at a certain stage of development of the child’s psyche, it makes itself known 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.

All the elements of the world began to be strung on it, like an axis: from concrete gods and animals to abstract concepts like temporal categories. The vertical structure of the World Tree consisted of three parts, or levels: lower (roots), middle (trunk) and upper (branches). This is how the main cosmic zones were formed in the imagination of the ancients, and with them twin opposites: earth - sky, earth - underworld, fire (dry) - moisture (wet), past - present, present - future, day - night. These pairs are mixed in the structure of the tree with ternary 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 understood the interconnection of opposites, the essence of all development.

The World Tree is the basis for organizing thinking, memory, and perception. 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 there appears a sun wheel and an eight-pointed cross inscribed in a circle. We find this symbol in both Orthodox churches and Tibetan temples.

Each of the three parts of the Tree belonged to certain creatures. At the top, 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 clothing.

The vertical structure of the Tree is more associated with cosmology, and the horizontal structure is more associated 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 building material. Our pagan ancestors saw in them the same as themselves, children of earth and heaven, moreover, possessing no less a right to life. According to some legends, the very first people were created from wood - which means trees are older and wiser than people. Cutting down a tree is the same as killing a person. But you also have to build a hut!

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

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

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

An ancient man would never have decided to cut down a tree that grew on a grave. Back at the end of the 19th century. peasants showed ethnographic scientists a large pine tree that supposedly grew from the braid of a ruined girl; What if a human soul settled in a tree? In Belarus, a sure sign of this was considered to be the creaking sound made by a tree: in creaking trees, according to beliefs, the souls of tortured people cried. Anyone who deprives them of shelter will certainly be punished: they will pay with their health, or even their lives.

In some places in Russia there was a strict ban on cutting down all old trees for a very long time. According to the peasants, it was a sin to deprive the forest patriarchs of the right to natural, “natural” death from windfall or simply from old age. Anyone who encroached on such a tree would inevitably go crazy, be injured or die. It was also considered a sin to cut down young, immature forest. In this case, the mythological view was based on a completely natural desire to preserve young trees that had not reached the best conditions. In relation to the “forest elders,” the law of mythological thinking was in effect: elder means chief, revered, sacred.

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

In different areas there were also bans on the logging of certain species. First of all, of course, this applied to “cursed” trees, such as aspen and spruce. These species are energetically unfavorable for humans, they “pump” life energy out of 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 tree was bound to get lost in the forest. Apparently, the gods sternly stood up for the tree that had been shod and even clothed people for centuries...

Dead, dry trees were not suitable for construction. This is understandable: such trees do not have vital forces in them, they bear the mark of death - what good, they will carry it into the house. And even if no one dies in the house, the “dry” will definitely become attached. In a number of places, for this reason, they avoided cutting down trees in winter, when they are deprived of sap and are “temporarily dead.”

The idea of death and the afterlife is also associated with the ban imposed on trees that fell with their tops to the north during cutting, “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 the people in the house will not live long!

A special and very dangerous variety of forbidden trees are “violent”, “evil”, “wicked”. Such a tree seems to be trying to take revenge on a person for its death: it can crush a lumberjack, and if they cut a log out of it for a hut, just behold, it will bring down the entire house on the heads of the residents. Even a chip from such a tree, deliberately placed by an evil carpenter, was capable, in the opinion of Russian peasants, of destroying a new house or mill. If the “lush” forest was cut down for firewood, one had to be wary of fire!

Belarusians called “lush” trees “storosovye”. This is where our expression “stoeros club” comes from, meaning a stupid and unkind person.

“Lush” trees, according to popular belief, most often grew on abandoned forest roads, especially at the intersections of such roads. The fact is that the Slavs attributed great mythological meaning to the road, and a negative one at that. The road going into the distance, in the opinion of our ancestors, ultimately led to the next world - for outside the tribal territory, as is known, 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 thought of by the pagans as a kind of “horizontal projection” of the World Tree, which connected 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, and now it lies,” and etymological scientists claim that the words “tree” and “road” in the Russian language 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 humans in construction. First of all, garden trees, moreover, located inside the estate fence. Scientists believe that the point here is in the mythological understanding of such opposites as “one’s own” - “alien”, “natural” - “cultural”, “wild” - “domestic”. A tree taken from the forest and used for the construction of human habitation certainly had to undergo a “change of quality”: from “foreign” to become “ours.” Such a transformation certainly could not have happened with a garden tree, and besides, garden apple and cherry trees were almost family members for our pagan ancestors...

If the first three trees scheduled for felling, for some reason, turned out to be unsuitable, then on that day it is better not to get down to business at all - it will not be good.

LIKE THE SPINNER, THE SAME IS THE SHIRT. The oldest, most beloved and widespread underwear of the ancient Slavs was the shirt. Linguists write that its name comes from the root “rub” - “piece, cut, scrap of fabric” - and is related to the word “chop,” which once also meant “to cut.” The history of the shirt really began in the mists of time with a simple piece of fabric, folded in half, equipped with a hole for the head and fastened with a belt. Then they began to sew the back and front together, and added sleeves. This cut is called “tunic-like” and it was approximately the same for all segments of the population, only the material and the nature of the decoration changed. Mostly, shirts were made from linen; for winter, they were sometimes made from “tsatra” - fabric made from goat down. There were shirts made from imported silk, and not later than the 13th century, cotton fabric began to arrive from Asia. In Rus' it was called “ZENDEN”. Another name for a shirt in Russian was “shirt”, “sorochitsa”, “srachitsa”. It is a very old word, related to the Old Icelandic "serk" and the Anglo-Saxon "sjork" through common Indo-European roots. Some researchers see a difference between a shirt and a shirt. A long shirt, they write, was made of coarser and thicker material, while a short and light shirt was made of thinner and softer material. So gradually it turned into underwear itself: “shirt”, “cover”, and the outer shirt began to be called “COSHUL”, “NAVERSHNIK”. Koszul - a shirt, a shirt, a shirt, not a kosovorotka. Kursk: women's shirt with wide sleeves, sewn at the hem. Kostroma: short covered sheepskin coat; Yaroslavl, Vologda: sheepskin coat with burs, covered with Chinese, dyed or cloth. Also - men's or women's underwear with fur. Blouse, a kind of outer shirt, instead of outer clothing or in addition to it; work shirt. Koshuley - sewn clothing, unopened, not ripped in the front, genderless, worn over the head; korzno, among the Samoyeds there is a sovik and a malitsa. Tverskoe, Pskov: basket, purse, purse, koshulya “sheepskin sheepskin coat covered with cloth and trimmed with fur.” Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Arkhangelsk: “women’s shirt with wide sleeves, embroidered at the hem,” Kursk. (Dahl). Košlja, Belarusian košulja "shirt", Church Slavonic: košulya, Bulgarian: košulja, Serbo-Croatian: kòšuja, Slovenian: košúlja, Czech: košile, Slovak: košеl᾽а, Polish: koszula, Upper Lusatian, Lower Lusatian ko šula. By the 10th century On the territory of Europe, the Old Russian state was formed with its capital in Kyiv. The close ties of Rus' of the pre-Mongol period with Byzantium and Western Europe determined the character of Russian costume, which, despite its originality, nevertheless developed in line with the general direction in the development of European fashion of that time. Climatic conditions also had a huge influence on the formation of ancient Russian clothing. Severe and cold climate - long winters, relatively cool summers. The main types of fabrics produced are linen fabrics (from coarse canvas to the finest linens) and coarse homespun wool - homespun wool. The outer and ceremonial clothes of the boyars and later the nobility were made mostly from imported fabrics, called pavolok. Russian costumes were made from fabrics of various shades of red (crimson, scarlet), blue (azure), and sometimes green. All colored fabrics were called dyes. People sewed suits mainly from linen fabrics with a printed pattern and motley - fabric woven from threads of different colors. Clothes were usually decorated with various embroideries - silk, pearls. Small pearls were mined in rivers, and at a later time pearls were brought from the East, from Iran. These pearls were called “Gurmyzhsky”. The clothing of pre-Mongol Rus' is characterized by a relatively simple cut and simplicity of fabrics, but an abundance of “hanging” decorations, that is, decorations worn over clothing. These are bracelets, beads, earrings, necklaces and others. The ideal of beauty presupposed a stately figure, proud posture, and a smooth gait. Women have a white face with a bright blush, sable eyebrows; men have a thick beard. Clothes complemented a person's appearance and connected him with a generally accepted aesthetic ideal. The basis of the women's costume was a shirt, which differed from the men's only in greater length - it reached the feet. Rich women wore two shirts at the same time - an undershirt and an outer shirt, and the outer one was made from expensive fabrics. They wore a shirt with a narrow belt and often embroidered with ornaments. On holidays, elegant clothes were worn over the poneva or cuffs - a navershnik, usually made of expensive fabric with embroidery. This clothing looked like a tunic, was long and quite wide, with short wide sleeves. The top was not belted and thereby gave the female figure a static and monumental look. In written sources of the 12th century. simple, poor clothing “rub”, “rag” is often mentioned, which, according to A. Artsikhovsky, was also the common Slavic name for the complex of clothing of ordinary people - home-made shirts and trousers. The semantics of this word retained its essence in later definitions. In Rus' there is also an expression “dressed in rags” - the last poor man. According to the Old Slavic concept, the word “rub” meant a piece of fabric (I. Sreznevsky). Clothes made from “rubs” could also have the identical name “rub”. The clothes of the poor, torn into rags in the 19th century, retained the name “rags.” Confirmation of the archaic nature of this word is the ruble, which was used to “iron” ready-made linens and towels. The Slavic word “shirt” (from “rub”) to define underwear has been preserved in Rus' as the general name for this outfit. The word "shirt" is borrowed. It was used by the nobility to stand out. The shirt became the wearable clothing of the elite. According to the research of ethnographers of the 19th-20th centuries, shirts were different in design. Long shirts consisted of straight, continuous panels from collar to hem. Such shirts were mainly ritual: wedding, holiday or posthumous. The shirt “to the point” had two parts: the upper one - “the waist, the machine, the shoulder” and the lower one, the actual “point”. There were also shorter shirts that were worn separately: the “shoulder” and the lower part - the “hem.” They were tunic-shaped in cut, sewn from one piece of cloth folded in half. Since it was not wide enough, straight or wedge-shaped sides were sewn on the sides below the armhole. The sleeves were narrow, straight, and often significantly longer than the arms. They served as gloves: they protected their hands from the cold. To prevent the sleeves from interfering with work, they were picked up, “rolled up”, and on holidays they were gathered up to the elbows and held at the wrist with a bracelet. This multifunctional sleeve shape was the result of life experience, an adaptation to harsh climate conditions. The men's shirt was collarless and had a round or rectangular neckline. Sometimes it had a small slit in the front and was fastened at the neck with one button; it was called a “goloshka”. They were decorated with embroidery or midges along the neckline, slit, sleeves and hem. The men's shirt was shorter than the women's. It only reached to the knees. They wore it untucked, belted with a woven or leather belt with a metal buckle and decorations. After the adoption of Christianity in the 10th century. In Rus', long, non-fitting clothes are gradually coming into use. The suit did not reveal the shape of the body, it was loose, but not very wide. Almost all clothes were put on over the head, that is, they were not loose. They had only a small slit in the front. They hardly wore draping clothes, and among the people they were completely absent. The basis of a man's suit was a shirt. People usually wore one canvas shirt, which was both lower and outer clothing. Noble people wore another, upper, richer shirt on top of the lower one. Her sleeves were sewn in, long and narrow. Sometimes “sleeves” (a prototype of cuffs) were put on the sleeve around the wrist - narrow, oblong pieces of expensive fabric, often embroidered. The shirt had no collar. The small slit in the front was fastened with a button or secured with a cord. But this happened later, in the 13th century. The men's shirt of the ancient Slavs was approximately knee-length. It was always belted and tugged at the same time, so that it turned out to be something like a bag for necessary items. Scientists write that the shirts of city dwellers were somewhat shorter than those of peasants. Women's shirts were usually cut to the floor (according to some authors, this is where the “hemm” comes from). They were also necessarily belted, with the lower edge most often ending up in the middle of the calf. Sometimes, while working, shirts were pulled up to the knees. Women's shirts are like bags: tie the sleeves and put whatever you want. Without a shirt - closer to the body. (Funny proverbs) A barge hauler is like an orphan: when there is a white shirt, then there is a holiday. To scream in shirts is to sow in fur coats. Changing the faith is not changing a shirt. The bird is loud and his shirt is black. The city is being repaired - not just shirts. They gave the naked man a shirt, and he said: “Fat.” The shirt, directly adjacent to the body, was sewn with endless magical precautions, because it was supposed to not only warm, but also ward off the forces of evil, and keep the soul in the body. So, when the collar was cut, the cut out flap was certainly dragged inside the future garment: the movement “inward” meant preservation, accumulation of vitality, “outward” - expense, loss. They tried in every possible way to avoid this latter, so as not to bring trouble to the person. According to the ancients, it was necessary to “secure” in one way or another all the necessary openings in ready-made clothing: collars, hem, sleeves. Embroidery, which contained all kinds of sacred images and magical symbols, served as a talisman here. The meaning of folk embroidery can be very clearly traced from the most ancient examples to completely modern works; it is not without reason that scientists consider embroidery an important source in the study of ancient religion. This topic is truly immense; a huge number of scientific works are devoted to it. Slavic shirts did not have turn-down collars. Sometimes it is possible to restore something similar to a modern “rack”. Most often, the incision at the collar was made straight - in the middle of the chest, but there were also oblique ones, on the right or left. The collar was fastened with a button. Buttons in archaeological finds are dominated by bronze and copper, but researchers believe that the metal was simply better preserved in the ground. In life, we probably saw more often those made from simple materials at hand - bone and wood. It is easy to guess that the collar was a particularly “magically important” detail of clothing. It was so richly equipped with protective embroidery, and gold embroidery, pearls and precious stones, that over time it turned into a separate “shoulder” part of clothing - a “necklace” (“what is worn around the throat”) or “mantle.” It was sewn on, fastened, or even worn separately. The sleeves of the shirts were long and wide and were secured at the wrist with braid. Among the Scandinavians, who wore shirts of a similar style in those days, tying these ribbons was considered a sign of tender attention, almost a declaration of love between a woman and a man... In festive women's shirts, the ribbons on the sleeves were replaced with folded (fastened) bracelets - “hoops”, “ hoops." Elegant clothes were worn not only for beauty - they were also ritual vestments. A 12th-century bracelet preserves for us the image of a girl performing a magical dance. Her long hair was scattered, her arms in her lowered sleeves were flying like swan wings. Scientists think that this is a dance of bird maidens who bring fertility to the earth. The Southern Slavs call them “forks”, among some Western European peoples they turned into “vilis”, in ancient Russian mythology mermaids are close to them. Everyone remembers fairy tales about bird girls: the hero happens to steal their wonderful outfits. And also the fairy tale about the Frog Princess: the flapping of lowered sleeves plays an important role in it. Indeed, the fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it. A person’s costume is a complex that combines not only clothes and shoes, but also jewelry, accessories, cosmetics and hairstyle. The suit combines practical and aesthetic functions, helping a person organize his life, work and communication with other people. Clothing has a wide range of meanings and functions. It serves as an indicator of gender, age, family, social, class, property status, ethnic, regional, religious affiliation, a person’s occupation, and his ritual roles. Culture of Russian cities of the 13th - 14th centuries. was multi-ethnic, it combined Slavic, Finno-Ugric, Western and Eastern elements, which could not but influence the costume of the townspeople - the so-called interpenetration of cultures took place. Urban costume of a number of ancient Russian principalities - Moscow, Tver, Vladimir and Suzdal, using sources from neighboring lands. Particular attention is paid to the costume of the Vyatichi tribe. Until the end of the 13th century. this tribe still preserves its original culture, not only rural, but also urban. Their lands subsequently became part of the Moscow, Chernigov, Rostov-Suzdal and Ryazan principalities. Vyatichi burial mounds of the 12th-13th centuries. provide researchers of the costume of pre-Mongol Rus' with rich materials for reconstruction. In the XIII-XIV centuries. The role of the Christian church in Russian cities is strengthening, which is confirmed by archaeological finds (the number of objects of pagan cults is sharply decreasing). Since archaeological data indicate that the ancient Russian costume has changed little since the 12th century. and before the Mongol invasion, the sources of the 12th century have been examined, making it possible to more fully restore the entire complex of urban costume. A comprehensive method of working with archaeological, visual, written and other synchronous sources on the costume of the period under study was applied. Any reconstruction is, first of all, a concept, a stage of a high level of generalization and comprehensive mastery of the material. Reconstruction of a historical costume is always a hypothesis due to incomplete information. At the same time, the experience of recreating a costume and further experience that appears in the process of wearing it is of undoubted value for researchers involved in the history of medieval Russian life. The mentality of people consists not only of what people saw and knew, but also of what they did day after day according to habitual, practical patterns that no one specifically thought about. Therefore, the noblewoman and the peasant woman have a different mentality, not only because of information differences, but also because they moved, ate, dressed, and so on differently. Reproducing the mentality of medieval man completely is an impossible task for a historian, even if he collects all available sources. But with the help of recreating practices (for example, the process of cooking, wearing a suit...) you can get closer to reconstruction, combining the mental model that a scientist creates based on sources, and a material model that allows you to get as close as possible to understanding the life and way of life of our ancestors. Written sources have brought to us the words that in the Middle Ages were used to call underwear shirts: men's and women's - sorochitsa, srachitsa, srachino, srachka, shirt. In the chronicle account of the flight of Prince Yuri after the Battle of Lipetsk in 1216 we read: “Prince Yuri came running to Volodymyr about noon, on the fourth horse, and strangled three in the first shirt, threw out the lining and that one...”. That is, during the escape, the prince took off all his outer clothing and outer shirt, remaining in only the lower one - the “first shirt”, and even tore out (“threw out”) the lining - the background - from it. The undershirt was made from bleached linen, usually made at home. Sewing shirts for family members was considered a woman's domestic task. Because the undergarment was washed frequently, the fabric was not embroidered or decorated, as medieval washing would have damaged the embroidery. Data provided by Yu.V. Stepanova, a researcher of the Upper Volga burial costume. In those male burials where buttons (bronze and billon) were found, they were located in the neck and chest area, with one button at the level of the cervical vertebrae. In only one burial were four bronze buttons found, apparently placed vertically on the neck and chest. From the second half of the 11th century. The process of forming a shirt, traditional for Russian folk costume, with a slit along the neck, perhaps a “kosovorotka,” is taking place. The same conclusions can be drawn based on the finds of fragments of collars from Suzdal burial mounds. Unfortunately, there are no surviving complete examples of Russian men's shirts from the 13th-14th centuries.

World Tree (Tree) of the Slavs, Tree of the World among the Slavs

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The world tree (lat. Arbor mundi) is a mythological archetype, a universal tree that unites all spheres of the universe. As a rule, its branches correspond to the sky, the trunk - to the earthly world, the roots - to the underworld.

In science, there are different views on the universality of this archetype. V.N. Toporov and his followers interpret the World Tree broadly, identifying it with the World Axis in all its variants. With this approach, any image of a tree in culture (including the Tree of Life) is considered as a reference to the World Tree. With the help of this image, according to Toporov, “general binary semantic oppositions that serve to describe the basic parameters of the world are brought together.” A number of major researchers (I.M. Dyakonov, Yu.E. Berezkin, V.V. Napolskikh) oppose such an expansive interpretation and note that among some peoples this archetype does not occur at all.

According to the Slavs

The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree (World Tree, Tree of the World). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of People with the World of the 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 underground World or the World of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Madder. Somewhere in the heights, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; above the seventh heaven), the crown of a spreading tree forms an island, and here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only the Gods and ancestors of people 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 along which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It could be oak, sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple or pine.

In the ideas of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on the Buyan island on the 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 among various fairy tales, legends, epics, conspiracies, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting of 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: “... there is a copper pillar, and a horse is tied to it, there are clear stars on the sides, a moon is shining on the tail, red sun on my forehead..." This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe, which is still tied to the center-pillar or tree.

In traditions and rituals

The image of the world tree is typical for Slavic carols, Russian riddles and spells. Wed. a riddle about the road: “When the light was born, then the oak fell, and now lies”; this image unites different - vertical (tree from earth to heaven) and horizontal (road) coordinates of the world. Also characteristic is the motif of cutting down a tree in Slavic carols in connection with the paving of bridges for the passage of Ovsen, New Year, Christ; The Bulgarian carol provides a “self-description” of the world tree:

In wedding folklore and “vine” songs (performed for the newlyweds – “vines”), the image of the world tree embodied the fertility of living nature, the tree of life:

a nightingale makes a nest in the crown
in the trunk there are bees bringing honey
at the roots there is an ermine raising small children, or the young ones themselves, a 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 connected with the wedding ceremony: the groom should not place his horses at the “unlucky tree” of viburnum, but should place them at the lucky sycamore tree, where bees bring honey flowing down to the roots so that the horses can drink, beavers live at the roots, crown - falcon, etc.

In traditional culture, the success of any ritual depended on how well the ritual being performed corresponded to the general picture of the world: hence the importance of the image of the world tree, which embodies this picture, both in folklore (be it a conspiracy or a wedding song) and in the ritual itself. The Serbs considered the sacred “record” tree, with a cross carved on it, to be a symbol of the well-being of the entire village; in the old days, sacrifices were made at this tree (see Sacrifice). Blood was sprinkled on the roots, trunk and carved cross.

The influence of the image on the life of the Slavs

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

Dead, dry trees were not suitable for construction. This is understandable: such trees do not have vital forces in them, they bear the mark of death - what a blessing, they will carry it into the house. And even if no one dies in the house, the “dry” will definitely become attached. In a number of places, for this reason, they avoided cutting down trees in winter, when they are deprived of sap and are “temporarily dead.”

A special and very dangerous variety of forbidden trees are “violent”, “evil”, “wicked”. Such a tree seems to be seeking revenge on a person for its death: it can crush a lumberjack, and if they cut a log out of it for a hut, just behold, it will bring down the entire house on the heads of the residents. Even a chip from such a tree, deliberately placed by an evil carpenter, was capable, in the opinion of Russian peasants, of destroying a new house or mill. If the “lush” forest was cut down for firewood, one had to be wary of fire!

There was also a ban on the use of trees planted by humans in construction. First of all, garden trees, moreover, located inside the estate fence. Scientists believe that the point here is in the mythological understanding of such opposites as “one’s own” - “alien”, “natural” - “cultural”, “wild” - “domestic”. A tree taken from the forest and used for the construction of human habitation certainly had to undergo a “change of quality”: from “foreign” to become “ours.” Such a transformation obviously could not have happened to a garden tree, and besides, garden apple and cherry trees were almost members of the family for our pagan ancestors... If the first three trees scheduled for felling turned out to be unsuitable for some reason, then on this day It’s better not to get down to business at all - no good will come of it.

World tree in different cultures

The world tree, the tree of life - in Slavic mythology the world axis and a symbol of the universe as a whole. The crown of the world tree reaches the heavens, the roots (from which a sacred spring flows) reach the underworld, the trunk and branches organize earthly space. The sacred tree was the mighty oak.

In the Erzyan traditional religion, on the world tree of Echke Tumo, there is a nest of the sacred bird, the duck Ine Narmun, and from which the egg laid by it falls, Ine al, from which our world subsequently emerges: the shell is the firmament of Men Ele with the stars, the yolk is the earth - the land of Moda-Mastor, the white - the endless ocean of Ineved.
In ancient Iran they believed that the sacred tree grew near the Ardvisuri springs. The king of birds, Senmurv, allegedly lived on it and scattered seeds on the ground. Another bird carried the seeds to the source from which the star drank, which showered the earth with rain. With the rain, the seeds returned back to the ground.
In Scandinavian myths we see the evergreen tree of life Yggdrasil, soaked in life-giving sacred honey. This is a huge ash tree, which is the structural basis of all things and connects the nine worlds. An eagle sits on the top of a tree, the roots are being gnawed by snakes and the dragon Nidhogg.
“Up with its roots, down with its branches, stands the eternal Ashwattha tree. It is called “immortal,” all worlds rest in it, and no one can overcome it” (Indian Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita). With roots up, branches down, ashwattha is considered to be imperishable; hymns (Forces of Sattva, rajas and tamas - that which holds in the illusory world) are its leaves, whoever knows it is an expert in the Vedas. Its branches, arising from the gunas, extend up and down; objects (of feelings) are (his) shoots; Its roots also stretch down, connecting it with karma in the human world.
The image of Baiterek appeared in Turkic mythology and subsequently in Kazakh fairy tales. Baiterek, with its location and compositional structure, expresses the cosmogonic ideas of the ancient nomads, according to whose legends the World River flows at the junction of the worlds. On its shore rises the Tree of Life - Baiterek, holding the earth with its roots and supporting the sky with its crown. The roots of this tree, accordingly, are in the underworld, the tree itself and its trunk are in the earthly world, and the crown is in the heavenly world. Every year, in the crown of the Tree, the sacred bird Samruk lays an egg - the Sun, which is swallowed by the dragon Aidahar, who lives at the foot of the tree of life, which symbolically means the change of summer and winter, day and night, the struggle of Good and Evil.

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 the 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 underground World or the World of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Madder. Somewhere in the heights, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; above the seventh heaven), the crown of a spreading tree forms an island, and here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only the Gods and ancestors of people 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 along which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It could be oak, sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple or pine.

Image of the World Tree imitated during funeral rites. In ancient times, people were buried in tree branches. Later, this ritual 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 along this tree to the World of People to visit their descendants.

Ancient tribes built huts and temples in such a way that there was a living tree 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 home rituals. This tradition was alive until the beginning of the 20th century throughout almost the entire territory of Russia, and further, but in a simplified form. Before building a house, a young tree was dug up and planted in the center or red corner of the future log house of the building, while the sentence was said: “Here is a warm house and a shaggy cedar for you!” There it grew until the very end of construction. Then they took him out and planted him 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 traditional folklore in general, the following descriptions of the World Tree have reached us: a nightingale makes a nest in its crown (as well as other sacred birds - Gamayun, Sirin, Alkonost, Duck, Firebird, etc.), bees live in its trunk, they bring honey, an ermine lives at the roots, a snake (Skin) lives in a hole (nest), a demon is chained, the fruits of the Tree of Peace are the seeds of all existing herbs, flowers, and trees. Traditional in folklore are squabbles between the same snake that lives in the roots and the bird that lives in the crown. At the same time, the snake constantly threatens to burn the tree, and the bird always defends itself or uses cunning. 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. This is their place—next to the center of the world.

The World Tree was so revered by the Slavs that it took part in many celebrations. In particular, the tradition of setting up a Christmas tree for the New Year has reached us to this day. Now no one thinks about why this is done, but the main and sacred meaning of the New Year tree is precisely the image of the Center or Axis of the Universe. In a sense, this is the idol of the Sacred World Tree. Also, the 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 basis. The builder of a new home 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 the red corner. Another ritual can be a round dance on sunny holidays around a tree, which is often chosen to be a birch or an oak. In ancient times, there were entire sacred groves, sacred forests, where it was strictly forbidden to cut down or damage trees. This directly relates to the very figure of the World Tree, since by analogy with it, sacred trees were the habitat of spirits, creatures, and peculiar staircases (portals) to other worlds. Holidays, ceremonies, and rituals for curing diseases took place in such groves.

It must be said that the Tree of the World, in one form or another, existed in almost all ancient beliefs, from Scandinavian (the evergreen tree Yggdrasil or the Great Ash) to Indian (Ashwattha). 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 it props up the sky so that it does not fall down. In the Kabala, this is the Mekabtziel Tree. In the Koran it is Sidrat al-muntaha. In China, this is Kien-Mu, along which the Sun and Moon, rulers, sages, Gods, spirits, and so on descend to earth.

The symbol of the World Tree is depicted in different ways. This 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 upward. The World Tree is also depicted as a woman with raised hands. Embroidery and painting often contain 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, and priests on the other.

A branched tree with unusual patterns of flowers, fruits and birds is often found in folk art. It is a symbol of fertility, which represents the strength and power of the earth, living and blooming nature, as well as the connecting axis between earth and heaven. The heavenly tree absorbed the universe of the ancient Slavs. A kind of portal was present among almost all ancient peoples, but it had its own name, for example, among the Scandinavians Yggdrasil, the Baiterek Turks, and the Chinese Kien-Mu. The symbol can be depicted in the form of an ordinary tree with roots and branches, schematically in the form of one stick and three branches, and also in the form of a woman with raised hands.

Let's look at where the concept of the tree of heaven itself came from. According to legend, God was originally inside the egg in complete fog. The dispersion of small drops led to the separation of the world's waters with air space. Wherever the Lord cast his gaze, a bright star lit up everywhere. One day the Almighty decided to revive his mirror image, so the distorted sphere brought to earth a dark deity called the Demon (the bringer of misfortune).

The power of God gave rise to two sacred oak trees, and fallen acorns brought a pair of ducks into the world. The birds began to take out sea sand and build a nest, which then became earth. The Evil Demon did not like the action of the birds. He took a mouthful of silt and covered the construction surface with it, which led to the formation of mountains. The Demon's misbehavior angered God. The Almighty broke one of the trees and drove the evil spirits underground with it. So there is only one Heavenly Tree left in the world.
The entire Universe, consisting of nine heavens, surrounds the tree on all sides. You can get into each world along the trunk, and the highest point of the crown reaches seventh heaven. A tree can be compared to a portal that takes you to different worlds, like a corridor with entrance doors to different rooms.

Legends of the World Tree

Greek and Chinese myths speak of the emergence of the world from an egg. The Slavs also have similar works.
An ancient legend says that previously the world consisted only of the sea and a flying duck, which dropped its egg into the depths of the sea. It split into two parts: the first became the Mother-damp earth, and the second became the vault of heaven.
According to fairy tales, unusual fairy-tale heroes live in the branches of trees: the scientist cat, the firebird, the Nightingale the Robber, etc. Often trees come to the aid of heroes, protect them and have miracle fruits that give youth. A striking example of the presence of clawed animals on the trunk of the tree of life is the cat Bayun. His nickname comes from the word “bayat” - to tell. The magical power of his tales is capable of striking enemies to death. This amazing character is present in A. Pushkin’s famous poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, where the author used the fairy tale to preserve religious and mythical characters.
In one of the fairy tales, the hero visits the underworld to find three princesses. From each kingdom (copper, silver and gold) he brings out an egg, which he breaks on the ground.
According to legend, the tree grew on the island of Buyan on a magic stone, where the center of the Universe was located. It was very difficult to get to him. Different peoples used their own trees as heavenly symbols: oak, sycamore, birch, apple tree, etc.

Main parts of the world tree

The grandeur and mystery of the forest have long attracted humanity. Slavic monuments of the 11th-17th centuries tell of pagan worship of sacred groves, where various rituals were held, newlyweds were married, water was blessed, and festive meals were held. The pagan Slavs considered the tree to be the center of knowledge and the connection of three worlds: terrestrial, underground and upper-heavenly. The image of the tree of ascension was accompanied by silhouettes of spirits and deities, warriors and priests. The top of the sacred trunk touched the world of the Gods, and the roots sank into the underworld, where Chernobog and Madder lived. At the very top, behind the clouds, was Iriy (paradise). Its inhabitants were the Gods, the ancestors of people, the progenitors of animals and plants.

The fauna inhabited all three layers:

World tree drawing photo

The power of the world tree is admirable. Its roots split rocks and boulders.

Such trees, which have come down from ancient times, are part of our world. They act as a hymn to perseverance and love of life.

By combining the knowledge of the Slavs, the ability to draw and their imagination, schoolchildren create completely different creations.

An example of a child's drawing created with a gel pen.

Similar work was done using paints.

How to draw a world tree step by step with explanations

The tree branches in the abstract painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt look a little tangled, but even fourth-graders can replicate this work. It is enough to follow the given steps.

To begin with, draw a trunk in the center of the sheet.
Rounded branches are added to its top on both sides.
A pair of thick branches with curls are drawn on the right and left sides of the tree. A wavy horizontal line is added at the bottom.
The side branches are complemented with small details.
Leaves are drawn on the branches in the form of abstract shapes.
Similar patterns are drawn inside the trunk and the ground.
The contours of the tree are drawn in black. The author’s work is dominated by golden and brown shades, but the wood can be painted to suit your taste.

An example of drawing a mighty oak tree with a pencil.

To begin with, draw a line of the ground at the bottom of the sheet, and then depict a thick, uneven trunk. It is necessary to take into account that oak branches grow low.

The next stage is very important, as it details the foliage and crown. Their shape is responsible for the appearance of the entire tree. The oak crown is slightly wider on the sides.

The leaves are drawn slightly smeared or each leaf is drawn. Then they add volume to the foliage. This will make the tree lighter.

The lower crown should be slightly darker than the top. The branches and trunk are painted over, and a shadow is added below.

The process of drawing living pictures using acrylic animation is performed to music. This technique combines animation with graphics and painting.

Options for drawing the world tree, photo

Children's imagination can transform ordinary objects into the World Tree: a teapot, an umbrella, a throne, a cane and even a lampshade.

Our ancestors associated the rapid alternation of periods of life with a tree. He was considered a symbol of resurrection and awakening.

The image of a drawn tree can also be different: tree-time, tree-world or tree-genus.

The world tree, as a reflection of infinity, has always attracted the attention of mankind. His seed, like human life, sprouts with renewed vigor, continuing to exist in world cultures.