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The world tree is a motif present in several religions and mythologies, particularly Indo-European, Siberian, and Native American religions. The world tree is represented as a colossal tree which supports the heavens, thereby connecting the heavens, the terrestrial world, and, through its roots, the underworld.
Just-As-High says that Yggdrasil is the biggest and best of all trees, that its branches extend out over all of the world and reach out over the sky. Three of the roots of the tree support it, and these three roots also extend extremely far: one "is among the Æsir, the second among the frost jötnar, and the third over Niflheim.
Yggdrasil, the World Ash of Norse mythology. The world tree, with its branches reaching up into the sky, and roots deep into the earth, can be seen to dwell in three worlds—a link between heaven, the earth, and the underworld, uniting above and below.
Kalpavriksha, the tree of life, also meaning "World Tree", finds mention in the Vedic scriptures. In the earliest account of the Samudra Manthana , or the "churning of the ocean of milk". Kalpavriksha emerged from the primal waters during the ocean churning process along with Kamadhenu, the divine cow that bestows all needs.
The Mesoamerican world tree connects the planes of the underworld and the sky with that of the terrestrial realm. [31] The Yggdrasil, or World Ash, functions in much the same way in Norse mythology; it is the site where Odin found enlightenment.
Neither deer nor ash trees are native to Iceland. In Norse mythology, four stags or harts (male red deer) eat among the branches of the world tree Yggdrasill. According to the Poetic Edda, the stags crane their necks upward to chomp at the branches. The morning dew gathers in their horns and forms the rivers of the world.
In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (Old Norse, generally considered to mean "drill-tooth" [1] or "bore-tooth" [2]) is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagles perched atop it and the serpent Níðhöggr who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree.
The central world tree has also been interpreted as a representation of the band of the Milky Way. [7] While the cosmic tree symbolism has deep roots in Mesoamerican cultures, [8] the precise botanical identification and underlying meaning of the motif remain poorly understood. Attempts have been made to identify the tree as a kapok, maize, or ...