Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

Ancestors or dead persons embodied in trees

ancestors_or_dead_persons_embodied_in_trees

A motif of the Death, Rebirth, and Transformation family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


comparative

  • The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2) PREFACE. / J. G. FRAZER. / CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY.; lines 1607-1683 confidence: high

    The passage says some trees are believed to contain souls of the dead, including transformed fathers or forefathers; an Annamite story has a bleeding tree embodying an empress and three daughters, and the passage notes a comparison with Polydorus in Virgil.

    The passage reports beliefs that fathers, forefathers, or an empress and her daughters are embodied in trees.

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