Peach Tree Prophecy

Lore & Background

Various trees of life are recounted in folklore, culture and fiction, often relating to immortality or fertility. They had their origin in religious symbolism. According to professor Elvyra Usačiovaitė, a "typical" imagery preserved in ancient iconography is that of two symmetrical figures facing each other, with a tree standing in the middle. The two characters may variously represent rulers, gods, and even a deity and a human follower. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Assyrian tree of life was represented by a series of nodes and crisscrossing lines, attended to in Assyrian palace reliefs by human or eagle-headed winged genies, or the King, and blessed or fertilized with bucket and cone. Assyriologists have not reached consensus as to the meaning of this symbol. The name "Tree of Life" has been attributed to it by modern scholarship; it is not used in the Assyrian sources. In fact, no textual evidence pertaining to the symbol is known to exist. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a similar quest for immortality. In Babylonian religion, Etana, the King of Kish, searched for a 'plant of birth' to provide him with a son, found in cylinder seals from the Akkadian Empire (2390–2249 BCE).

In Their Own Story

In Urartu in the Armenian highlands, the tree of life was a religious symbol and was drawn on walls of fortresses and carved on the armor of warriors. The branches of the tree were equally divided on the right and left sides of the stem, with each branch having one leaf, and one leaf on the apex of the tree. Servants stood on each side of the tree with one of their hands up as if they are taking care of the tree. In Egypt, the sky goddess Nut was at times depicted as a sycamore tree giving food and water to the deceased. The corpus of Egyptian writings is one of the few ancient civilizations where the phrase and name of "tree of life" directly occurs. In the Great Cairo Hymn of Praise to Amun-Re, Amun-Ra is praised for creating the Tree of Life, in the Great Hymn of Osiris it is seen as a life giving agent. It is found in the Pyramid Texts, Book of the Dead, and other literature, representing a fruitful life in this world and eternal life after death, addressing the desire for immortality.

Reader's Guide

In the Avestan literature and Iranian mythology, there are several sacred vegetal icons related to life, eternality and cure, such as Amesha Spenta; Ameretat, the guardian of plants and goddess of trees and immortality; Gaokerena or white haoma, a tree that its vivacity would certify continuance of life in the universe; the bas tokhmak, a tree with remedial attribute, retentive of all herbal seeds, and destroyer of sorrow; Mashya and Mashyana, the parents of the human race; barsom, copped offshoots of pomegranate, gaz (Tamarix gallica), or haoma that Zoroastrians use in their rituals; and haoma, a plant, unknown today, that was the source of sacred potable. The Gaokerena is a large, sacred haoma planted by Ahura Mazda. Ahriman created a frog to invade and destroy the tree, aiming to prevent all trees from growing on the earth. As a reaction, Ahura Mazda created two kar-fish staring at the frog to guard the tree. Haoma is also personified as a divinity. It bestows essential qualities—health, fertility, husbands for maidens, and even immortality. The source of the earthly haoma plant is a shining white tree that grows on a paradisiacal mountain. Sprigs of this white haoma were brought to earth by divine birds. Haoma is the Avestan form of the Sanskrit soma. The identity of the two in ritual significance is considered by scholars to point to a salient feature of an Indo-Iranian religion antedating Zoroastrianism. Another related issue in Persian mythology is Mashya and Mashyana, two trees that were the ancestors of all living beings.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Tree of Life' was attributed to the Assyrian symbol by modern scholarship; it is not used in Assyrian sources, and no textual evidence pertaining to the symbol is known to exist.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is a quest for immortality, and in Babylonian religion, King Etana searched for a 'plant of birth' to provide him with a son, found in cylinder seals from the Akkadian Empire (2390–2249 BCE).
• In Egyptian writings, the phrase 'tree of life' directly occurs in the Great Cairo Hymn of Praise to Amun-Re, where Amun-Ra is praised for creating it.
• In Iranian mythology, Ahriman created a frog to invade and destroy the Gaokerena tree, and Ahura Mazda created two kar-fish to guard it.
• The Hindu Kalpavriksha emerged during the churning of the milky ocean alongside amrita, the nectar of immortality, and is said to grant every wish when pleased.

Universal Origins and Scholarly Debate

The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life which appear in Genesis' Garden of Eden as part of the Jewish cosmology of creation, and the tree of knowledge connecting to heaven and the underworld such as Yggdrasil, are forms of the world tree or cosmic tree, and are portrayed in various religions and philosophies as the same tree. Scholars differ on whether it was Egypt or Mesopotamia who was the originator of the motif, or that it was a "meta-metaphor" which arose in different cultures. According to professor Elvyra Usačiovaitė, a "typical" imagery preserved in ancient iconography is that of two symmetrical figures facing each other, with a tree standing in the middle. The two characters may variously represent rulers, gods, and even a deity and a human follower.

Mesopotamian and Near Eastern Manifestations

The Assyrian tree of life was represented by a series of nodes and crisscrossing lines. It was apparently an important religious symbol, often attended to in Assyrian palace reliefs by human or eagle-headed winged genies, or the King, and blessed or fertilized with bucket and cone. Assyriologists have not reached consensus as to the meaning of this symbol. The name "Tree of Life" has been attributed to it by modern scholarship; it is not used in the Assyrian sources. In fact, no textual evidence pertaining to the symbol is known to exist. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a similar quest for immortality. In Babylonian religion, Etana, the King of Kish, searched for a 'plant of birth' to provide him with a son. This has a solid provenance of antiquity, being found in cylinder seals from the Akkadian Empire (2390–2249 BCE). The tree of life appears in Asherah iconography, particularly on the Lachish ewer and Pithos A from Kuntillet Ajrud, where it is flanked by ibexes. The tree's design, with buds, flowers, and possibly almond drupes, resembles the menorah, which is thought to represent a stylized almond tree in Exodus 25:31-36. In Urartu in the Armenian highlands, the tree of life was a religious symbol and was drawn on walls of fortresses and carved on the armor of warriors. The branches of the tree were equally divided on the right and left sides of the stem, with each branch having one leaf, and one leaf on the apex of the tree. Servants stood on each side of the tree with one of their hands up as if they are taking care of the tree.

Egyptian Symbolism of Eternal Sustenance

In Egypt, tree and plant symbolism carried a sense of eternal nutrition and sustenance in the afterlife. The sky goddess Nut was at times depicted as a sycamore tree giving food and water to the deceased. Many trees were included sacred, which includes the Nile acacia, Christ's thorn, Persia tree, perisa, Egyptian willow, sycamore, tamarisk, palm, doum palm and date palm. Isis and Hathor were also associated with the sycamore, while Osiris and Thoth the Persia and Ished trees. The corpus of Egyptian writings in one of the few ancient civilizations where the phrase and name of "tree of life" directly occurs. In the Great Cairo Hymn of Praise to Amun-Re, Amun-Ra is praised for creating the Tree of Life, in the Great Hymn of Osiris it is seen as a life giving agent. It is found in the Pyramid Texts, Book of the Dead, and other literature, representing a fruitful life in this world and eternal life after death, addressing the desire for immortality.

Iranian and Hindu Divine Vegetation

In the Avestan literature and Iranian mythology, there are several sacred vegetal icons related to life, eternality and cure, such as Amesha Spenta; Ameretat, the guardian of plants and goddess of trees and immortality; Gaokerena or white haoma, a tree that its vivacity would certify continuance of life in the universe; the bas tokhmak, a tree with remedial attribute, retentive of all herbal seeds, and destroyer of sorrow; Mashya and Mashyana, the parents of the human race; barsom, copped offshoots of pomegranate, gaz (Tamarix gallica), or haoma that Zoroastrians use in their rituals; and haoma, a plant, unknown today, that was the source of sacred potable. The Gaokerena is a large, sacred haoma planted by Ahura Mazda. Ahriman created a frog to invade and destroy the tree, aiming to prevent all trees from growing on the earth. As a reaction, Ahura Mazda created two kar-fish staring at the frog to guard the tree. The two fish always stare at the frog and stay ready to react to it. Ahriman is responsible for all evil, including death; Ahura Mazda is responsible for all good (including life). Haoma is also personified as a divinity. It bestows essential qualities—health, fertility, husbands for maidens, and even immortality. The source of the earthly haoma plant is a shining white tree that grows on a paradisiacal mountain. Sprigs of this white haoma were brought to earth by divine birds. Haoma is the Avestan form of the Sanskrit soma. The identity of the two in ritual significance is considered by scholars to point to a salient feature of an Indo-Iranian religion antedating Zoroastrianism. Another related issue in Persian mythology is Mashya and Mashyana, two trees that were the ancestors of all living beings. A genre of the sacred books of Hinduism, the Puranas, mention a divine tree called the Kalpavriksha. This divine tree is guarded by gandharvas in the garden of the mythological city of Amaravati under the control of Indra, the king of the devas. In one story, for a very long time, the devas and the asuras decided to churn the milky ocean to obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality, and share it equally. During the churning, along with many other mythical items, emerged the Kalpavriksha. It is described to be gold in colour and bear a mesmerising aura. It is said to be pleased with chanting and offers: when it is pleased, it grants every wish. Hindu tradition holds that there are five separate kalpavrikshas and each of them grant different types of wishes.