Shrubs of the Gods: Great Trees In History, Religion and Culture: A Tree Lovers Almanac

By Brandon Melton

Augustus Dowd was working with a mining company in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Central California in 1852 when he found himself tracking a wounded grizzly bear. Following the beast, pine needles crunching underfoot, he stumbled upon the most momentous sight he had yet surveyed, promptly forgetting all about the bear. But when he attempted to describe the great trees he had discovered to the other men of his camp — the height, the breadth, the fuzzy red fur covering their massive trunks — his fellows could not find it in themselves to believe him. Wherever one examines our history and culture, immense trees often take center stage. From the Sequoias of California to the Baobabs of Africa, this book takes an in-depth look at the trees of myth and religion, from the Tree of Life to the Viking world tree, Yggdrasil, and pulls these diverse tales together with wisdom and humor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Feb 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781483495804

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MELTON

Copyright © 2019 Brandon Melton.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9578-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9579-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9580-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018915150

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 01/23/2019

Introduction

T he year was eighteen-hundred fifty-two, and a hunter by the name of Augustus Dowd was working with a mining company in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. One propitious sierra day he found himself tracking a grizzly bear that he had wounded. Following the fleeing beast up through the trees, pine needles crunching under his feet, he stumbled upon something he would not have had the means to quite comprehend. At first glance, it might have appeared to be the fur of the Grizzly that was alluding him, betraying its’ presence ahead between the smaller saplings of pine and spruce. But as he approached, it would soon prove to be something far more grand. He found himself staring up at the trunk of an immense Sequoia Gigantea Redwood tree. This was to be the first widely recorded sighting of the largest living organism on earth. The giant tree would have been like nothing else Dowd had ever seen before. To anyone who has had the privilege of seeing these immense behemoths, it is well-known that they leave you in a state of awe, futilely trying to take in the whole vision before you. Cupping his hands over his brow, Dowd probably stared upward glimpsing the massive red trunk, sinewy branches and green shrubbery jostling in the high alpine breezes. Perhaps he, before turning his gaze back down to the ground, sent up a quick praise to the Almighty Creator. But what history does record, is that next he quickly hurried back to the group of hunters camping a not inconsiderable distance away through the forest. What became of the grizzly bear he was tracking is not known. It probably slunk off and lived at least long enough to ingratiate itself with the Golden State and make its’ way onto California’s state flag. But regardless, Dowd forgot all about his quarry and rushed to tell the others of his momentous discovery. Arriving back in the camp, he began to tell the other men of the great trees he had discovered. He described the great girth — over a hundred feet in circumference (not that he had stopped to measure them), their height — taller than all trees around, and finished his tale with the fuzzy red fur covering the bark of their massive trunks. What happened next may be hard to believe, but it was just that. His fellow hunters didn’t believe him. His tale seemed too tall, and besides it was getting late, and they were tired from the days hunt. So they left him standing there, contemplating how to make them recognize his discovery. The next day, he decided on a rouse. He ran into the camp and exclaimed to the swarthy non-believers that he had spotted a massive grizzly nearby and needed their help catching it. Off they went, trailing Dowd through the forest, the cool morning air drifting through the trees. Dowd led them right up to the great tree he had discovered the previous day, and with great exuberance queried his companions as to if this was or was not the greatest Grizzly Bear they had ever seen. ¹

From time immemorial, man has always been awed by the great trees of the world. They have infiltrated our history, religion and culture — imprinting themselves on our very minds, like a leech seed to our synapses. It is not to be wondered that the largest living things would make such an impression on us. From the great Cedars of Lebanon, to the baobabs and banyans of Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, they have always sparked mankind’s imaginations. We see them as a tie to the past, a living history, harbingers of the gods. They give us a connection to, and an understanding of, the greatness of the nature that surrounds us. They grow silently, weathering the storms and fires around them for centuries if not millennia. The world’s major religions are replete with legendary and mythical Shrubs — as the author likes to refer to them (probably because he grew up playing too much Legend of Zelda). Take that as you will, but consider the Tree of Life (its dual trunks branching out and embracing over the turquoise River of Life), The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the great cosmic ash Yggdrasil of Norse lore to name just a few. The ancient pagans placed their shrines amongst the sacred groves and Siddhartha Gautama obtained enlightenment under the sacred Bo tree. Even modern science has an apple falling on to the ground (or head if you prefer) of Sir Issac Newton, predicating the discovery of the theory of gravity.

Modern popular culture is awash in great trees. The Elves of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth dwelled in the great Golden Trees of Loth Lorien, and the sentient Ents, walked too and fro shepherding the forests. The annoying blue aliens of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar dwelt in a massive tree (before it was blown to smithereens). It cannot be counted how many films, books, and video games use such Shrubs in their premises and plots. I knew the name Yggdrasil long before I discovered it in Norse literature. It was the great World Tree in Namco’s Tales of Symphonia. Used over and over again, mankind can’t seem to keep the ideas of great trees and forests out of its’ consolidated popular imagination.

Returning our attention back to Dowd and his incredulous comrades, we find that upon his discovery, the news of these Shrubs of the Gods was in an incredibly short time to spread to the eastern United States, with exhibitions showing these greatest of trees for the first time to a world audience. Soon Europe and the rest of the world would follow. (HS, 84-85) These great trees would join an ever-growing list of astounding barklings. The Coastal Redwoods of California are the tallest living things on earth. The oldest trees, the Ancient Bristlecone pines are not far away in the U.S. southwest. The great Baobab trees of Madagascar and mainland Africa are immense succulents (part tree — part cactus), revered far and wide by the indigenous populations. The oldest, tallest, and largest trees are singled out for specific notoriety as are religiously and culturally significant trees from across the great terrarium we call the Earth. The great trees of the world are to us like a form of living history, telling us a tale, a story of the world from ancient origins. They are a living history book, giving us a connection with a long lost past. We admire them for their tenacity and complement them for their awe-inspiring beauty. They give us pause from our fast-paced lives, and for that we thank them. So don’t be hasty (to borrow a phrase) and take your time reading this book and getting out their to see said Shrubs for yourselves.

The Author’s purpose in this tome is to give the Reader a broad (at times close up) look at the great tree species of the world, the particular specimens of note and in addition, the most prominent and peculiar connections man has made with our leafy comrades. So as not to be long-winded or hopelessly overwhelming, the author has focused in on the species most awe-inspiring — those which have the honor of being record holders in age, size and particular cultural significance. I apologize if your favorite tree does not find itself between these pages. But don’t despair. Your choice of Shrub doesn’t. It doesn’t care and will continue on growing indifferent to whether or not we (or the present author) pay it any heed. This book is divided into roughly five topics, consisting of Great Tree species and relating information, The Great Trees of the Worlds’ major Religions, the trees populating popular — and not so popular culture, and finally a look at specific specimens singled out for singular attributes or religious and cultural significance. Finally, the author, as is his want will probably (not necessarily meaning to) pepper these pages with meaningful and meaningless facts and tidbits from numerous diverse subjects. So let it be written, So let it be done.

CHAPTER

I

Look, Listen, The Great Tree Comes to Light.

"Yet so exquisitely harmonious are even the very mightiest of these monarchs in all their proportions and circumstances, there never is any thing overgrown or huge-looking about them, not to say monstrous; and the first exclamation on coming upon a group for the first time is usually, ‘see what beautiful trees!’"²

— John Muir, 1878

I t was approximately one thousand B.C., King David was ruling Israel, rice was being first cultivated in Japan, Romulus and Remus had yet to suckle even one drop from the teat of the she-wolf, but on a distant shore, thousands of miles away, sandwiched between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, amid a yet untamed wilderness, several small green coniferous shrubs were just beginning their millennia long race to the sun. These spritely twigs were in time to become the great, monolithic Sequoia Gigantea’s. Now we see them as massive cylinders of bark and needles climbing into the sky, their trunks, one hundred plus feet around. It is to these conifers that one (or at least the present Author) first looks when the subject of great trees arises. (it does not often) They are located in scattered groves along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. They rise from the earth alongside other groves of smaller pine and cedar trees. Tree ring studies place the oldest of their kin to be around two- thousand to three-thousand years old. But these particular Redwoods are not just ancient in age, they are also immense in size. The largest specimen, the General Sherman Tree