Editing Tree of life (section)

==Religion and mythology==
{{Main article|Trees in mythology}}
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.<ref>{{Citation |last=Usačiovaitė |first=Elvyra |title=Gyvybės medžio simbolika Rytuose ir Vakaruose |date=2005 |url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/5648 |work=Kultūrologija |volume=12 |pages=313–318 |access-date=2023-11-11 |publisher=Gervelė |language=lt}}</ref>

===Ancient Mesopotamia===
[[File:Rilievi in alabastro da palazzo di ashurnasirpal II a nimrud, albero sacro, 883-859 ac ca. 01.JPG|thumb|upright|Assyrian tree of life, from [[Nimrud]] panels]]
The [[Assyria]]n 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 genie]]s, or the King, and blessed or fertilized with [[bucket and cone]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-03-11 |title=Ancient Mesopotamian beliefs: The Tree of Life |url=https://syriacpress.com/blog/2022/03/11/tree-of-life/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Syriac Press |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Assyriology|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.
[[File:Urartu Helmet Fragment 2~.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Urartu|Urartian]] tree of life]]

The ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]'' is a similar quest for immortality. In [[Babylonian religion]], [[Etana]], the [[Kish (Sumer)|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 seal]]s from the [[Akkadian Empire]] (2390–2249 [[Common Era|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.<ref>Taylor, Joan E. “The Asherah, the Menorah, and the Sacred Tree.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 1995</ref><ref>Hestrin, Ruth. “The Lachish Ewer and the ‘Asherah.” Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 37, no. 4, 1987, pp. 212–223. Israel Exploration Society.</ref> 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 <ref>Yarden, L. The Tree of Light: A Study of the Menorah. E&W Library, 1971.</ref> This suggests a continuation of Asherah’s cultic representation in the temple.<ref>Stager, Lawrence E. “Jerusalem and the Garden of Eden.” Eretz-Israel 1999.</ref> Scholars have explored these connections, noting parallels between sacred trees, Asherah, and the menorah.<ref>Hestrin, Ruth. “The Lachish Ewer and the ‘Asherah.” Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 37, no. 4, 1987, pp. 212–223. Israel Exploration Society.</ref><ref>Smith, Mark S. The Early History of God. Eerdmans, 2002.</ref>

====Urartu====
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.

===Ancient Iran===
[[File:Detail of a rhyton from Marlik, Iran, 1000 BC.jpg|thumb|Tree of life on a rhyton from [[Marlik]], Iran, currently at the [[National Museum of Iran]]]]

In the [[Avestan]] literature and [[Persian mythology|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]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Plant of life, in Ancient Iran, Mesopotamia & Egypt |journal = نشریه هنرهای زیبا- هنرهای تجسمی |volume = 18 |issue = 2 |date = 2013|publisher = Tehran: Honarhay-e Ziba Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, p. 15. |last = Taheri|first = Sadreddin|doi = 10.22059/jfava.2013.36319 }}</ref>

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 another sacred plant because of the drink made from it. Preparing the drink by pounding and drinking it is a central feature of Zoroastrian ritual. 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 [[Paradise|paradisiacal mountain]]. Sprigs of this white haoma were brought to earth by divine birds. The tree is considerably diverse.

Haoma is the Avestan form of the Sanskrit [[soma (drink)|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.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=haoma (Zoroastrianism) – Encyclopædia Britannica |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/254670/haoma |access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/haoma-i |title=HAOMA i. BOTANY – Encyclopaedia Iranica |publisher=Iranicaonline.org |access-date=2013-08-17}}</ref>

Another related issue in [[Persian mythology]] is [[Mashya and Mashyana]], two trees that were the ancestors of all living beings. This myth is a prototype for the [[creation myth]], in which gods create living beings.

===Hinduism===
A genre of the sacred books of [[Hinduism]], the [[Puranas]], mention a divine tree called the [[Kalpavriksha]]. This divine tree is guarded by [[gandharva]]s in the garden of the mythological city of [[Amaravati (mythology)|Amaravati]] under the control of [[Indra]], the king of the [[Deva (Hinduism)|devas]]. In one story, for a very long time, the devas and the [[Asura|asuras]] decided to [[Samudra Manthana|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. These trees also appear in the beliefs of [[Jainism]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Roshen Dalal |author-link=Roshen Dalal |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |date=2014|isbn=9788184752779 }} Entry: "Kalpa-vriksha/kalpa-drum/kalpa-tura"</ref>

===Chinese mythology===
[[File:Ⅰ号大型青铜神树.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Bronze Tree with birds, flowers, and ornaments from [[Sanxingdui]]]]
{{see also|Fusang}}
In [[Chinese mythology]], a carving of a tree of life depicts a [[Fenghuang|phoenix]] and a [[Chinese dragon|dragon]]; the dragon often represents immortality. A [[Taoism|Taoist]] story tells of a tree that produces a [[peaches of immortality|peach of immortality]] every three thousand years, and anyone who eats the fruit receives immortality.

An [[archaeological]] discovery in the 1990s was of a sacrificial pit at [[Sanxingdui]] in [[Sichuan]], [[China]]. Dating from about 1200 [[Common Era|BCE]], it contained three [[bronze]] trees, one of them 4 meters high. At the base was a dragon, and fruit hanging from the lower branches. At the top is a bird-like (Phoenix) creature with claws. Also found in Sichuan, from the late [[Han dynasty]] (c. 25–220 CE), is another tree of life. The [[ceramic]] base is guarded by a horned beast with wings. The leaves of the tree represent coins and people. At the apex is a bird with coins and the [[Sun]].

===Christianity===
[[File:Lienzo alegórico del Árbol de la Vida de la Iglesia de San Roque de Arahal (Sevilla)..jpg|thumb|Allegorical painting of the Tree of Life in the Church of San Roque of [[Arahal]] ([[Province of Seville|Seville]]). Oil on canvas by anonymous author. Dated 1723]]
{{See also|Tree of life (biblical)|Tree of the knowledge of good and evil#Christianity}}
The tree of life first appears in Genesis 2:9 and 3:22–24 as the source of [[Immortality|eternal life]] in the [[Garden of Eden]], from which access is revoked when man is driven from the garden. It then reappears in the last book of the Bible, the [[Book of Revelation]], and most predominantly in the last chapter of that book (Chapter 22) as a part of the new garden of paradise. Access is then no longer forbidden, for those who "wash their robes" (or as the textual variant in the King James Version has it, "they that do his commandments") "have right to the tree of life" (v. 14). A similar statement appears in Rev 2:7, where the tree of life is promised as a reward to those who overcome. Revelation 22 begins with a reference to the "pure river of water of life" which proceeds "out of the throne of God". The river seems to feed two trees of life, one "on either side of the river" which "bear twelve manner of fruits" "and the leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations" (v. 1–2).<ref>The Bible (King James version), The Revelation of St. John, chapter & verses as noted.</ref> Alternatively, this may indicate that the tree of life is a vine that grows on both sides of the river, as John 15:1 would hint at.

[[Pope Benedict XVI]] has said that "the Cross is the true tree of life."<ref>{{cite web|last=Gheddo |first=Piero |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pope-tells-WYD-youth:-the-Cross-of-Jesus-is-the-real-tree-of-life-5864.html |title=Pope tells WYD youth: the Cross of Jesus is the real tree of life |publisher= AsiaNews.it |date= March 20, 2005 |access-date=2013-02-25}}</ref> [[Bonaventure|Saint Bonaventure]] taught that the medicinal fruit of the tree of life is Christ himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brbl-archive.library.yale.edu/exhibitions/speculum/1v-tree-of-life.html |title=The Tree of Life |publisher= [[Yale University]] |access-date=2013-02-25}}</ref> [[Albertus Magnus|Saint Albert the Great]] taught that the [[Eucharist in the Catholic Church|Eucharist]], the Body and Blood of Christ, is the Fruit of the Tree of Life.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/994/Fruit_of_the_Tree_of_Life_Albert_the_Great.html |title=The Eucharist as the Fruit of the Tree of Life {{pipe}} Saint Albert the Great |publisher=CrossroadsInitiative.com |access-date=2013-02-25 |archive-date=2013-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202172640/http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/994/Fruit_of_the_Tree_of_Life_Albert_the_Great.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[St. Augustine|Augustine of Hippo]] said that the tree of life is Christ:
{{blockquote|All these things stood for something other than what they were, but all the same they were themselves bodily realities. And when the narrator mentioned them he was not employing figurative language, but giving an explicit account of things which had a forward reference that was figurative. So then the tree of life also was Christ... and indeed God did not wish the man to live in Paradise without the mysteries of spiritual things being presented to him in bodily form. So then in the other trees he was provided with nourishment, in this one with a sacrament... He is rightly called whatever came before him in order to signify him.<ref>Augustine, The Literal Meaning of Genesis, VIII, 4, 8 (On Genesis, New City Press, p. 351-353)</ref>}}

In Eastern Christianity the tree of life is the love of God.<ref>Saint Isaac the Syrian said that "Paradise is the love of God, in which the bliss of all the beatitudes is contained," and that "the tree of life is the love of God" (Homily 72).</ref>

====The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints====
{{main article|Tree of life vision}}
The tree of life vision is described and discussed in the [[Book of Mormon]]. According to the Book of Mormon, the vision was received in a [[dream]] by the prophet [[Lehi (Book of Mormon prophet)|Lehi]], and later in a vision by his son [[Nephi, son of Lehi|Nephi]], who wrote about it in the [[First Book of Nephi]]. The vision includes a path leading to a tree, the fruit of the tree symbolizing the love of God, with an iron rod, symbolizing the word of God, along the path whereby followers of [[Jesus]] may hold to the rod and avoid wandering off the path into pits or waters symbolizing the ways of sin. The vision also includes a large building wherein the wicked look down at the righteous and mock them.

The vision is said to symbolize love of Christ and the way to [[Eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]] and is a well known and cited story with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A member of the church reflected that the vision is "one of the richest, most flexible, and far-reaching pieces of symbolic prophecy contained in the standard works [scriptures]."<ref>Corbin T. Volluz, "Lehi's Dream of the Tree of Life: Springboard to Prophecy," JBMS 2/2 (1993): 38. – as quoted in Lehi's Vision of the Tree of Life: Understanding the Dream as Visionary Literature, Charles Swift, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2005. p. 52–63 – online version at [https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/JBMRS/article/viewFile/19705/18272]</ref>

====Nag Hammadi Gnosticism====
Different views on the Tree of life can be found in the [[Nag Hammadi library]] codices, writings belonging to [[Gnosticism]]. In [[On the Origin of the World]], the Tree of Life is said to be located to the north of [[paradise]], providing life to the innocent saints who will come out of their material bodies during what is called the consummation of the age. The color of the tree is described as resembling the Sun, its branches are beautiful, its leaves are similar to that of [[cypress]], and its fruit is like clusters of white grapes. However, in the [[Apocryphon of John|Secret Book of John]], the Tree of Life is portrayed negatively. Its roots are described as bitter, its branches are death, its shadow is hatred, a trap is found in its leaves, its seed is desire, and it blossoms in the darkness.<ref>{{cite book|author1=[[Marvin Meyer]]|author2=[[Willis Barnstone]]|title=The Gnostic Bible|publisher=[[Shambhala Publications|Shambhala]]|chapter=On the Origin of the World and The Secret Book of John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SEFmwEACAAJ|date=June 30, 2009|isbn=9781590306314|access-date=2022-02-02}}</ref>

===Manichaeism===
[[File:Manichaean picture from cave 25 at Bezeklik Caves.jpg|thumb|Manichaeans worshiping the Tree of Life in the Realm of Light. Mid 9th – early 11th century.]]
In the [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] religion [[Manichaeism]], the Tree of Life helped Adam obtain the knowledge ([[Gnosis#Gnosticism|gnosis]]) necessary for salvation and is identified as an image of Jesus.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heuser|first1=Manfred|last2=Klimkeit|first2=Hans-Joachim|title=Studies in Manichaean Literature and Art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThDJMif8T5sC|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]|year=1998|pages=60|isbn=9789004107168}}</ref>

===Europe===
In Greek mythology, [[Hera]] is gifted a branch growing [[golden apple]]s by her grandmother [[Gaia]], which are then planted in Hera's [[Hesperides#The Garden of the Hesperides|Garden of the Hesperides]]. The dragon [[Ladon (mythology)|Ladon]] guards the tree(s) from all who would take the apples. The three golden apples that [[Aphrodite]] gave to [[Hippomenes]] to distract [[Atalanta]] three times during their footrace allowed him to win Atalanta's hand in marriage. Though it is not specified in ancient myth, many assume that Aphrodite gathered those apples from Hera's tree(s). Eris stole one of these apples and carved the words ΤΗΙ ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΗΙ, "to the fairest", upon it to create the [[Apple of Discord]]. [[Heracles]] retrieved three of the apples as the eleventh of his [[Twelve Labors]]. The Garden of the Hesperides is often compared to [[Garden of Eden|Eden]], the golden apples are compared to [[tree of the knowledge of good and evil|the forbidden fruit of the tree]] in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], and Ladon is often compared to the [[serpents in the Bible#Eden|snake in Eden]], all of which is part of why the forbidden fruit of Eden is usually represented as an apple in European art, even though Genesis does not specifically name nor describe ''any'' characteristics of the fruit.

[[File:Husaby Church 2013 11th century Tree of Life sculpture.jpg|thumb|upright|11th century tree of life sculpture at an ancient [[Sweden|Swedish]] church]]
In ''Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermetique'' (Paris, 1737), [[Antoine-Joseph Pernety]], a famous [[alchemy|alchemist]], identified the tree of life with the [[Elixir of life]] and the [[Philosopher's Stone]].

In ''[[Stephen Oppenheimer#Eden in the East|Eden in the East]]'' (1998), [[Stephen Oppenheimer]] suggests that a tree-worshipping culture arose in [[Indonesia]] and was diffused by the so-called "Younger Dryas" event of c. 10,900 BCE or 12,900 BP, after which the sea level rose. This culture reached China ([[Sichuan]]), then [[India]] and the [[Middle East]]. Finally the Finno-Ugric strand of this diffusion spread through [[Russia]] to [[Finland]] where the Norse myth of [[Yggdrasil]] took root.

===Georgia===
The [[Borjgali]] ({{lang-ka|ბორჯღალი}}) is an ancient [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] tree of life symbol.

===Germanic paganism and Norse mythology===
In [[Germanic paganism]], trees played (and, in the form of reconstructive Heathenry and [[Germanic Neopaganism]], continue to play) a prominent role, appearing in various aspects of surviving texts and possibly in the name of gods.

The tree of life appears in [[Norse mythology|Norse religion]] as ''[[Yggdrasil]]'', the world tree, a massive tree (sometimes considered a [[European yew|yew]] or [[ash tree]]) with extensive lore surrounding it. Perhaps related to Yggdrasil, accounts have survived of [[Germanic people|Germanic Tribes]] honouring sacred trees within their societies. Examples include [[Thor's Oak]], [[sacred grove]]s, the [[Sacred tree at Uppsala]], and the wooden [[Irminsul]] pillar. In [[Norse Mythology]], the apples from [[Iðunn]]'s ash box provide immortality for the gods.

===Islam===
[[File:Carpet Tree of Life.JPG|thumb|upright|Carpet tree of life [[Iran]]]]
{{main article|Tree of life (Quran)|l1=Quranic tree of life}}
{{see also|Sidrat al-Muntaha|Ṭūbā}}
The "Tree of Immortality" ({{langx|ar|شجرة الخلود}}) is the tree of life motif as it appears in the [[Quran]]. It is also alluded to in hadiths and tafsir. Unlike the [[Tree of life (biblical)|biblical account]], the Quran mentions only one tree in Eden, also called " the tree of immortality and power that never decays",<ref name="Qur'an 20:120">{{qref|20|120|b=y}}.</ref> which [[God in Islam|God]] specifically forbade to Adam and Eve.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Brannon |year=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&q=%22tree+in+the+shade%22&pg=PA24 |title=Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis |edition=annotated |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-0826449566 |page=24 |quote=''Abu Hurayrah'': The Prophet Muhammad said: "In Paradise is a tree in the shade of which the stars course 100 years without cutting it: the Tree of Immortality.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor=Oliver Leaman |editor-link=Oliver Leaman |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isDgI0-0Ip4C&q=%22special+tree+in+Eden%22&pg=PA11 |title=The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780415326391 |page=11 |quote=Unlike the biblical account of Eden, the Qur'an mentions only one special tree in Eden, the Tree of Immortality, from which Adam and Eve were prohibited.}}</ref>

The tree in Quran is used as an example of a concept, idea, way of life or code of life. A good concept/idea is represented as a good tree and a bad idea/concept is represented as a bad tree<ref>{{qref|14|24|b=y}}.</ref> Muslims believe that when God created Adam and Eve, he told them that they could enjoy everything in the Garden except this tree (idea, concept, way of life).[[Iblis|Satan]] appeared to them and told them that the only reason God forbade them to eat from that tree was that they would become [[angels in Islam|angels]] or they start using the idea/concept of [[Ownership]] in conjunction with inheritance generations after generations which [[Iblis]] convinced Adam to accept<ref name="Qur'an 20:120"/><ref>{{qref|20|120|b=y}}, "But Satan whispered to him, saying, “O Adam! Shall I show you the Tree of Immortality and a kingdom that does not fade away?”"</ref>

When Adam and Eve ate from this tree their nakedness appeared to them and they began to sew together, for their covering, leaves from the Garden.<ref>{{qref|20|121|b=y}}</ref>

The hadiths also speak about other trees in heaven.<ref>Maulana Muhammad Ali (2011) ''Introduction to the Study of the Holy Qur'an'' "This in itself gives an indication that it is the well-known tree of evil, for both good and evil are compared to two trees in {{qref|14|24-25|b=y}} and elsewhere. This is further corroborated by the devil's description of it as "the tree of immortality" ({{qref|20|120|b=y}}), ..."</ref> 

The tree of life in Islamic architecture is a type of [[biomorphism|biomorphic pattern]] found in many artistic traditions. It is considered to be any vegetal pattern with a clear origin or growth. The pattern in [[al-Azhar Mosque]], [[Cairo]]'s [[mihrab]], a unique [[Fatimid architecture|Fatimid architectural variation]], is a series of two or three leave [[palmette]]s with a central palmette of five leaves from which the pattern originates. The growth is upwards and outwards and culminates in a lantern like flower towards the top of the niche above which is a small roundel. The curvature of the niche accentuates the undulating movement which despite its complexity is symmetrical along its vertical axis. The representations of varying palm leaves hints to spiritual growth attained through prayer while the upwards and side wards movement of the leaves speaks to the different motions of the worshiper while in [[salah]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=El Barbary|first1=Mohamed|last2=Al Tohamy|first2=Aisha|last3=Ali|first3=Ehab|date=2017-02-01|title=Shiite Connotations on Islamic Artifacts from the Fatimid period (358-567 A.H/ 969-1171 A.D) Preserved in the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo|journal=International Journal of Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality|volume=11|issue=3 (Special Issue)|pages=121–137|doi=10.21608/ijhth.2017.30225|issn=2636-414X|doi-access=free}}</ref>

====Ahmadiyya====
According to the Indian [[Ahmadiyya]] movement founded in 1889, Quranic reference to the tree is symbolic; eating of the forbidden tree signifies that Adam disobeyed God.<ref>{{cite web |author=Khalid |first=Bilal |date=2000-02-13 |title=Quran, Adam and Original Sin |url=http://www.alislam.org/library/links/original_sin.html |access-date=June 7, 2014 |publisher=Al Islam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.alislam.org/quran/tafseer/?page=87&region=E1&CR=EN,E2 | title=The Holy Quran with English Translation and Commentary Volume 1 | page=86 | publisher=Islam International Publications | access-date=June 7, 2014}}</ref>

===Jewish sources===
[[File:Sefiroticky strom.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Judaic [[Tree of life (Kabbalah)|Kabbalah tree of life]] 10 {{lang|he-Latn|[[Sefirot]]}}, through which the {{lang|he-Latn|[[Ein Sof]]}} unknowable divine manifests Creation. The configuration relates to [[Adam Kadmon|the first human]].]]
{{main article|Etz Chaim|Tree of life (biblical)|l2=Biblical tree of life}}
{{lang|he-Latn|[[Etz Chaim]]}} ({{langx|he|עץ חיים}}), Hebrew for "tree of life," appears in the [[Book of Genesis]] and is part of the story of the creation of [[Adam and Eve]] in the [[Garden of Eden]]. Thus the term is a common term used in Judaism. The expression, found in the [[Book of Proverbs]], is figuratively applied to the [[Torah]] itself. {{lang|he-Latn|Etz Chaim}} is also a common name for [[yeshiva]]s and [[synagogue]]s as well as for works of [[Rabbinic literature]]. It is also used to describe each of the wooden poles to which the parchment of a [[Sefer Torah]] is attached.

The tree of life is mentioned in the [[Book of Genesis]]; it is distinct from the [[tree of the knowledge of good and evil]]. After [[Adam]] and [[Eve]] disobeyed God by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were driven out of the [[Garden of Eden]]. Remaining in the garden, however, was the tree of life. To prevent their access to this tree in the future, [[cherubs|Cherubim]] with a flaming sword were placed at the east of the garden.<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|3:22-24|9}}.</ref>

In the Book of Proverbs, the tree of life is associated with [[wisdom]]: "[Wisdom] is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy ''[is every one]'' that retaineth her."<ref>{{bibleverse||Proverbs|3:13-18|9}}.</ref> In Proverbs 15:4, the tree of life is associated with calmness: "A soothing tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a wound to the spirit."<ref>{{bibleverse||Proverbs|15:4|HE}}.</ref><ref>For other direct references to the tree of life in the Jewish biblical canon, see also {{bibleverse||Proverbs|11:30|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Proverbs|13:12|HE}}.</ref>

In the [[Ashkenazi]]c liturgy, the Eitz Chayim is a [[piyyut]] commonly sung as the [[Sefer Torah]] is returned to the [[Torah ark]].

The [[Book of Enoch]], generally considered [[biblical canon|non-canonical]], states that in the time of the great judgment, God will give all those whose names are in the [[Book of Life]] fruit to eat from the tree of life.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} 

====Kabbalah====
{{Main article|Tree of life (Kabbalah)}}
Jewish [[mysticism]] depicts the tree of life in the form of ten interconnected nodes, as the central symbol of the [[Kabbalah]]. It comprises the ten {{lang|he-Latn|[[Sefirot]]}} powers in the divine realm. The [[panentheistic]] and [[Anthropomorphism in Kabbalah|anthropomorphic]] emphasis of this [[emanationism|emanationist]] theology interpreted the Torah, Jewish observance, and the purpose of Creation as the symbolic esoteric drama of unification in the {{lang|he-Latn|sefirot}}, [[Tikkun Olam|restoring harmony to Creation]].

From the [[Renaissance]] onwards, Kabbalah became incorporated as tradition in Christian [[Western esotericism]] as [[Hermetic Qabalah]].

===Mandaeism===
[[List of Mandaean scriptures|Mandaean scrolls]] often include abstract illustrations of trees of life that represent the living, interconnected nature of the cosmos.<ref name="Nasoraia 2021">{{cite book|last=Nasoraia|first=Brikha H.S.|author-link=Brikha Nasoraia|title=The Mandaean gnostic religion: worship practice and deep thought|publisher=Sterling|publication-place=New Delhi|year=2021|isbn=978-81-950824-1-4|oclc=1272858968}}</ref> One of these trees is given the name of [[Shatrin]].<ref>Van Rompaey, Sarah (2010). "The Tree Šatrin and its Place in Mandaean Art". ''ARAM'' 22: 183–207.</ref>

===Mesoamerica===
[[Image:Shaft tomb tree tableau 2.jpg|300px|thumb|A tableau from the [[Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition]], showing a multi-layered tree with birds.  It has been proposed that the birds represent souls who have not yet descended into the underworld,<ref>AMNH, {{cite web |url=http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/research/mca_objects.cfm?case_number=3 |title=Mexican and Central American Hall, AMNH |accessdate=2008-04-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928022116/http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/research/mca_objects.cfm?case_number=3 |archivedate=2008-09-28 }}, which further cites Butterwick, Kristi (2004) ''Heritage of Power: Ancient Sculpture from West Mexico'', Metropolitan Museum of Art.</ref> while the central tree may represent the Mesoamerican world tree.<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/a_ah/dir/precol/west_mexico.htm Kappelman]</ref>]]
{{Main article|Mesoamerican world tree}}
The concept of world trees is a prevalent motif in the [[Mesoamerican cosmovision]] and [[iconography]], appearing in the [[pre-Columbian era]]. World trees embody the four [[cardinal directions]], which represented also the fourfold nature of a central world tree, a symbolic ''[[axis mundi]]'' connecting the planes of the Underworld and the sky with that of the terrestrial world.<ref name="MiTa186">{{cite book |author=Miller |first1=Mary |url=https://archive.org/details/godssymbolsofa00mill |title=The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya |last2=Taube |first2=Karl |publisher=Thames and Hudson |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-500-05068-2 |location=London, England |language=en-uk |author-link=Mary Miller (art historian) |author2-link=Karl Taube |url-access=registration}}</ref>

Depictions of world trees, both in their directional and central aspects, are found in the art and mythological traditions of cultures such as the [[Maya civilization|Maya]], [[Aztec]], [[Izapa]]n, [[Mixtec]], [[Olmec]], and others, dating to at least the Mid/Late Formative periods of the [[Mesoamerican chronology]]. The tomb of [[Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal]] of the [[Maya city|Maya city-state]] of [[Palenque]], who became its [[ajaw]] or leader when he was twelve years old, has tree of life inscriptions within the walls of his burial place, showing just how important it was.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What does the Tree of Life mean? {{!}} Silver Bubble|url=https://silverbubble.co.uk/tree-of-life-meaning|access-date=2021-03-12|website=silverbubble.co.uk}}</ref> Among the Maya, the central world tree was conceived as or represented by a ''[[Ceiba pentandra]]'' and is known variously as a ''wacah chan'' or ''yax imix che'' in different [[Mayan languages]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Finley |first=Michael |year=2003 |title=Raising the sky: The Maya creation myth and the Milky Way|work=The Real Maya Prophecies: Astronomy in the Inscriptions and Codices |url=http://members.shaw.ca/mjfinley/creation.html |publisher=Maya Astronomy |access-date=9 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106021734/http://members.shaw.ca/mjfinley/creation.html |archive-date=6 January 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The trunk of the tree could also be represented by an upright [[caiman]], whose skin evokes the tree's spiny trunk.<ref name="MiTa186"/>

Directional world trees are also associated with the four Year Bearers in [[Mesoamerican calendars]] and associated with the directional colors and deities. [[Mesoamerican codices]] which have this association outlined include the [[Dresden Codex|Dresden]], [[Codex Borgia|Borgia]] and [[Codex Fejérváry-Mayer|Fejérváry-Mayer]] codices.<ref name="MiTa186"/> It is supposed that Mesoamerican sites and ceremonial centers frequently had actual trees planted at each of the four cardinal directions, representing the quadripartite concept.

World trees are frequently depicted with birds in their branches, and their roots extending into earth or water, sometimes atop a "water-monster," symbolic of the underworld. The central world tree has also been interpreted as a representation of the band of the [[Milky Way]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Freidel |first1=David A. |title=Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path |last2=Schele |first2=Linda |last3=Parker |first3=Joy |publisher=William Morrow & Company |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-688-10081-0 |author2-link=Linda Schele}}</ref>

===Northern America===
In a myth passed down among the [[Iroquois]], ''The World on the Turtle's Back'', explains the origin of the land in which a tree of life is described. According to the myth, it is found in the heavens, where the first humans lived, until a pregnant woman fell and landed in an endless sea. Saved by a giant turtle from drowning, she formed the world on its back by planting bark taken from the tree.

The tree of life motif is present in the traditional [[Ojibway]] cosmology and traditions. It is sometimes described as Grandmother Cedar, or {{lang|oj|Nookomis Giizhig}} in [[Anishinaabemowin]].

In the book [[Black Elk Speaks]], [[Black Elk]], an Oglala [[Lakota people|Lakota]] (Sioux) {{lang|lkt|wičháša wakȟáŋ}} ([[medicine man]] and holy man), describes his vision in which after dancing around a dying tree that has never bloomed he is transported to the other world (spirit world) where he meets wise elders, 12 men and 12 women. The elders tell Black Elk that they will bring him to meet "Our Father, the two-legged chief" and bring him to the [[axis mundi|center of a hoop]] where he sees the tree in full leaf and bloom and the "chief" standing against the tree. Coming out of his trance he hopes to see that the earthly tree has bloomed, but it is dead.<ref name="First People">{{cite web |title=Black Elk Speaks |url=http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/Black-Elk-Speaks/Black-Elk-Speaks-Visions-of-the-Other-World.html |access-date=1 January 2015 |work=Visions of the Other World |publisher=First People of America and Canada – Turtle Island. |archive-date=1 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101162043/http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/Black-Elk-Speaks/Black-Elk-Speaks-Visions-of-the-Other-World.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Oneidas tell that supernatural beings lived in the Skyworld above the waters which covered the earth. This tree was covered with fruits which gave them their light, and they were instructed that no one should cut into the tree otherwise a great punishment would be given. As the woman had pregnancy cravings, she sent her husband to get bark, but he accidentally dug a hole to the other world. After falling through, she came to rest on the turtle's back, and four animals were sent out to find land, which the muskrat finally did.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://oneida-nsn.gov/our-ways/our-story/creation-story/ |publisher=[[Oneida Indian Nation|Oneida Nation]] |title=Creation Story}}</ref>

=== Serer religion ===
In [[Serer religion]], the tree of life as a religious concept forms the basis of [[Serer creation myth|Serer cosmogony]]. Trees were the first things created on Earth by the supreme being [[Roog]] ("Koox" among the [[Cangin languages|Cangin]]). In the competing versions of the [[Serer people|Serer]] creation myth, the ''Somb'' (''[[Anonychium africana]]'') and the ''Saas'' tree ([[Faidherbia albida]]) are both viewed as trees of life.<ref name="Serer"/> However, the prevailing view is that, the ''Somb'' was the first tree on Earth and the progenitor of [[plant species|plant life]].<ref name="Serer">{{in lang|fr}} [[Henry Gravrand|Gravrand, Henry]], "La Civilisation [[Serer people|Sereer]] – ''Pangool''", vol. 2., Les Nouvelles Editions [[Africa|Africaines]] du [[Senegal]] (1990), pp 125–126, 199–200, {{ISBN|2-7236-1055-1}}.</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr|en}} Niangoran-Bouah, Georges, "L'univers Akan des poids à peser l'or : les poids dans la société", Les nouvelles éditions africaines – MLB, (1987), p. 25, {{ISBN|2723614034}}.</ref> The ''Somb'' was also used in the [[Serer prehistory|Serer tumuli and burial chambers]], many of which have survived for more than a thousand years.<ref name="Serer"/> Thus, ''Somb'' is not only the tree of life in Serer society but the symbol of immortality.<ref name="Serer"/>

===Turkic===
[[File:Flag of Chuvashia.svg|thumb|The tree of life, as seen as in [[flag of Chuvashia]], a [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] state in the [[Russian Federation]]]]
[[File:Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey) logo.svg|thumb|Logo of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of [[Turkey]] represents the Tree of Life.]]
The tree of life connects the upper world, middle world and underworld. It is also imagined as the "white creator lord" (yryn-al-tojon),<ref>Dixon-Kennedy, M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend. Vereinigtes Königreich: ABC-CLIO. p. 282.</ref> thus synonymous with the creator deity, giving rise to different worlds.

The world tree or tree of life is an important symbol in [[Turkic mythology]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gamm |first1=Niki |title=The 'tree of life' - an enduring symbol |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/the-tree-of-life--an-enduring-symbol-65898 |website=Hurriyet Daily News |date=5 May 2014 |access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref> It is a common [[kilim motifs|motif in carpets]]. It is used in the logo of the [[Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey|Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Turkey)]] and in 2009 it was introduced as the main design of the common [[Turkish lira]] sub-unit 5 [[kuruş]].

Tree of life is known as ''Ulukayın'' or ''Baiterek'' in Turkic communities. It is a sacred beech tree planted by [[Kayra|Kayra Han]]. Sometimes, it is considered [[axis mundi]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-03 |title=The Tree Of Life In Turkic Communities With Its Current Effects |url=https://ulukayin.org/the-tree-of-life-in-turkic-communities-with-its-current-effects/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=ULUKAYIN |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Baháʼí Faith===
The concept of the tree of life appears in the writings of the [[Baháʼí Faith]], where it can refer to the [[Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith)|Manifestation of God]], a great teacher who appears to humanity from age to age. An example of this can be found in the ''[[Hidden Words]]'' of [[Bahá'u'lláh]]:<ref>*{{Cite book |last = Taherzadeh |first = Adib |author-link = Adib Taherzadeh |year = 1976 |title = The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 1: Baghdad 1853-63 |publisher = George Ronald |place = Oxford, UK |isbn = 0-85398-270-8 |url = http://www.peyman.info/cl/Baha'i/Others/ROB/V1/Cover.html |pages = 80 }}</ref><ref>Kazemi, Farshid (2009). ''[http://bahai-library.com/kazemi_mysteries_alast Mysteries of Alast: The Realm of Subtle Entities and the Primordial Covenant in the Babi-Bahá'í Writings]''. [[Baháʼí Studies Review]] 15.</ref>

{{blockquote|"Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awestruck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you."}}

Also, in the ''[[Tablet of Ahmad (Arabic)|Tablet of Ahmad]]'' of Bahá'u'lláh: "Verily He is the Tree of Life, that bringeth forth the fruits of God, the Exalted, the Powerful, the Great".<ref>{{cite web |title=Tablet of Ahmad |url=http://www.bahaiprayers.org/ahmad.htm |website=www.bahaiprayers.org}}</ref>

Bahá'u'lláh refers to his male descendants as branches ({{langx|ar|ﺍﻏﺼﺎﻥ}} [[Aghsán|''ʾaghṣān'']])<ref name="Smith-aghsan">{{cite encyclopedia |last= Smith |first= Peter |encyclopedia= A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith |title= Aghsán |year= 2000 |publisher=Oneworld Publications |location= Oxford |isbn= 1-85168-184-1 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pYfrAQAAQBAJ |pages= 30}}</ref> and calls women leaves.<ref>Liya, Sally (2004). [http://bahai-library.com/liya_trees_symbols_religions The Use of Trees as Symbols in the World Religions] in: Solas, 4. Donegal, Ireland. Association for Baháʼí Studies English-Speaking Europe. p. 55.</ref>

A distinction has been made between the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The latter represents the physical world with its opposites, such as good and evil and light and dark. In a different context from the one above, the tree of life represents the spiritual realm, where this duality does not exist.<ref>Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 122.</ref>