Beliefs and rituals related to trees in the mythology and popular culture of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

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University of birjand, humanity sciences faculty, department of Persian language and literature

10.22077/jcrl.2025.7790.1138

Abstract

Trees have always been a symbol of immortality and wisdom for mankind. Iran is one of the oldest cultures in which trees, as sacred beings, have always been respected and have had many ritualistic functions. Mythology and history of Iran are replete with events that denote the sanctity of trees. It goes without saying that there is no village in Iran that is empty of holy trees. The most famous holy trees in the popular beliefs of the Iranian people are: Cypress, Plane trees, Palm, Pistachio (Baneh), Nofoos trees, Berries, Walnut, Hawthorn, Almond, Olive, Tamarisk, Cedar, Zelkova, Tavi trees, Grape and Pine. Most of these trees are either fruit-bearing or have medicinal properties and for economic or medical considerations, they have played a vital role in human life. Due to geographical diversity, there has been a lot of such trees in Iran and despite their diversity, the functions and beliefs associated with them are common throughout the country. These beliefs can be classified into the following eight categories. 1. Being heavenly; 2. Being god, king or Sayyid; 3. Having magical functions; 4. Penalties for damaging and cutting down the trees; 5. Sanctification of trees at sacred times; 6. Offering sacrifices to trees; 7. The ominousness associated with trees; and 8. Humanization of trees. The data for this research were collected through field work of the writers and archival resources.

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