Why do pagans worship trees? 

The reverence for any tree is evidence of a very advanced culture. Trees are beautiful and sacred manifestations of life and death. Bless you for keeping this truth alive.

Even as a small child and prior to becoming pagan, I always loved trees; I have always been especially drawn to the oak. I am overcome with a feeling I can't describe seeing ancient trees like this old Lithuanian oak

In my country (Serbia) oak's are still sacred trees. Oldest sacred oaks are called "zapis" (literally - inscription). In front of that oak's people practicing prayers and church sermons. For Serbs oak is most sacred tree. In old serbian religion oak tree was dedicated to god of tunder and war, Perun. Today, oak branch is symbol of Orthodox Christmas. Every Serbian family bring oak branch in home on Christmas eve. Oak branch is called Badnjak. We burning badnjak's in fireplaces on Christams eve or in front of churches and houses. It's still live tradition. Also, my people had that old believing that oak acorns are protecting house of tunders and storms. And at the end, you make really interesting videos.

celts used to worship tress alot too. Most European pagans did

-Lithuania first started converting in 14th century, but the last peasants were not converted until 17th century. -English conversion took place over the 7th century and was mostly complete by the 8th, however peasants continued to invoke Woden at least as recently as the 10th century - Pagans DO NOT worship trees anymore than Christians worship dead wood in the shape of a cross - Just as the cross is a symbol of a transcendent principle for Christians, the tree is a symbol of a god for pagans - in the case of the oak, it represents the strength of the thunder god.

My school was named Yew Tree Primary School, after the lane it was on! Unfortunately, the yew trees were long gone, gone to the suburban spill of Greater Manchester. I can understand why our forefathers thought of them as sacred. On the point of death, a Yew will send out a final bough using its last energy, not upwards and outwards but down through its body into the ground to make a new root structure to replenish its life. Almost a resurrection.

Thank you for having placed your offering by this tree, your sincerity speaks for All of Us.

🌲🌲🌲actually last practicing Lithuanian pagan died less than 💯 years ago 👵🏼 ... and we resisted Christianity from ~1500 to ~1900, small village groups have been documented to have practiced in 20th century 🌲🔥🌲

Here is a wonderful prayer to Trees by the great poet Jagannaatha PaNDita: धत्ते भरं कुसुमपत्र फलावलीनां घर्मव्यथां शीतभवां रुजां च / यो देहामर्पयति चान्यसुखस्य हेतोः तस्मै वदान्य गुरवे तरवे नमस्ते // dhattē bharaṁ kusumapatra phalāvalīnāṁ gharmavyathāṁ śītabhavāṁ rujāṁ ca / yō dēhāmarpayati chānyasukhasya hētōḥ tasmai vadānya guravē taravē namastē // த⁴த்தே ப⁴ரம்ʼ குஸுமபத்ர ப²லாவலீனாம்ʼ க⁴ர்மவ்யதா²ம்ʼ ஸீ²தப⁴வாம்ʼ ருஜாம்ʼ ச / யோ தே³ஹாமர்பயதி சான்யஸுக²ஸ்ய ஹேதோ​: தஸ்மை வதா³ன்ய கு³ரவே தரவே நமஸ்தே // ధత్తే భరం కుసుమపత్ర ఫలావలీనాం ఘర్మవ్యథాం శీతభవాం రుజాం చ / యో దేహామర్పయతి చాన్యసుఖస్య హేతోః తస్మై వదాన్య గురవే తరవే నమస్తే // I bow my head to worship the wonderfully compassionate Guru, the TREE, who bears the weight of flowers and fruits and leaves for the benefit of others, who suffers from the burdens of a hot summer and the chills of a cold winter for the sake of others, and who even gives up HER or HIS own body for the benefit of others.

I was unaware of any surviving Baltic pagan sites it would be really cool to see this one in Lietuva, definitely on my list next time I visit Latvija. Thanks for sharing

found your channel via Varg. really enjoy your videos. thanks.

Yew that is old, in churchyard mould, He breedeth a might bow- but England shall bide, Til judgement tide, With oak and ash and thorn!

Beautiful! I would love to see you film much more about sacred trees as this is a subject very dear to my heart. Thank you.

Slavic people often adores trees. There are many ancient sculptures - faces of pagan gods made of wood.

Where I grew up we had five huge yew trees. All were hundreds of years old but one in particular I would call genuinely ancient (though I don't know definitively the ages of any of them). This ancient tree isn't tall- it is long. It sprawls across the earth, its trunks emanating from the bowl like the arms of an octopus, strong, broad, massive at the the source, creeping sinuously along the ground. The highest branches of this tree are only maybe 20ft from the ground, but the surface area of ground covered by this beautiful, huge succubus would easily accomodate a row of houses. As a young child I confess was slightly afraid of the tree: it seemed like a sleeping monster and, if I ventured into the depths of its reaches, I thought it might consume me. Later, when my brother and I were in our very early teens, we would launch expeditions to try to reach the centre of the tree. Reaching the middle was like treading the path of the devotional labyrinth floor of a mediaeval cathedral: the centre was in sight- but how to get there? Always a little out of reach. And how to get back afterwards? There were whole worlds inside the realm of that king tree. We never cut anything from the yew trees (we were under strict injunction of our father not to!) but I did once steal out at night in order to cut off a branch from which to make my first ever yew long bow. Of course I know now that a bow should be made from the heartwood, but for the 14 year-old me, the allure of having a yew bow to add to my armoury of ash spears and clumsily-manufactured stone axes was too great! Now, nearly twenty years later, that old bow hangs among the oak rafters of the old barn, and I have new weapons.

Getting very into your channel lately. You make wonderful videos, and this content is nectar for the soul.

my daughter always loves to climb the oak trees, and sometimes I join her as well. Feels really ancestral and pagan

Thank you. Wonderous trees. I met a couple of wise trees in the forest last year. One yew gave me a wonderful bow. Thank you for taking us around to see these neat things. Perhaps the Christians are gonna start to say those bloody pagans are nothin' but a bunch of tree huggers. Have fun and watch out for woody the woodpecker. Take care Gare

Thank you. Enjoying your channel. Watched many and ending with this. Upvotes are 999. And down votes - 9. It is said my Ancestors were among the first to settle in the Appalachian Mountains. I can feel it so.

Stand with the strength of the Oak, the wisdom of the Alder, the resilience of the pine and the beauty of sky.

I really am learning so much from your videos. Thank You

Thank you StJ, I love that you show the transition to Christianity, though rocky at times, was more of a continuum of belief than a sharp break or conversion as it's presented by many folks on both sides of the issue. Folk Catholicism and Orthodoxy are truly European religions, it's just the Greek philosophy that messed up everything.

Fantastic video. I do enjoy your channel. :) - Kevin

I remember, as a boy I used to spend a lot of time playing/investigating under and around the orchard trees on the farm, including one blue plum that wasn't supposed to be able to survive that far north (it thrived!). I wouldn't be surprised if there was a druid of some sort in my ancestry (Anglo Saxon/Celtic/Gaelic). Thanks for creating this! 🍀🌳

I live in Westfalia, in the city of Herne, on Hibernia street, near the Bonfatius church. West-phalia -> known tree worshippers / where the Varus battle took place Herne -> Herne the Hunter, aka Cernunnos. Hibernia -> mystic name of Eire, Bonifatius -> the mf who cut the Donar-oak, the holiest tree of german pagans.

Cool video. It must be said in reference to the point at :57 that the holly and Scots pine are also native British evergreens.

Long Live Paganism!

Beautiful video, and very informative.

And a few weeks ago some funny "expert" tryed to convince me that yew trees are an invasive species, brought into europe from north america in the early 1800..... This wise sacred tree in front of this "invasive buildinng" must have seen much more of those "experts"; thats for sure.

We do worship tree in nepal and maybe in India. We don’t think it as god but we do small rituals on tree. Women fast for a day and before fasting they do a small rituals on trees

I'm not even going to watch this video, I'm just going to retort, "How can anyone NOT worship trees?"

And I've found one of the coolest youtube channel. But are you a religious person?

In the little village i live in Belgium, Sinaai-Waas. Has an old Large oak on a plain terrain wich we call a "dries" near the church. The tree is the second tho, due to a thunderstorm the older one went up in flames so they put a new one wich is now already around 200 years old.

The only thing that appeals to me about paganism is worshipping trees. To me they’re worthy of awe. I realized this watching a video about wassailing, thanking apple trees for being there. It appeals to a childish, pre-rational part of you, but if you ask me that makes it all the more ‘natural’ and deeply rooted. If nothing else it creates an attitude of gratitude in you, which is never a bad thing. Also, it’s very much a form of “re-enchanting the world”, which people wish for, too.

I live in upstate NY and I am grateful for the amount of monster old trees I come across in my many trips around the forests of the area, wish i could post pictures here in the comments I'm sure all watching would enjoy!!!! 🤙🤙❤🤍💙

Are you aware lots of English villages still have talking trees ? Trees that are revered?

The Stelmuze oak (Lithuanian: Stelmužės ąžuolas) is the oldest tree in Lithuania and one of the oldest in Europe. It grows in the Stelmuze village, located in eastern Lithuania near the Latvian border. That tree has even seen Teutonic Knights and survived since Lithuanian kick there asses not once but twice! Tho no one can tell how old that tree is...

I remember many instances during my travels in which ancient worship sites we're destroyed or built over. That stretched to every country I visited that had witnessed the rise of the Christian faith

Really enjoying classic STJ popping up in my feed again. 👍

I'm Lithuanian!!!!

Why do pagans worship trees? Why wouldn't we?! Have you seen trees? They're amazing!

A powerful and beautiful extension of mother earth that provides in so many ways.

I see a wolf coming out of the cut branch and Odin's face in the hollow.

Interesting; I guess we are how we treat the environemnt; how do we see the trees. As an mere economic utility for production and consumption, as a reminder of what was, or as the bearers of life and ancient witnesses to long gone peoples though possibly still present in genetic continuation, not look at them as 'was' but something the trees were and still 'are'.

That tree in lithuania looks very old and huge amazing

My father and grandfather was born in Buxted, I’ve never heard of the yew, I will have to pop over there now 👍🏻

Go to see the Angel Oak in South Carolina...it's a supernatural experience! It's yuge!

Good video. Thanks 0:40 Are you sure about the rune. I've seen it referenced as the "ulfangle". Ancient german for wolf hook/trap. The symbol is of a trap used in ancient Europe for catching wolves that was baited and hung in a tree.

Epic intro

Why do you have to have music playing whilst you are talking, then turn it off when you are not ? Doesn't make sense when you have something important to say !

Very interesting. I am a pagan with similar interests.

Another fantastic video, I used to live in Buxted it often seems we inhabited the same stamping grounds!

I have seen true sacred tree once... life changing experience.

Khas or caus or kasittes also worship their ancestor deity below trees. The khas one of the Caucasiod race follows shamanis.

The Yew tree was sacred to the ancient Druids.

I wonder if it was the yew rather than the ash that was the sacred tree of life . I believe there is quite a case for it . As you say , some yew trees in church yards are centuries older than the Christian church , which looks to me like an attempt by Christian’s to take over a pagan site a bit like they did at Knowlton in Dorset . Really interesting place,BTW. Also the yew has some rather unique properties among trees in this part of the world , it is very long lived , stays green in winter , all parts of it are VERY POISONOUS, and it can grow into strange sinewy shapes a bit like a serpent . Lastly as we know Norse poets liked to use euphemisms , for example saying “battle friend” instead of the word sword. And so the yew was described as “needle ash”. But why needle ash ? Well the connection is that like the yew the ash is a very springy wood and was often used to make bows . And the poets saw it as the same as the ash but with needles not broad leaves. In modern times people examining the ancient texts misunderstood or mistranslated what the poets meant

🌳🙏🏻

This is very good indeed, and very well done, but it would also be wonderful to say that these two noble trees are in very good company elsewhere in Europe, and also in the world. Here, the usual concentration of the gentleman on Northern Europe makes him forget to say that

There's an older purposely planted yew at Ashbrittle Church near Wellington that you might enjoy to visit

Awesome work. keep it up

Tree worship literature takes place at midwinter

background music too loud.

1:28 what are those black marks?

I have the strength of the oak, the resilience of the pine, the wisdom of the alder and a thirst for the cannabis.

Trees and nature are awesome. Just remember who created them- God!

Great video! As THOR/PERKUNAS/PERKELE/PERUN is associated with the oak tree so is the VELNIAS/VELES-(Perkunas/Perun's "enemy") associated with willow tree.

Trees are sacred they give you shelter, food what's wrong in worshipping them?

Amazing

Barraskr is a name for the Yew tree in old norse and it means Barr = needle, askr = ash, or needle ash. It's clear that Yggdrasill was this type of askr because Yggdrasill is described as evergreen and the common ash is deciduous. The Barraskr or Yew tree was also the first Christmas tree reported in Christian history. And equipment and customs for the Christmas tree closely match the descriptions of Yggdrasil. The germanic north kept doing their Yule ritual in the house and let the priest do theirs in church.

#LithuaniaProud, Romuva is the Lithuanian Pagan Rebirth

I visited the Fortingall Yew in 2015, (5 000 y o), some of it looks like driftwood. ...

Trees 🌳 ❤

Olive trees also survive a long time. SInce there are old ones in the levant, I bet you can find really old ones in Italy

We Hindus also worship trees.

why you never mention slavs :/

Awesome

Is there a difference between worshiping trees, and holding them sacred?

I don't worship a tree. I honor a tree, big difference. ⚘

we have old Oaks on the cross roads of our old roads. Norteast Adriatic...maybe an influence from slavic tribes that camed in the 6.-7. century, or an old tradition by Venetians or Ilirians

I wish the Catholic Faith in the USA was like this we are so diviorced from practices like this and do not understand that our pagan ancestors or mdern pagns are not literally worshiping the tree,river,or stream any more than we are worshiping statues of The Holy Virgin Mary or any other saint for that matter of goodness sake!.I am a former pagan and I do understand this and acknowledge the pagan elements symbols and tradishens in the Holy Roman Church ………….and that is OK but others even the priests want to outright deny this and I do kind of see why but still I think it is foolish and a outright shame and our loss hear in the USA. have a merry and blessed day all.

What is the red berries in the thumbnail?

Alfred the Great fought two battles against the Vikings on or near white horses cut into the ground. White horse a sign of the Saxons, deputed on the first Saxon (German Saxon) flag. Did the vikings want to beat the Saxons at one of their pre-Christian sacred sits.

Beautiful Lithuanian legend about people turning into the trees: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egl%C4%97_the_Queen_of_Serpents

Need a microphone

English yews (T. baccata) don't do well in places that get below -30C. They do great in the Isles but not the Northern areas of the continent , and certainly not Scandinavia. I doubt Yggdrasil was a yew originally. Those giant , ancient yews are mystical. I have a few small ones, they grow slowly, and deer can be hard to keep off of them in winter. I don't know why the deer can eat them because they are deadly poisonous to livestock, but then deer can eat rhododendron like spinach.

... and the Slavic God Perun... Interesting video

interesting because some churches with yew trees were built long after the 7th century

I don't think it's worship I think pagans knew about science before science even existed and the reason being is that certain trees are actually beneficial to humanity and that's not Pagan witchcraft that's just like food Water Shelter and medicine and these things are all important you know to ancient and Modern Man and so one of the crazy ideas I've come up with lately is this idea of you know symbiosis through adaptogen chemicals & root bacteria and different you know chemical properties of different things Beyond just a single organism (genetic recombination) so kind of like a lycan but I always talk about sacred trees covertly cuz I know some extremely valuable trees and these trees are like so valuable that they cannot be Disturbed but one of them yes a new one that tree that I witnessed is in fact a walnut tree that grows from the root ball of a redbud and this is extremely sacred but also scientifically valid because both trees are very medicinal one of them can restore stolen neurotransmitters and the other tree can prevent termites keep pests away but the Redbud being a nitrogen fixer and both being adaptogen chemical producers which means they heals DNA and also happens to repel parasites and termites and Walnut makes good boat paint for that reason and it's just a naturally occurring thing I drive by it all the time and every time I look at it it brings damn near tear to my eye because it looks like some alien creation but it's just like birds shitting out seeds and then some of them kind of decided that they're going to survive and now they shake hands under the table and together they become basically one organism all connected together with the nitrogen-fixing Redbud feeds the Walnut which then protects the Redbud using its walnut oil that contains pest repellent and DNA adapting properties and together they've become like a lycan and I drive by it all the time and it's just like weeds to most people but if you let them grow then they become something beautiful and those are the natural trees that are there and that's why I hate Landscaping because basically that's something unnattural to control nature Nature was here first so we do what it tells us that's shamanism Studying the way modern man survived to this day that's science But you don't survive without knowing and so both are the same

We Hindus worship banyan trees and other trees , tie thread to its trunk turning round in a circle

Well it is the ideology of Aryans to worship the immediate cause. Like we praise the doctor for saving us and then we praise the God. Similarly trees give us food, wood and many more thing. That is why we worship tree because we have a emotional attachment to them and to give them respect .

This guy is cute 😭

sounds like german

मूलतो ब्रह्मरूपाय मधयतो विष्णुरूपिणे / अग्रत: शिवरूपाय वृक्षराजाय ते नमः //

Came here to see pure paganism/polytheism. Disappointed to see mixture of Christianity and paganism.

A very indo European video.

Ich respektiere spezifische Bäume, wie Familie. Vielen dank kumpel

Albino oh now I know why Muslims going to Europe 😰

Most 🇱🇹 Lithuanian people are not "devout" catholic, most are agnostic/atheists, 1/5 might be catholic, but many of those also will be Polish Catholics or Slavic Provo Slavs Church goers... most are atheist 🌲🔥🌲

Anything to annoy the Republicans :) That guy is wearing Thor's hammer. And he reminds me of my college boyfriend. As big as a frig and as smart as the door knob ;)

Part of me wants to admire yew trees, another part is looking for a nice straight limb to chop off.