Stories of Trees: the rate, Tree of Death and Rebirth rate (Taxus baccata ) tree is cloaked in mystery and fascination, ancient sacred in many nations, full of symbolic meanings and surrounded by an abundant mass of legends, as no other species of European flora, except for the oak.
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| Taxus baccata . From a herbarium in 1775 |
The rate had its peak in the Tertiary era, in connection with climatic conditions very different from those of today, after the last glaciation, which occurred about 10,000 years ago, has been progressively and inexorable decline, to the point of becoming extremely rare in the wild, and to maintain a certain spread only by humans, who appreciates as an ornamental species.
Equipped with an exceptionally strong and flexible wood, as well as durable (can remain unchanged for thousands of years), was selected to the earliest times to the fabrication of bows, arrows and spears. Yew wood is the great arc of Ötzi, the man of the Iceman (3,330 BC) rate was the arrow that killed King Richard the Lionheart. The same specific name derives from the ancient greek Tóξov (Toxon), which means "bow". Between 13 th and 16 th century, the demand for wood to build weapons was so high to decimate the woods, first British and then the English and the Hanseatic territories, from which the British imported once exhausted her. The rate of the European population has never never recovered from those centuries of war.
early as the fourth century BC, Theophrastus tells us about the very nature poisonous plant whose leaves, he noted, are lethal to horses, even if it were harmless to ruminants. In modern properties have been attributed to a toxic alkaloid called Tassin (in fact, have been recognized six different toxic molecules), present in all plant organs, except the fleshy part of fruit, and able to kill in high doses, man. The rate of poison was used to make deadly arrowheads and spear, but was also used in a lot of anticipation of homeopathic principles to treat the bites of spiders and snakes. Shakespeare tells how Hamlet's father was murdered by pouring ear a substance extracted from Tasso.
What a plant used to produce deadly weapons, and whose leaves and bark can kill humans and animals, were associated with death, and thus appears as a natural fact. The 'other common name that in Italian, or Tree of Death, we are reminded immediately. The rate then becomes the lone guardian of cemeteries Celtic, but even those of people already in their past, a tradition that was then maintained in the burial places of Christians in Britain and France.
on a plane parallel to the exceptional longevity ricosciutagli ( According to an ancient tradition Cimbrian could live up to 20,000 years! Beyond the legend, it is still the longest running European species, although the age of its major units can only be estimated, given the character of the empty hand central stem. The older individuals are found in Britain, the rate Fortingall, Scotland, of an age scholars have very conflicting opinions, are awarded from 2,000 to 5,000 years. ), and the incredible length of his Wood ( Yew is the oldest man-made of wood, consisting of a spear almost intact, more returns to Clacton in the UK, and dated 150,000 years ago ) , soon made it a symbol of immortality and wisdom of all-inclusive.
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| Fortingall The rate, in a press of the nineteenth century |
At the pre-Roman populations, the rate ultimately happens it symbolizes death, but as a moment of transition to a new life, and yet the continual renewal of life through the transformation, the eternal cycle of death and rebirth, the door through which opens the way to eternal life 's soul, and finally the promise of life contained in death.
For first Germanic people, the rate was the Tree of Rebirth, and was associated with a day of Dec. 21, the day when the sun was reborn from the womb of the underworld, and began again the annual cycle of life and death . In the Celtic calendar, in which he was supremely sacred tree (it was one of five magical trees, the rate was the stick of the Druids and the letters of the alphabet runic initiation Ogham ), was associated with the festival of Samhain , situated in the month of November, during which they opened the gates between the worlds of the living and the dead. It was believed that the rate be the guardian of the doors that connects the two worlds, who purified the dead and protect the soul on its journey to the afterlife, preventing the interference of evil spirits. Just to protect the deceased during his trip, he put in the shroud of twigs rate, and for the same reason they planted in cemeteries, where they believed the plan to send a root to every body buried there.
The Greeks considered it a sort of gateway to the underworld, and had devoted to Hecate, goddess of the underworld and the priests of Eleusis used it during their rites mystery rites, as a symbol of death inseparable and immortality.
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| leaves Taxus baccata |
In 1964 he was discovered in the bark of Taxus brevifolia American cousin (and later also in the same Taxus baccata) is a diterpene alkaloid baptized Taxol (paclitaxel today), very effective in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The circle is finally closed: even science has come to regard the rate as the tree in which death and life are united.
