The tree

The significance of the tree is as multifaceted as the number of annual rings. As a natural monument, it shapes landscapes, serves as an important raw material, and is regarded as a symbol of life. In myths, sacred texts, fairy tales, music, literature, visual arts, philosophy, and across all cultures and eras, the tree holds a prominent significance. Furthermore, it is associated with numerous customs: the tree planted at the birth of a child, the maypole, the Christmas tree. Historian Alexander Demandt examines trees, forests, and wood in religions, customs and traditions, literature, and art from antiquity to the present. This richly detailed book is the long-awaited, expanded, and deepened revision of his standard work on all treetops. The tree in cultural history.