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REPRESENTATIONS OF THE WORLD AXIS IN THE JAPANESE AND THE ROMANIAN CULTURE

100%

Rusu M. R.

Concordia Discors vs Discordia Concors: Researches into Comparative Literature, Contrastive Linguistics, Cross-Cultural and Translation Strategies

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2010

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vol. 2

207-219

EN

The purpose of this paper is to briefly present some of the forms the world axis takes in Japanese and Romanian cultures through the ages, namely, to show how a mythological concept – the axis mundi – has outlived its mythological existence and has survived up to modern days. We do not intend to concentrate on similarities or differences, but simply present some of the many culture-specific representations of this universal mythological concept: world axis representations in modern Japanese festivals (of which we have chosen three, to represent “pillar torches”: “the Sakaki sacred tree”, “the sacred mountain”, and “the sacred pillar”) and some world axis representations in Romanian culture, such as the fir tree, symbols related to dendrolatry, wooden crosses placed at crossroads, the ritual of climbing mountains, etc.

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Morphology and symbolism of trees. General habit

75%

Galera H.

Nauka

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2007

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issue 2

EN

Morphology is the study of the form, shape and structure of an organism. The connection between the morphology and symbolism of trees is associated with the spirituals bonds existing between humans and trees. The common terms, such as „tree”, „trunk”, „branch”, „root”, „fruit”, „flower”, „leaf” have a specific meaning in botany. In addition these terms carry various symbolic meanings. This article attempts to analyse symbolic plant motifs which were based on the morphological structure of trees. The symbolic significance of trees is associated with their specific structure: the crown represents the mystical heaven, the trunk symbolizes the earthly world, the roots extend deep into the underworld. Possibly the best known cosmic tree (arbor mundi) is the Scandinavian Ash or Yggdrasil. It also represents the axis mundi – the centre of the world. Tree-like diagrams which graphically illustrate genealogies refer to the structure of trees as well (e.g. the tree of Jesse). Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on our planet. Among the tallest trees in the world are: Sequoia sempervirens „Hyperion” from California (measuring 115,5 m), and Eucalyptus regnans „Icarus Dream” from Tasmania (97 m high). The largest tree in terms of total volume is Sequoiadendron giganteum „General Sherman” in California (1500 cubic meters). The myth of the Ultimate Lotus Tree Sidrat al-Muntaha – that marks the end of the seventh heaven is a reference to a very large tree (probably Zizyphus lotus, however its specimen are not so large). The oldest known living specimen is the „Methuselah”, a bristle cone pine Pinus longaeva in California, which is estimated to be about 5000 years old. Taxus baccata from Henryków Lubański is the oldest tree (1250 years-old) on record in Poland. Due to their long life span, trees can be seen as “monuments”, which remind the world of important events in history, eg. the sycamore tree destroyed during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, whose roots were used in preparation for the sculpture honoring St. Paul’s Church. Tree symbolism also relates to changes in the appearance of trees that result from their life cycle and phenology. Trees, which lose their leaves in winter and produce new ones in spring, symbolize rebirth after death. Therefore, the cosmic tree is also called the Tree of Life. In Japanese culture the seasonal changes in the appearance of trees indicated the passage of time. In many cultures around the world trees were held sacred because they were believed to be the homes of certain gods (e.g. Ficus sycomorus in ancient Egipt, oak trees in Slavic and German legends). It should be noted, however, that the trees themselves were not the objects of worship but the gods who were thought to dwell in these trees. Nowadays the respect people have for trees stems from other reasons.

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Autour de l’axis mundi. De la notion théorique à la mise en image littéraire dans l’œuvre de Jules Verne (Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras et Le Sphinx des glaces)

71%

Jarosz A.

Quêtes littéraires

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2013

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issue 3

101-107

EN

The symbolism of axis mundi constitutes an integral part of cultural and religious systems across the world. Such symbolism appears clearly and precisely in all forms of religious life. As it is stressed by Eliade, many a time, axis mundi is an intersection of three varied ontological zones (the interior of the Earth, the surface of the Earth, and the Heaven) and creates a contact place of man with sacrum. The axis mundi symbolism, analysed here as a part of literary studies, is reflected also in two important novels by Julius Verne (Adventures of Captain Hatteras, 1864-65 ; An Arctic Mystery, 1897) dedicated to the polar regions. In both novels, such sites (the north-ern and southern poles) become a literary image of axis mundi, while the hypothesis finds its confirmation in the nature of psychological experiences of the heroes cast in the polar regions. The symbolic and religious study of such experiences leads to the conclusion that in both the analysed cases they may be understood as an experience of a contact with sacrum.

4

Droga. W poszukiwaniu toposów polskiej pamięci na Dolnym Śląsku

63%

Topp I.

Przegląd Kulturoznawczy

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2012

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issue 1(11)

12-25

EN

Polish memory was mainly founded by mythology of Polish romanticism. The way is one of its symbolic form, connecting peoples destiny, national history, catholic faith and landscape of former Eastern Borderlands. The article is devoted to analysis of the way as a memory image of the inhabitants of the Lower Silesia resettled here after the Second World War. It is based on the photos taken by local farmer in late fifties. The author distinguished three symbolic modes of the way as a memory image in particular small village community: axis mundi; passage; pilgrimage. According to him, catholic religion play crucial role in construction of Polish memory and national identity in Lower Silesia after the war.

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1 Concordia Discors vs Discordia Concors: Researches into Comparative Literature, Contrastive Linguistics, Cross-Cultural and Translation Strategies

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1 Quêtes littéraires

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1 Jarosz A.

1 Rusu M. R.

1 Topp I.

REPRESENTATIONS OF THE WORLD AXIS IN THE JAPANESE AND THE ROMANIAN CULTURE

Morphology and symbolism of trees. General habit

Autour de l’axis mundi. De la notion théorique à la mise en image littéraire dans l’œuvre de Jules Verne (Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras et Le Sphinx des glaces)

Droga. W poszukiwaniu toposów polskiej pamięci na Dolnym Śląsku