5 Top Tree of Life References in Modern Culture

The Tree of Life has deep religious and cultural roots. They appear in different religions and inspire arts. Take a look at the contemporary Trees of Life that are central figures in mankind's struggle to achieve rootedness and transcendence.

The Giving Tree by Shelby Silverstein.

The tree in the story shows the kind of unconditional love that only a Tree of Life can offer. The young boy uses bits and parts of the tree to achieve some of his goals. The tree willingly gives up parts of itself to help the boy to things that he couldn't otherwise do. That's the Tree of Life helping the boy transcend. Eventually, when the boy becomes an old man he finds himself needing "just a quiet place to sit and rest." The Giving Tree gives him just that.

Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas.

Pocahontas' wisest sidekick, Grandmother Willow is a weeping willow that advises Pocahontas. She is ancient and wise and serves as a spiritual adviser. She encourages John to talk to the settlers. She encourages Pocahontas to go save John Smith. And in the end of the movie, it's implied that her bark was used to help cure some of John's pain. It's also implied in the movie that she served as an adviser to Pocahontas' mother as well.

The Tree of Life in Avatar.

Is there a more literal way to represent the Tree of Life. The Tree of Souls is directly connected to the transcendental being, Eywa, and is also the channel through which she connects to all life on the planet. The Tree of Soul represents the Na'vi's connection to the heavens and the planet. The Tree of Souls is the closest interpretation of a Tree of Life that we've found.

The Deku Tree from The Legend of Zelda.

In the famous video game, the opening scene is of The Great Deku tree explaining his role in the universe. He is the guardian of a stone that can help open the door to a sacred realm. He finds Link. Helps him get what he needs to get set on his mission. Then it dies. The Tree House from the Peter Pan series Hook. Peter pan leaves Neverland and grows up somewhere in the US to fall in love and raise a family. He forgets his past, his youth and that cause him to lose his magic. When his children are kidnapped by Hook he returns to Neverland to find them but is unable to do so without the mysterious power of youth. Only when he goes back to his old tree house, under the roots is he able to find himself regaining his power. This illustrates a sense of rootedness that the Tree of Life symbol represents. There are countless other references to the Tree of Life in cultures, mythology, religion, and literature. And they mean different things to different people. Whatever is it you want to show, you can always find a Tree of Life Necklace that shows your affinity to the tree.