World Tree: Difference between revisions

Of course, anything this spiritually significant is very popular to produce [[Evil Counterpart|evil versions]]. Evil World Trees often pervert the concept of "oneness" by [[Deal Withwith the Devil|subverting promises]] and spiritual connection into absorbing everything [[Eldritch Location|into itself]].

The [['''World Tree]]''' may exist ''between'' worlds, with its roots in one and its branches in another. It may even be a [[Pocket Dimension|Wood Between The Worlds]]. It's naturally a [[Genius Loci]]. See also [[The Tower]].

The health of the [[World Tree]] is [[Empathic Environment|tied to that]] of the [[Fisher King|world itself]]; injuring it may have [[EndoftheThe End of the World Asas We Know It|catastrophic consequences]].

* In ''[[Ah My Goddess (Manga)|Ah! My Goddess]]'', "Yggdrasil" is the name of the computer system that connects all things. It is also the name of the original World Tree of [[Norse Mythology]], which underlies much of the series. In the the ''[[Ah My Goddess (Manga)|Ah! My Goddess]]'' [[OVA]], Belldandy and Keiichi made a promise long ago that affected Yggdrasil greatly.

** It should be noted that Yggdrasil is the name of a Linux distribution (which was released four years after ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' started).

* Tsunami, the goddess of the Juraian empire in ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'', is a massive, intelligent tree (though we never see her tree form, which is one of ''four'' forms she has<ref>The others being goddess, spaceship and human.</ref>). Every Juraian ship has one of her offspring as its heart, often acting as a miniature world-tree for the very natural-looking landscape that makes up the ship's interior.

* It's not overly significant, but ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi (Manga)|Ai Yori Aoshi]]'' does show a massive tree into which Kaoru and Aoi carved their names and heights as small children (around the time of their [[Childhood Marriage Promise]]), and again as adults.

* The 8th ''[[Pokémon (Animeanime)|Pokémon]]'' movie ''<nowiki>~[[Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew~</nowiki>]]'' features a (living) rock formation resembling a tree, called the Tree of Beginning, which is linked to the Legendary Pokémon Mew.

** A lesser-known ''[[Digimon]]'' example: Yggdrasil is {{spoiler|the Big Bad}} in the computer-animated movie ''[[Digimon X Evolution (Anime)|Digimon X-Evolution]]''.

* ''[[Interstella 5555 (Anime)|Interstella 5555]]'' had the band members burying their fallen comrade under the Tree, where his soul then ascends.

* The Tree of Knowledge from ''[[One Piece (Manga)|One Piece]]'', which was basically a massive library and {{spoiler|was Robin's favorite hangout as a child, as well as the place where her only friends worked. Too bad those World Government dudes destroyed it}}.

* Yggdrasil from ''[[Mnemosyne]]''. It is the source of immortals and [[Our Angels Are Different|angels]], {{spoiler|creating them by spreading 'time spores' every now and then. Anything that touches a time spore invariably becomes either immortal or an angel. [[One -Gender Race|Only females (the protagonist's pet dog is also immortal) become immortal and only males become angels.]]}} In a subversion of the World Tree's significant symbolism, Yggdrasil's motives for causing all this is to {{spoiler|[[Mundane Utility|expand its knowledge and data]], and thus is nothing more than a [[Library of Babel]] in the form of a giant tree}}.

* ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' has The Oak Tree. It used to be a place where {{spoiler|[[Rewriting Reality|Story-Spinners]] gathered to train}}, but was cut down long before the story begins. However, there's a rock one can still touch to connect to the roots of the tree and speak with it. {{spoiler|Fakir}} attempts this, but {{spoiler|he's sucked into the tree, which takes him on a trippy,[[Out -of -Clothes Experience|naked]] philosophical journey while it seems to attempt to make Fakir a new World Tree himself. He almost agrees to it, saying he will "watch over everyone", and is only saved when Princess Tutu calls out to him and he recognizes Ahiru/Duck's voice.}} A lot of the imagery in the scene fits the legends well, particularly when it shows the tree in its former glory being connected to the gears of the story.

* ''[[Wolfs Rain|Wolf's Rain]]'' features a "tree of the beginning", which the characters pass by just before the final scene.

* [[Windaria (Anime)|Windaria]]: The 'Tree of Life' in The Valley. Its huge, refered to as the region's 'Guardian Spirit' and is prayed to by the inhabitants for health and happiness.

* In ''[[Hellboy (Comic Bookcomics)|Hellboy]]'', Rasputin's immortality is due to having [[Our Souls Are Different|half of his soul]] buried under Yggdrassil's roots. On one occasion, after one of his plans is completely ruined, he retreats to the base of Yggdrassil in order to rest.

* Yggdrassil itself turned up in the fantasy comic book series ''[[Lucifer (Comic Bookcomics)|Lucifer]]''.

** The film version offers a more scientific explanation: {{spoiler|1=it's a part of the universe that contains the "Nine Realms", nine planets<ref> possibly in separate dimensions as well as galaxies</ref> including Earth/Midgard, Asgard, and Jotunheim. It's simply a collection of galaxies that happens to be tree-shaped.}}

* ''[[Avatar (Filmfilm)|Avatar]]'' (2009) features a planet whose ecology is powered by World Trees and [[GaiasGaia's RevengeVengeance]].

* The ''[[Thor (Filmfilm)|Thor]]'' movie (and, by extension, the entire [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]]) has one, which binds the nine realms (Earth/Midgard, Asgard, Jotunheim, etc.) together. You can see it hovering as the universe itself during the end credits.

* Mark Z. Danielewski's ''[[House of Leaves]]'' has Yggdrasil play a minor part in its [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|myriad religious references.]] The {{color|blue|house}} appears to be [[Bigger Onon the Inside|boundless in the amount of space it can take up]], the material that makes up the more interesting parts of the {{color|blue|house}} appears to be ash, and it resides on Ash Tree Lane. There's even an odd poem on the inside of the back cover that describes Yggdrasil.

* Figures greatly (if metaphorically) into [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]''. Interestingly, it is implied that there are multiple "world trees" on Earth, though the reason for this is never explained.

** There are probably multiple "world trees" because in ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' [[All Myths Are True]], and as mentioned below there are plenty of variations on the World Tree.

* In Elizabeth Haydon's ''[[Symphony of Ages (Literature)|Symphony of Ages]]'' trilogy, the protagonists travel along the root of one of the FIVE world trees, through the center of the planet, to an identical tree on the other end.

* In the ''[[The Wheel of Time (Literature)|The Wheel of Time]]'' books by Robert Jordan, there is a Tree of Life in the forbidden city of Rhuidean. In a reference to the Norse [[God]] Odin, Mat is hanged from this tree as a price for knowledge.

** Given that [[The Tower]] appears in some form in every universe, but only as a tower in the "keystone" world, and that at least one of these forms is a plant (a rose), it's entirely possible that somewhere it is a literal [[World Tree]].

* A world tree is mentioned very occasionally and always in passing in the ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]'' by [[CS Lewis (Creator)|C. S. Lewis]], too, alluding specifically to Yggdrasil.

** ''[[The MagiciansMagician's Nephew]]'' features a Tree of Life. The White Witch eats an apple to gain immortality, and the title nephew brings back an apple to protect Narnia from her, and then receives an apple that cures his sick mother.{{context|reason=How is this an example of this trope?}}

** The apple drops a seed in the Real World which grows up to be another tree. When cut down many years later, it is {{spoiler|made into a wardrobe for Digory}}. Meanwhile, the lantern-crossbar thrown by Jadis grows into an eternally-burning gaslamp in the heart of Narnia.{{context|reason=How is this an example of this trope?}}

* [[Discworld (Literature)|Discworld]], much like [[Narnia]], occasionally mentions Yggdrasil (a world with a World Tree is briefly seen in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Equal Rites|Equal Rites]]'', along with one surrounded by the Midgard Serpent). More recently in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Making Money|Making Money]]'' the Cabinet of Curiosity, an endless magical cabinet where drawers extend from the sides of other drawers, opens out into an enormous fractal tree-shape.

* In Dan Simmons Hyperion/Endymion-series there is a world called Gods' Grove which consisted of forests of Mammoth-trees and a large world tree. It is burned due to an attack of aggressive aliens; its burned stump is some kilometers high. Later events consist of a Dyson sphere made out of a tree--whichtree—which is also burnt.

* Telperion and Laurelin, the World Trees from [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)|JRRR. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Silmarillion (Literature)|The Silmarillion]]'', used to alternately shine with silver and gold light like night and day... until Morgoth and Ungoliant absorbed their power and corrupted the trees. What was left of them was made into the Moon and the Sun. The only pure and untainted light left of them was caught in the Silmarils, made by Fëanor before the incident.

** Also the various White Trees that were either made in the image of Telperion, or descended from its seedlings (depending on which version of the mythology you read). The [[Fisher King|withered tree]] of Gondor in ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' is the "son" of the White Tree of Númenor, which is the "son" of the one from Tol Eressëa, which is the "son" of the one from Tirion, etc. Earendil's star is used to create the Phial of Galadriel, making it the reflected light of the Trees two times over.

* The eponymous tree in Robert F. Young's ''The Last Yggdrasil'' is the last survivor of a species that looks like [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]], in the middle of what is otherwise apparently near-perfect wheat-growing country. Humans, having settled on the planet, have logged out the rest of the species and are in the process of cutting down the eponymous tree, which used to be significant to the now-extinct native intelligent species' religion. {{spoiler|Far too late to keep the tree from dying of the damage it has sustained, the humans deduce that the tree's species was a vital link in the ecosystem, and without it, they will probably lose most of their crops as related species - such as those that keep crop-eating insects in check - in their turn become extinct.}}

* Before ''Episode III'', the [[Expanded Universe]] of [[Star Wars]] had long described the Wookiees' homeworld of Kashyyyk as having an ecology that was like a layered deathtrap. The core was the ''wroshyr'' trees, kilometers tall and so massive the entirety of the Wookiees' civilization--everycivilization—every city and town--istown—is built atop just the highest layer of them. Further, they're so big that the further down you go, the ecology notably shifts, becoming harsher (and thus requiring more deadly animals and secondary plants to survive in it). There are several layers, and going down at least two or three for a hunt is a rite of passage for young Wookiees--andWookiees—and only in stories has anyone made it to the bottom layer and come out alive. On top of this, when she visits Leia notices that the branches seem to have grown together, and realizes that all the trees in a cluster, if not in the entire planet, must be one giant organism.

* In the ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' [[Virgin New Adventures|New Adventures]] novel ''Sky Pirates!'' one of the planetoids visited ''is'' a giant tree. [[Crack Fic|Growing in space]]. When companion Benny sees its she comments that it is a change from the "same old [[Double Entendre|balls]]".

* [[Michael Chabon (Creator)|Michael Chabon]]'s ''[[Summerland (Literature)|Summerland]]'' is about trying to fix this tree. By playing ''baseball'', no less.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files]],'' the Monoc Securities corporation run by Donar Vadderung {{spoiler|actually the Norse god Odin himself}} is housed in [[Post -Modern Magik|a high-rise office building.]] But its reflection in the Nevernever is [[Norse Mythology|the base of an enormous ash tree]]...

== [[Live -Action TV]] ==

* In ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', the Talaxian afterlife is said to be a giant forest, in which the largest tree is the "Guiding Tree", at which the dead reunite with loved ones.

** The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the cross Jesus hung from before his transformation, both in ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]''.

* [[The Book of Mormon (Literatureliterature)|The Book of Mormon]] features the first protagonist/narrator Nephi experiencing a vision in a dream, where the point of the vision was to use an iron rod as a guide to the Tree of Life, while ignoring a big building full of wicked people who tried to lead the righteous away from the tree.

* "When [[Merlin|Myrddin's]] Tree shall tumble down, then shall fall Carmarthen town." An ancient [[King Arthur|Arthurian legend]], and possibly [[Defictionalization]]. The tree, which sits in the middle of the [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrddin_Wyllt:Myrddin Wyllt|historical Merlin's]] hometown, is said to be ancient. The people of Carmarthen (aka [[Land of My Fathers and Their Sheep|the Welsh]], who are descended from the Britons) have naturally encased the stump of the old tree [[Exact Words|in concrete]].

* The ''[[Nobilis (Tabletop Game)|Nobilis]]'' mythology is cored on a vast world tree. The Earth hangs from one of its branches.

* Certain editions of ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'', most prominently 2nd edition's ''[[Planescape]]'' setting, featured the 'world ash' Yggdrasil, a huge tree growing inbetween the planes. Its branches ended in portals to other planes, making it one of the major nexus points for travelers of the multiverse (Sigil, the main setting for Planescape, being another such nexus).

* The Tree of Life, upon which Suldanessellar -- theSuldanessellar—the hidden city of the [[Our Elves Are Different|Amnian Elves]] -- is—is situated is {{spoiler|the penultimate location}} in ''[[BaldursBaldur's Gate]] II: Shadows of Amn''. The massive tree is deeply connected to the elves' pantheon of the Seldarine and, in some way, their long lifespan.

* The very top of Death's Peak in ''[[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Chrono Trigger]]'' has a tree. {{spoiler|Using the Time Egg here allows one to bring Crono back from a timeline where he died.}}

* The (apparently sentient) Lover's Tree in ''[[Chu LipChulip]]''.

* In the popular ''[[Dragon Quest (Video Game)|Dragon Quest]]'' series, an "Yggdrasil Leaf" item will bring back someone from the dead.

** ''[[Dragon Quest III (Video Game)|Dragon Quest III]]'' has a World Tree hidden in the middle of a forest. [[Guide Dang It|Locating]] and examining the correct tree nets you a Leaf.

** ''[[Dragon Quest VI (Video Game)|Dragon Quest VI]]'' has the Sacred Tree of Krage, which produces both the usual leaves and Holy Dew, which has its own amazing healing properties. Naturally, this makes it a prime target for the Demon Lord, who tries to eliminate it by brainwashing the entire nearby town into believing ''they're'' the Demon Lord...

** ''[[Dragon Quest IX (Video Game)|Dragon Quest IX]]'' has the Observatory, a floating island that houses guardian angels known as Celestrians. Their task: to nourish the [[World Tree]] Yggdrasil. Legend states that when Yggdrasil bears fruit, the Celestrians will be relieved of their duty and sent back up into heaven. {{spoiler|Later on, the tree is revealed to be the goddess Celestria, daughter of the Almighty.}}

* In ''[[Final Fantasy V (Video Game)|Final Fantasy V]]'', [[The World Tree]] contains [[Mineral MacGuffin|the Crystals of the second world.]] The interior of the tree is protected by a seal that evil beings can't pass through, so naturally, [[MacGuffin Delivery Service|the heroes only end up doing the]] [[Big Bad]] [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|a favor when they retrieve the Crystals to protect them from him.]] (The aforementioned [[Big Bad]], incidentally, is a tree himself, [[When Trees Attack|but that's another trope entirely.]])

* ''[[Final Fantasy IX (Video Game)|Final Fantasy IX]]'' had the "Iifa Tree", which was sort-of in the evil category (the Tree itself was not evil by nature, but it was re-purposed by the [[Big Bad]] into doing bad stuff) - it was sitting on top of the magic well souls used to be recycled, so that the [[Big Bad]] could use stagnant souls as soylent fuel. {{spoiler|It also houses the gateway to the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]] on Disc 4.}}

* At the climax of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: MajorasMajora's Mask]]'', the main character enters a giant moon only to find a giant tree on top of a hill, in the middle of a wind-swept field.

** In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]'', Link grows a tree through the use of [[Time Travel]] that has a cure-all fruit, {{spoiler|which he uses to cure the Thunder Dragon's ailment.}}

** In ''URU'', the Watcher's Pub (AKA the [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|"Great Tree Pub"]]) is made from an enormous hollowed-out tree, which happens to be at least a few miles underground. It was practically a holy site in the D'ni civilization.

* In ''[[Odin Sphere]]'', a [[Because Destiny Says So|prophecy]] states that the armies of the [[Lethal Lava Land|fire kingdom]] will invade [[The Lost Woods]] of the [[Our Elves Are Different|elves]], and be destroyed once they reach the [[World Tree]]... Except that there is not and has never been a world tree in the world of ''[[Odin Sphere]]''. When the prophecies begin to come true, {{spoiler|we learn that the elf queen Mercedes's true name was Yggdrasil, and that she was the [[World Tree]] that would stop them. She [[No Body Left Behind|dies]] defeating the king of the [[Lethal Lava Land|fire kingdom]], and on that spot, an actual world tree grows.}}

* In ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'', the overarching goal of the characters is to re-create [[The World Tree]], but the ''[[Big Bad]]'' is named Yggdrasil.

** And in ''[[Tales of Phantasia (Video Game)|Tales of Phantasia]]'', the protagonists have to revive a dying world tree called Yggdrasil. It's the same tree, by the way.

** Don't forget ''[[Tales of Symphonia Dawn of the New World (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'', where the plot revolves heavily around the guardian of the World Tree that comes into existance immediately after ''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Symphonia]]''. It's interesting that he's named [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/:Ratatosk |Ratatosk]], which connects to Norse mythology, which the game takes many ideas from.

** ''[[Tales of the Abyss (Video Game)|Tales of the Abyss]]'' had the Sephiroth Trees, which {{spoiler|support the [[Floating Continent]]}}.

** The ''[[Tales Series(series)]]'' really likes trees - there's also the treetop village of Morle in ''Eternia'', the big tree in Halure in ''Vesperia'' and the tree that's grown over the Giant Psistone that holds Iola's soul in ''Hearts''. None of them are exactly ''World'' Trees, but they all mark major plot points in their own way.

* There have been several of these in the [[War CraftWarcraft]] universe. The World Tree, Nordrassil, is badly wounded at the end of ''[[War CraftWarcraft]] III'', when {{spoiler|the Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage uses its power to defeat the demon Archimonde}}. Before this, the Night Elves had a spiritual connection with it, which granted them immortality. By ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', the Night Elves have tried to make a new one, Teldrassil, but it's not going very well. For one thing, it didn't bring back their lost immortality. For another, {{spoiler|it was created without nature's blessing and is slowly being consumed by corruption.}}

** There's also a large tree (apparently a failed world tree) in Grizzly Hills in Wrath of the Lich King, called Vordrassil. It was destroyed by the ancient peoples who once lived there, because {{spoiler|it was corrupted by the [[Eldritch Abomination|Old God]] [[HPH.P. Lovecraft|Yog-Saron]] when [[Beneath the Earth|its roots broke through the roof of its prison]].}} The current resident tribe of Furbolgs are trying to re-grow the tree. For various reasons, this is a bad idea.

** Just to add insult to injury, Teldrassil might not have been needed in the first place. {{spoiler|Medivh's ending narration in [[War CraftWarcraft]] 3 states that "the roots will heal in time", and indeed, a small root is shown growing. The implication is that Nordrassil would eventually be restored to its former glory}}.

* In ''[[Wild Arms 3 (Video Game)|Wild ArmsARMs 3]]'', one of the locations is a large technology-heavy tower called Yggdrasill, which was designed {{spoiler|to rejuvenate the dying planet on which the game takes place}}.

* A variant of this trope appears in ''[[Xenogears (Video Game)|Xenogears]]''; the Yggdrasil is the place where all of the main characters meet, but is a sand-cruiser (and later, every other form of vehicle) rather than a giant tree.

** ''[[Xenogears (Video Game)|Xenogears]]'' had Razael's Tree, which was metaphorical. Named after Cherubim Raziel (who are ''not'' as cute as Hallmark would like you to believe,) the "Tree" was a computer database located in the wreckage of the interstellar weapon that created mankind.

* The final stage of ''[[Mega Man Zero]] 2'' is depicted as this series' Yggdrasill. Upon its roots, {{spoiler|a sleeping Original X uses his own body to seal away the Dark Elf}}. [[It Gets Worse|It gets worse]].

* ''[[Grandia (Videovideo Gamegame)|Grandia]]'' (the first one) had an evil example: the final form of the [[Big Bad]] Gaia is a gigantic tree-like lifeform near the {{spoiler|destroyed}} city of Zil Padon.

** The Vhenadahl tree in Kirkwall's Alienage seen in ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' isn't treated any better. Dalish elves such as Marethari and Merrill treat it with reverence at least. Merrill is shocked that people made a Wallop Mallet -- aMallet—a child's toy -- fromtoy—from its wood.

* ''[[Etrian Odyssey (Video Game)|Etrian Odyssey]]''. The labyrinth is called the Yggdrasil labyrinth, although it's more of a dungeon in the first game. The Japanese title even directly translates to "World Tree Labyrinth".

* In ''[[Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning (Video Game)|Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning]]'', Nyarlim is a sentient tree that is one of the oldest living mortals in existence. In the "The Legend of Dead Kel" DLC {{spoiler|the "god" worshipped by the islanders, Akara, is another tree. Akara also reveals that there were once twelve such trees in the world.}}

* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]''; the Cherry Tree growing in {{spoiler|a decontamination habitat}}. It's where Annie starts opening up to Kat by telling her about her mother. The environment is noticeably more colorful than anywhere else in the series.

{{quote| '''Quercus:''' No. It involves quantum fluctuations and vacuum energy expansion in a general relativistic framework.}}

* In ''[[Xkcd (Webcomic)|Xkcd]]'''s [http://www.xkcd.com/521/ 2008 Christmas special], Yggdrasil is cut down by one of the characters...and then made into a Christmas tree.

* In ''[[Winters in Lavelle (Webcomic)|Winters in Lavelle]]'' Kari and Aiden receive their [[Clingy MacGuffin|Magic Amber]] from a massive Oak tree. It is later referred to as the "A Pillar of the Woods" by Rio, and hinted to be vital to the forest's survival.

* There was a [[Journal Roleplay]] called [[Edensphere (Roleplay)|Edensphere]], a [[Ontological Mystery|spooky jamjar]] game with its two oddities being that all characters have total amnesia, and the whole thing being set in a kind of giant fishbowl with a very large tree growing up through the center.

* Employed in "The Swamp", the fourth episode of the second season of Asian-influenced ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. The protagonists come across a vast, mysterious wetland known as "The Foggy Swamp", which is actually made of one ancient banyan-grove tree. The wetland is a [[Genius Loci|unified, living organism]]. Its tribal inhabitants base their philosophies on this phenomenon, in believing that everything in the world, living or once living, is connected, and they "all have the same roots and are all branches of the same tree."

* The entirety of the French CGI movie [[Kaena the Prophecy|Kaena: The Prophecy]] is set amidst the branches of a giant tree that connects two planets together.

* Yggdrssil, the tree's name in [[Norse Mythology]], appears in ''[[The Avengers: EarthsEarth's Mightiest Heroes (Animation)|Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes]]''. It is also the source of Odin's power.

[[Category:World Tree Tropes]]