Bio-energy from forests
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We recommend you too promote school projects that has a goal too investigate local conditions and make activities connecting too the use of wood as energy source and also focus on reforestation.12.08.2009
Forest mean many different things to different people. In the Learning About Forests programme we recognise the importance that forests play from ecological, socio-cultural and economic points of view. One way of exploring the socio-cultural importance of forests is to study the myths and stories that are told by people about their forests.
Introduction
Forest mean many different things to different people. In the Learning About Forests programme we recognise the importance that forests play from ecological, socio-cultural and economic points of view. One way of exploring the socio-cultural importance of forests is to study the myths and stories that are told by people about their forests.
By reading the contributions from participating countries you can learn about the significance of particular trees and forest areas in different countries. Many myths are fairy tales with deeper meanings to teach certain lessons to children. In some areas the forest has traditionally been seen as a place of darkness and fear which we must learn to overcome. In the words of Terri Winding,
"The fairy tale journey may look like an outward trek across plains and mountains, through castles and forests, but the actual movement is inward, into the lands of the soul. The dark path of the fairy tale forest lies in the shadows of our imagination, the depths of our unconscious. To travel to the wood, to face its dangers, is to emerged transformed by this experience. Particularly for children whose world does not resemble the simplified world of television sit-coms ... this ability to travel inward, to face fear and transform it, is a skill they will use all their lives...."
In environmental education we often focus on ecological aspects of ecosystems but it is important to consider other areas too. It is interesting to consider a question asked by Bob Jickling, a well-known environmental educator from Canada. He asks: ‘What is most fundamentally missing from societies’ educational experiences?’ He finds some insights in the words of Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess who said: “You learn as a child that there is something called knowledge, and soon children learn about scientific knowledge as something opposed to myths and the undue influence of feelings, and values. And you easily get to overestimate the importance of scientific knowledge in a vital question, which is also a value question.” (From http://www.planetcreacom.nl/bepa/ 13 January 2002). Let us value both the myths and the scientific studies in order to develop clearer understandings about our precious forests.
We hope you find these myths interesting and useful for your students. Please contact us if you would like to share how you use them as others may find your suggestions useful.
Some examples:
Bulgaria
From: Stanimir Georgiev
Learn about the Bulgarian wood nymph, the ‘samodiva’ and the Tree of Life. Here you will also find a story called ‘The Magic Forest’ written by 13-year old Donka Dragova as well as some myths sent by the pupils at Vasil Aprilov school.
Learn about the Bulgarian wood nymph, the ‘samodiva’ and the Tree of Life. Here you will also find a story called ‘The Magic Forest’ written by 13-year old Donka Dragova as well as some myths sent by the pupils at Vasil Aprilov school.
The myth is history and philosophy and at the same time religion and science, moral lesson and literature.
Even primitive man was looking at the surrounding world with great interest and curiosity, which he satisfied with the help of his imagination, creativity and wit. Sometimes he may have passed by a rock or a tree without paying attention to it, but if it caught his eye with something extraordinary in its appearance, shape or position, he would immediately assign some magic power to it.
Trees have power and soul and they come into a special connection with man sometimes, and it is believed that someone who is related with them will die if they are cut. It is the same with animals too. That is why man feels like “primus inter pares” among them and not superior to them, because as the animals may transform into humans, the humans can turn into animals too in the myths.
Bulgarian myths often originate from the beliefs of the people and their superstitions. There are different types of myths:
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Some are based on the Bible;
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Some are emphasising ethics;
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Some depict strange and magic creatures and people’s beliefs in them;
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Some myths try to explain phenomena, customs, origin of things.
The main character in the Bulgarian forests myths is the so-called samodiva – a wood nymph, which is the Bulgarian equivalent of the elf and the fairy. (Diva can be translated either as wild or as wonderful and fascinating.)
The Bulgarian samodivi live in the forest or in the mountain rivers and springs. They fly in their long light white shirts and ride grey deer, which they whip with snakes, dance wild chain dances in a circle (the Bulgarian dance horo) and their laughter is heard everywhere. The samodivi have beautiful palaces in the forest where they grow the samodivi flower, which is called rosen or dittany (Dictamnus fraxinella). The samodivi are very beautiful and charming ladies, who seek friendship with humans and they tempt and enchant men and if they are betrayed by them their revenge is really cruel. They can bring you suffering, illness or death if you treat them badly and they can cure you as well if you win their mercy. They lose their magic power if someone steals the veil or wreath they wear on their heads.
The Spring of the Samodivi
We believe in the healing power of the samodivi and their spring. Usually people with illness, that cannot be identified or cured in any other way, go to a glade in the forest by the samodivi spring only once a year – on the eve of the Ascension Day. They find a place on the glade, near a samodivi flower and make up their bed for the night there. Every ill person leaves a bowl with honey, covered with a round loaf of bread by the stem of the flower and goes to the samodivi spring where he washes his face or bathes in it if possible. Then he leaves some sign by the spring – usually a thread from his clothes or a coin and gets back to the glade in total silence where he lies on his bedding and covers himself with a white cloth. Everyone there waits for the storm, which is repeated three times and then the samodivi come, led by their queen. They throw their sign on the white cloths of the sick people, which can be a sign of healing or a sign of death. If you see or hear the samodivi you must not talk because you will get crippled, deaf or blind. When the storm is over, before daybreak all the ill people get up in the dark and run silently away from the glade. Sunrays should not touch them. When the people get back home they open the cloth and by the samodivi sign they find, they read their destiny. If they find fresh rosen flower or green grass they will be cured. If they find earth or dry grass it means they will fade away and die.
We believe in the healing power of the samodivi and their spring. Usually people with illness, that cannot be identified or cured in any other way, go to a glade in the forest by the samodivi spring only once a year – on the eve of the Ascension Day. They find a place on the glade, near a samodivi flower and make up their bed for the night there. Every ill person leaves a bowl with honey, covered with a round loaf of bread by the stem of the flower and goes to the samodivi spring where he washes his face or bathes in it if possible. Then he leaves some sign by the spring – usually a thread from his clothes or a coin and gets back to the glade in total silence where he lies on his bedding and covers himself with a white cloth. Everyone there waits for the storm, which is repeated three times and then the samodivi come, led by their queen. They throw their sign on the white cloths of the sick people, which can be a sign of healing or a sign of death. If you see or hear the samodivi you must not talk because you will get crippled, deaf or blind. When the storm is over, before daybreak all the ill people get up in the dark and run silently away from the glade. Sunrays should not touch them. When the people get back home they open the cloth and by the samodivi sign they find, they read their destiny. If they find fresh rosen flower or green grass they will be cured. If they find earth or dry grass it means they will fade away and die.
You can learn more about samodivi, or woodland fairies, at http://www.omda.bg/engl/ethnography/samodivi.html
The Tree of Life
The tree of life is one of the most widespread mythical symbols of the universe in Bulgarian mythology. It embodies the idea of the three layers of the world in a vertical plan.
The tree of life is one of the most widespread mythical symbols of the universe in Bulgarian mythology. It embodies the idea of the three layers of the world in a vertical plan.
The head of the tree symbolises the upper, heavenly world with its real and supernatural inhabitants – birds (eagle, pigeon), God, the saints and angels.
The trunk of the tree of life is the middle world or our world on earth.
The roots of the tree represent the lower, underground world, haunted mainly by evil demons of darkness and water, living in the bodies of the snake, the dragon, the fish, the mole.
The tree of life expresses the archaic notion of the possibility to cross the boundaries between the lower, middle and upper world. It is interpreted as the “way” to the worlds of the heavenly gods or the underground demons.
Usually in the myths and customs the tree of life is the oak, the walnut-tree or the pine tree and rarely the elm-tree or the vine. The tradition prohibits breaking of the branches or cutting such age-old trees. Religious ceremonies and sacrifices were held under old trees like in a temple in the name of the saint - guardian of that place, in the name of the demons of the illness and in the name of the gods of thunder and rain. The blood of the sacrificed animals was let to flow and soak into the roots of the tree.
The symbol of the tree of life is widely covered in the Bulgarian traditional culture, art and crafts. We can find it in the traditional embroidery and woodcarving, in the decoration of metal vessels and pottery, in the gold and silver jewelry. The tree of life is typical not only for the myths, but for the folk songs too.
Very often the tree of life is considered the mythical equivalent of the individual and his home as a model of the micro cosmos, which develops according to the rules and laws of the Universe (the macro cosmos).
Cyprus
From: Demetris Mikellides
Here are four stories edited by pupils (aged 11 years) at Christakio Primary School of Potamos Yermasoyias, about the most famous tree in Cyprus, the olive tree.
Here are four stories edited by pupils (aged 11 years) at Christakio Primary School of Potamos Yermasoyias, about the most famous tree in Cyprus, the olive tree.
Myths of the Cypriot Olive Tree
The Olive Tree - Story no. 1
Once upon a time, Cyprus was full of dragons. The people didn’t live happily. At least so it seemed. Aphrodite, the Goddess of beauty, ordered the fairies to tell Hercules (a national hero in ancient Greece) to come to Cyprus. Goddess Aphrodite told Hercules to go to the dragons’ lair and exterminate them. The evil spirits were there too, as they were the dragons’ masters. When the dragons were killed, their masters remained. Hercules couldn’t beat them, so he asked his friend Theseus for help. The two of them managed to send the evil spirits that guarded the olive seeds away. Immediately Aphrodite appeared before them, took the seeds and so olive trees grew.
The Olive Tree - Story no. 2
Once upon a time, Cyprus was an island full of forests: pine-trees, fir-trees, platens, willow-trees covered the land and made it as green as a forest can be. Forests, mountains, rivers and the clear, blue sea turned this scenic island basking under the sun into Heaven on Earth. The people here lived a content life.
The Olive Tree - Story no. 1
Once upon a time, Cyprus was full of dragons. The people didn’t live happily. At least so it seemed. Aphrodite, the Goddess of beauty, ordered the fairies to tell Hercules (a national hero in ancient Greece) to come to Cyprus. Goddess Aphrodite told Hercules to go to the dragons’ lair and exterminate them. The evil spirits were there too, as they were the dragons’ masters. When the dragons were killed, their masters remained. Hercules couldn’t beat them, so he asked his friend Theseus for help. The two of them managed to send the evil spirits that guarded the olive seeds away. Immediately Aphrodite appeared before them, took the seeds and so olive trees grew.
The Olive Tree - Story no. 2
Once upon a time, Cyprus was an island full of forests: pine-trees, fir-trees, platens, willow-trees covered the land and made it as green as a forest can be. Forests, mountains, rivers and the clear, blue sea turned this scenic island basking under the sun into Heaven on Earth. The people here lived a content life.
But god Ares (Mars, the god of war), furious from jealousy for the beauty of the island, sent his evil minions, the little goblins over, having given them a lurid red seed. The goblins came to Cyprus and planted the notorious seed. Gradually, they grew into mysterious, wicked trees. Soon, they spread over the whole island of Cyprus.
On a peaceful day, goddess Aphrodite (Venus, the goddess of beauty, native of Cyprus) was walking around in the magnificent Paphos forest. As she was wandering, she noticed these sinister trees. There were black and green fruit on the dark green branches. She wanted to try them. She approached and picked one. When she put it in her mouth, she collapsed. She was unconscious when the fairies of the forest happened to be passing by, found her and carried her to their kingdom. They took good care of her and when she came to, they asked for explanations. She recounted everything.
The fairies placed a magical, golden seed at the roots of those plants and all of a sudden the poisonous trees became lovely and beautiful. They named them OLIVE TREES. Since then, the olive tree is the most well-known and nicest tree of the Cyprian flora.
The Fairies had planted the whole of their castle gardens with olive trees. One day, two giants that lived in the area, Titan and Zeron were going for a stroll. They didn’t notice that there were olive trees there. So they stepped on hundreds of trees and left without realizing what they had done.
When the fairies saw the damage done, they were very sad. But their sorrow didn’t last for long, as they perceived that a kind of juice was squeezed out of the crashed olive crop. The youngest fairy, Marilena, tasted this juice. She liked it and added it to her salad. It was delicious. The fairies processed this juice in their workshop and called it OLIVE OIL. So they used it for other sorts of food which became tastier and more nutritious. From that time on, have nominated the olive tree as THE TREE OF CYPRUS.
The Olive Tree - Story no. 3
Cyprus was a beautiful island. Everywhere was green. Mountains, rivers, animals and people were part of its natural environment. People lived happily until one day they realised that something was missing.
A winter day some people went to a beautiful forest in Cyprus. They had a lot of fun but then it started raining and the people looked everywhere to find a place to go under. They found a cave and they were very happy about it.
The Olive Tree - Story no. 3
Cyprus was a beautiful island. Everywhere was green. Mountains, rivers, animals and people were part of its natural environment. People lived happily until one day they realised that something was missing.
A winter day some people went to a beautiful forest in Cyprus. They had a lot of fun but then it started raining and the people looked everywhere to find a place to go under. They found a cave and they were very happy about it.
Down the cave there was an old wooden door. They tried to open it but it was locked. There was a large key on the door. When the storm and the raining became heavy they decided to break the door with this key. They thought that there would be a warm room to rest.
The door opened and the people got inside. There was an old bed full of dust and spiders. As soon as the people saw these they started to get out but it was too late. Ghosts and spirits appeared all of a sudden and started torturing them in many ways. In the meantime other people who knew about their friends’ excursion to the forest worried about them a lot. They couldn’t go to find them because it was very dark.
The next day they went to Eleophoros Square to look for their friends. The ghosts and the spirits appeared again and started taking these people too. They had nearly taken all of them when a strange tree came out of the earth. The people started cutting the branches of the tree. They threw them against the ghosts. All the ghosts disappeared forever. This tree was named ELIA because it appeared in Eleophoros Square. (ELIA means olive tree).
So the people started to grow olive trees and Cyprus became full of olive trees. The people of Cyprus started using olive oil in their food and they loved olive trees. The olive tree is the most popular tree in Cyprus.
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