The dance lime tree is a sort of green temple. The way in which its leaves change colour as the seasons pass makes it an excellent symbol of the constantly changing nature of life. It also symbolises the revival of ancient astronomical knowledge based on the observation of the times of sunrise and sunset over the course of a year. These points of reference allow one to understand the organisation of the Eight Nature Festivals which take place each year. Like a sundial, the dance lime tree is a “Tree of Measurement”, determining the various times of the year and the seasons. This aspect is more fully developed in the text on the Eight Nature Festivals

The tree forms a vertical axis which organises the relationship between the earth and the heavens. It represents both the tree of life and the point of contact between heaven and earth, important elements in European and non-European cosmogonies.

It is related to the tree of paradise, the tree of the Kaballa, to the ash tree of Iggdrasil found in Germanic and Scandinavian mythology, to the Irminsul of the Saxons, to the Chinese “Kien-Mou” tree (a vertical pathway inhabited by spirits, souls and gods), and to the tree of the Shamans.

These ‘cosmic’ trees are often represented by species such as the lime tree, oak, maple, ash and olive, reputed for their longevity and impressive size. Surpassing even the oak tree, the lime is majestic, elegant and resistant, and is the veteran of the European trees. Lime trees frequently reach the age of 1000 years, and 2500-year old lime trees grow to this day in Lithuania.

Yggdrasil (attributed to
Oluf Olufssen Bagge)
Drawings and graphics : Pierre Albuisson
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