by
wensum24
@ 26/11/2005 - 12:00:28
Ir prijojau zhlia liepa
girios vidurely.
toj liepoj, toj zhaliojoj -
vario lopishelis.
O tarn vario lopishely -
Grazhi merguzhele.
~
I rode up to a green linden,
in the middle of the woods.
On that linden, on the green one -
a copper cradle.
And in that copper cradle –
a pretty maiden.
During the Middle Ages a Prussian tribal leader was given a pardon by the ruling Teutonic Knights, and his way of thanking God was to place Mary's likeness in a nearby linden tree. This linden soon attracted many rumours of miraculous healing and epiphany drew local pilgrims to the Holy Linden, known as Swieta Lipka in Poland. In 1320, with a growing number of visitors, the Teutonic Knights built a shrine to the arbor, but two hundred years later, the knights razed the chapel, and thus hindering Catholic visitors and believers in a religious reversal, with the installation of threatening gallows around the trees. The gallows eventually rotted however, and a great number of Germans and Poles visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady which can be found near Mragowo in the Mazury region of Poland.
In Polish linden is known as Lipa, and the month of July is known as Lipiec, as the linden blossoms in July, holding great affection amongst Poles. Indeed, old lindens were considered most sacred in Poland, holding a position symbolizing exalted, divine power, valour and victory.
The Ancient Greeks and Slavs considered the linden as the home of their goddess of love. Besides, the older name of the tree is considered to have been lenta 'a board', having today a different meaning. (Other names are, liepas 'linden' (Tilia). The common name for 'linden', used by the Balts and the Slavs, is linked with the words belonging to the family of the word lipti 'to climb' / to stick to'. )
As time passed, and Christianity arrived to the region of Poland, Christianity incorporated the legend as the tree of the Blessed Mother. In folktales, the Blessed Mother who would hide in the branches of the linden, only revealing herself to children, and so, many roadside shrines were placed beneath linden trees as a result. This can also be found all over northern France, Benelux, Germany through to Poland and Russia to this very day. Belief also taught us that lightning never strikes a linden tree, thus according it the title of "lucky tree".
(I might add, that some areas of the Somme battlefields of 1916, when all else was blasted to smithereens, some metal crosses beneath lindens survived, not all of course, but it is incredible to think that any could withstand such shelling and constant pounding.)
As for the linden itself, it blooms in midsummer, during July, with creamy white, light yellow flowers, extremely well-loved by bees, and thus a great favourite of beekeepers. Old lindens often housed beehives within hollowed trunks. Indeed, bees were imported and such was their esteem, that in 1401, people in Mazowsze passed laws protecting bees and beekeeping. Severe punishment was given to anyone cutting a linden, and bad luck or even death was associated with their felling.
In courtyards, cemeteries, market squares etc, rings of lindens were frequently the chosen tree, as the linden blossoms attracted a great many bees, the beeswax from which provided candles used in churches.
Many myths, stories and traditions can be traced back to Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece, Celtic times and the Middle Ages.
One Greek myth refers to a period when the gods, Zeus and Hermes, paid a visit to the land of mortals checking their behaviour. Whilst in disguise they sought shelter, to no avail, eventually, they came to the house of Philemon and Baucis who welcomed them. As reward for their kindness, Zeus granted them eternal togetherness, transforming Philemon into an Oak and Baucis into a tilia, (lime or linden tree), thus remaining side by side. Indeed, oaks and limes are often seen growing happily together!
From Celtic times to the Middle Ages, the linden, as we have mentioned, was considered sacred, with judicial cases commonly being heard beneath a linden, as the tree was said to inspire fairness and justice. Royal decree announced the planting of limes along roads for a plentiful supply of it's flowers, and thus aiding medicinal properties. To this day, in England, lime tree avenues are a feature of any town or city.
Sitting under a linden was said to cure epilepsy and other nervous conditions.
In folklore medicine, because of its heart-shaped leaves the Lime tree (tilleul) was dedicated to Venus, the goddess of love, and was said to cure all diseases classified under the goddess.
(Hydrosol of Linden Blossom:
Linden blossom hydrosol (distilled water) is very well regarded for its soothing and draining effect on the skin and can be used as a facial tonic or added to an aqueous cream for hypersensitive skins. It also relaxes the tissues and will give a feeling of refreshement in the morning if applied as a night cream.)
Continuing on a therapeutic level, the blooms of the linden, together with honey, could be made into a tea which helped sufferers of colds by inducing sweating and so helping break the fever. Herb teas
Lime tea/tilleul is used in infusion by many people as a help indigestion and for those who find it difficult to go to sleep. It is a traditional herbal remedy in many countries.Linden absolute can be used in an aromatherapy blend calm and relax mind and body.
(In Lativa medical infusions are made from linden blossoms) The linden also yields valuable oil used for food.
In Poland, the linden is much loved, standing for family, faith and the good life.
In Latvia, a landscape dotted with oaks and lindens grants both these trees the status of national tree. It is not uncommon to see a lone tree amidst a great cultivated field, which is either an oak or a linden. Latvian folksongs often give a nod to both these trees, with the linden symbolically representing a female, and the oak, the male. Latvian for linden is Liepa. Indeed, throught north-eastern Europe, through to Russia, many songs, tales and poems use trees, and the linden as representations of people, the linden always being feminine in interpretation - the dominant theme - as lindens draw such comparisons through their softness, whiteness, colour, etc. In Lithuania, the linden is the most mentioned tree of all.
The linden is also favoured by carvers of eastern Europe.
by lauren6
[Lime tree or Linden tree or tilleul.
The word lime derives from an Old English word Lynde or Lind.
The Tilia genus is a family of some 45 deciduous trees spread through the temperate Northern part of the hemisphere.
Lime trees grow spontaneously in England and many parts of Europe, and can live a very long time, the longest living tree is recorded to be over 700 years old.]
If thou lookest on the lime-leaf, Thou a heart's form will discover; Therefore are the lindens ever Chosen seats of each fond lover.
-Heinrich Heine
~~~
Please visit loglady an excellent blog, for soothing tree photos.
~~~
Colour: Hazel
Music: Ezekius: Come Away With Me (Dancehall mix)
Max: Deep Love (Bossanova mix) ...cool!
Brazilian Lounge [Bar de Lune]
~~~
When the weather is fine, as it has been these last three days, I go out at two o'clock, and walk as long as I can without stopping, passing and re-passing the labourers who are chopping wood, looking for all the world like the figures in those pictures of a winter landscape.
-Madame de Sévigné, November 26th, 1684
