Stuff To Blow Your Mind From the Vault: Lightning-Struck Wood and the Rowan
Nov 29, 2025
Dive into the mystical world of lightning-struck trees and the revered rowan tree. Discover how ancient Roman rituals linked to these sacred trees reflect human reverence for nature. Learn about the rowan’s unique biology, its tart berries, and its role in Welsh culinary traditions. Uncover its legendary power to ward off witchcraft and protect livestock. From magical folklore to cultural significance, this exploration reveals why these trees are much more than just plants in our landscapes.
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Why Trees Feel Like Persons
- Humans intuitively sacralize trees because both share vertical, human-like posture and longevity compared to animals.
- This physical analogy helps explain why trees serve as symbols or embodiments of persons and gods in many cultures.
Lightning Sites As Sacred Taboo
- Ancient Romans treated lightning-struck spots as sacred bidentals, enclosing and tabooining them with altars or putealia.
- Lightning-marked sites were both feared as divine wrath and revered as direct contact points with the gods.
The Sacred Fig Of Rome
- Joe McCormick recounts the Comitium fig tree (Ficus ruminalis) tied to Romulus and Remus and lightning-buried stones.
- Pliny notes the tree's sacredness required priests to tend or replace it when it dried up.
