In Medieval Greece the Tree that holds the worlds together was thought of as being constantly sawed at by goblins called Kallikantzaroi, eventually leading to the break up of the worlds and a new beginning.
The Mayans called the tree Wacah Chan. They also believed that it connects the underworld Xibalba, the middleworld of man, and the heavens. It was depicted as being burned at the bottom but still growing at the top, represeinting the constant cycle of growth and decay.
Kabbalists depict a Tree of Life as representing the ten manifestations of the divine and the journey that the Kabbalist makes from the bottom of the tree towards the top, at each stage encountering a deeper understanding of god. Some believe that the Tree of Kabballah corresponds to the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible, Genesis 2:9.
In Hindu philosophy the Tree relates to the seven chakras of the body. At the lowest chakra is the Kundalini which is depicted as a snake and must be awakened and travel up the body. Awakening each chakra in turn develops the consciousness of the individual and brings them closer to the divine.
The modern symbol of medicine, the Rod of Asclepius, or Caduceus, depicts a pole which two snakes climb up. The earliest medicine men and women would travel the world tree to find cures for their patients.
In Norse mythology the tree is often depicted as an Ash called "Yggdrasil". Under the roots is the underworld, around the trunk is Midgard the realm of men, and in the branches there is the upperworld.
The tree is not simply a supporting structure for these worlds, there are other landmarks and inhabitants as well. Under each of the three roots, is a sacred well, one of which is tended to by the Norns or Wyrd Sisters.
These 3 women control time and destiny by weaving threads, much like the 3 Fates of Greek myth. They also water the roots of Yggdrasil with the water from that well.
There are also several animals that live in Yggdrasil. A bird (a rooster or an eagle) living among the branches, a dragon that chews the roots, and a squirrel that runs up and down the trunk with messages between them. Four deer or stags are also living in the branches of the great tree, representing the 4 directions.
Yggdrasil means "terrible steed" as the tree was also represented as a horse with nine legs, one for each world.
Ygg "terrible" was thought to be a title for Odin. Odin hung from the branches of the tree for nine nights to discover the mystery of the Runes. This is thought to be his shamanic initiation ordeal. The story bears a strong resemblance to Jesus's experience on the cross, which was also portrayed as a tree. It is thought that the Norse may have incorporated what they knew about Christianity into their own myths. Witches carried a staff or broomstick to represent to World Tree and mounted it like a horse. They would take some kind of herbal drug to aid them in reaching another state of mind and to travel to the other worlds. In Norse mythology the tree connects three levels which each contain three worlds. At the top there is Asgard, Alfheimr, and Vanaheim. In the middle there is Midgard, Jotunheimr, and Nidavellir/Svartalfheim. At the bottom there is Hel, Niflheim, and Muspelheim.
Saxons called the tree Irminsul and erected tall poles which were venerated well into the Christian era. They survived into the modern day as May Poles and Midsummer Poles which people would have originally danced around as a fertility ritual.
Many cultures consider some high up place as the axis of the world, such as a mountain, pyramid, tower, or totem pole. This idea has survived in modern culture, where tall buildings such as the Washington Monument or the Eiffel Tower are symbols of secular power.
During initiation into the mystery cults, the initiate himself was consecrated as the axis of the world or the universe. In the rituals of Mithras twelve people would dance in a circle around the initiate to represent the planets travelling around the sun. Any place, object, or person, can be seen as the centre of the universe, because the cosmos is considered imbued with the divine essence and the worlds of spirit and matter are connected and co-existing.
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