of Rig-Veda, and in the 15th chapter of Bhagavad-gita (1-4). • In the Japanese religion of Shinto, trees were marked with sacred paper sym- bolizing lightning bolts, as trees were thought to be sacred. This was propa- gated by the fact that after they passed (died, ancestors and animals were often portrayed as branches on the tree. • The Book of One Thousand and One Nights has a story, 'The Tale of Bu- luqiya', in which the hero searches for immortality and finds a paradise with jewel-encrusted trees. Nearby is a Fountain of Youth guarded by Al-Khidr. Un- able to defeat the guard, Buluqiya has to return empty-handed. • The Epic of Gilgamesh is a similar quest for immortality. In Mesopotamian mythology, Etana searches fora 'plant of birth' to provide him with a son. This has a solid provenance of antiquity, being found in cylinder seals from Akkad (2390 - 2249 BCE). • One of the earliest forms of ancient Greek religion has its origins associated with tree cults.
