The cypress tree

mixed media

(185x375mm)

The cypress tree is one of the most commonly employed motifs among ancient cultures and myths. The cypress tree was the tree of life to the Ottoman Empire. The Greeks had several myths based on the cypress tree. In one, Cyparissus killed himself following the death of his pet stag. Apollo then transformed him into a cypress tree, from which the sap ran as tears. Cypress trees also make an extensive symbolic appearance in the Iranian epic poem Shahnameh. In the story, a great cypress tree sprung from a branch brought by Zoroaster from paradise. In Persian cultures and elsewhere the cypress tree may also be a symbol of uprightness and freedom, its barrenness representing liberty. It was also associated with truthfulness since the essence of the cypress tree was considered to be without deceit or falseness.