El árbol protector y su representación en la literatura medieval y áurea
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Universidad de Jaén
info
ISSN: 1540-5877
Year of publication: 2012
Volume: 21
Pages: 32-55
Type: Article
More publications in: eHumanista: Journal of Iberian Studies
Abstract
The tree is an important element in any description of nature. It is considered a symbol of strength, power and life; but is also a symbol for the protection of helpless characters, especially newborns. It is a feminine archetype, a tree totem, which together with other motifs, such as those of abandonment, marks on the skin or breast-feeding of wild animals allows us to recognize the special path followed by the main protagonist towards his/her special destiny. A set of texts from European literature from the Middle Ages and the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in which the tree serves these functions are utilized as examples