Willow
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"These willows never attain to the dignity of trees; they have no rigid trunks; they remain humble bushes, with rounded tops and soft outline, swaying on slender stems that answer to the least pressure of the wind; supple as grasses, and so continually shifting that they somehow give the impression that the entire plain is moving and alive."--The Willows (1907) by Algernon Blackwood "Like willow I will be the willow by your bedside." --JW Geerinck |
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Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.
Willow in human culture
The willow is a famous subject in many East Asian nations' cultures particularily painting (pen and ink) in china and japan.
Gisaeng Hongrang, who lived in the middle of the Joseon period, wrote:like willow I will be the willow on your bedside.Hongrang wrote this poem by the willow in the rain in the evening which she gave to her parting lover.
In English folklore, a willow tree is believed to be quite sinister, capable of uprooting itself and stalking travellers.
Willow trees are quite prevalent in folklore and myths.
In literature
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story called Under The Willow Tree (1853) in which children ask questions of a tree they call 'willow-father', paired with another entity called 'elder-mother'.
"Green Willow" is a Japanese ghost story in which a young samurai falls in love with a woman called Green Willow who has a close spiritual connection with a willow tree. "The Willow Wife" is another, not dissimilar tale. "Wisdom of the Willow Tree" is an Osage Nation story in which a young man seeks answers from a Willow tree, addressing the tree in conversation as 'Grandfather'.
Also, in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character Ophelia climbed a Willow tree when a branch broke and dropped her into the river below where she drowned.
