About our Project

Nowadays, when the use of technology increases and isolating oneself at home is increasing, the time we spend with nature decreases day by day. 

But our connection with nature will never end. 

Understanding the system of nature and protecting it, is now more important than before. 

Our aim is to emphasize the importance of the tree, which is one of the most important parts of nature, for all living things, and to draw attention to this issue. 

This is a multinational project between schools from Greece, Turkie, Poland and Romania and this book is about the first part of it..

"My Guardian Tree"

Guardian Trees

But.. What's a guardian tree?

The Tree is a common universal, archetypal symbol that can be found in many different traditions around the ancient world. Trees are symbols of physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation and liberation, sustenance, spiritual growth, union and fertility.

Guardian tree is a title that was given to five special trees which were in ancient times considered sacred. According to folklore, a tall stranger, some say a giant as high as a wood, came to the court of the High King at Tara, bearing a branch from which grew three fruits: an apple, an acorn, and a hazelnut.

Those five trees were the five sacred trees of Ireland!

Giorgos An. 5th grade, Dystos' Primary School

Source: https://stairnaheireann.net

Trees in Greek Mythology

In Greek Mythology, Dryads were originally considered the nymphs of oak trees specifically, but the term has evolved towards tree nymphs in general, or human-tree hybrids in fantasy. 

Often their life force was connected to the tree in which they resided and they were usually found in sacred groves of the gods. They were considered to be very shy creatures except around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most nymphs.

Types of Dryads

Daphnaie

These were nymphs of the laurel trees.

Epimelides

These were nymphs of apple and other fruit trees.

Hamadryad

These were an integral part of their trees, such that if the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it also died.

Meliae

These were the dryads of the ash tree

Dryads

Anastasia, 6th grade, Dystos Primary School

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Kyparissos was the youngest child of the king of Chios and had gained the favor of god Apollo. In a gesture of favor, Apollo gave him a domesticated sacred deer for companionship, with which Cyparissos formed an inseparable bond.

One day Cyparissos went out hunting in the forest where his deer was running and without realizing it was it. he killed it. When he recognized his beloved animal he burst into tears and asked Gods to die with it. Apollo took pity on the inconsolable youth and decided to relieve him of his misery. So he transformed him into a cypress tree, a tall and beautiful tree.

The cypress has since become a symbol of mourning.

Eleftheria, 6th grade, Dystos Primary School

Source: https://mikropragmata.lifo.gr

The myth of cypress  

( kyparissi )

Phyllis was a beautiful princess from Thrace, who fell in love with Theseus' son, Demophon, when he was returning from Troy. The two young people got married, but Demophon soon became homesick for his homeland, Athens, and wanted to return to it. Phyllis let him go back because she believed that if he really loved her he would come back. However, the enamored princess waited for her lover for years until he withered and died. The Gods, seeing her grief, gave her another chance by transforming her into a tree, so that she could wait for Demophon. So Phyllis turned into the tree that became a symbol of hope, the Almond tree.

According to the legend, Demophon returned to Thrace and found his wife a dry tree without leaves in the middle of the frozen landscape. Full of remorse he embraced her trunk and she then flooded with flowers in the middle of winter defeating death.

The princess never returned to her human form. It remained a tree and every year in January, it is decorated with white flowers as the first tree of spring.

Almond tree

Vasiliki, 6th grade, Dystos Primary School

Source: https://mikropragmata.lifo.gr

When Cecrops, son of Earth and Sky, founded the city later called Athens two gods, Athena and Poseidon, claimed its protection.

First, Poseidon brought water as a gift to the city by striking the rock of the Acropolis with his trident (according to another version of the myth, Poseidon brought as a gift a war horse from the foam of the sea).

Then the goddess Athena hit the rock with her spear and an olive tree grew. None of the two gods would back down and so the rest of the gods of Olympus were called to decide on the protection of the city.

Athena managed to gather the most votes and finally got the protection of the city which was named Athens and had the olive tree as its symbol! In fact, the trees that came from Athena's olive tree were sacred trees and were protected by Zeus or "Morius Zeus".

Panagiota, 6th grade, Dystos Primary School

Source: https://www.gardenguide.gr

Olive Tree

A creation of 2nd grade

Dystos' Primary School

Trees in Fairy tails..

Source: https://foodtank.com/

Some fairy tales begin with: "Long ago, when the trees could talk ..

The tale of Frau Holle (Grimm), Marie along a tree full of ripe apples that say they want to be shaken.
In the fairy tale of Hansel play is death by a wily hero on a tree pinned. Everyone is happy because nobody needs to die. But eventually, the many old people are a burden on the community. The sick who would want to kill themselves may not die. So the dead back from his exile freed.

In the fairy The spirit in the glass (Grimm) is a woodcutter under a tree a ghost who is stuck. With his release the man finds his happiness.

In the tale the old woman in the forest (Grimm) we meet a prince and his entourage from trees that are changed. Using a poor servant girl who works the magic ring of the old witch to steal, they get their old human form again.
Trees are sacred and sometimes protective, sometimes dangerous and threatening.

The tree as a mirror for man
The tree in the fairy tale people also hold a mirror like in the fairy tale of the pine tree that would have other leaves (Anderson). His wish was granted. He woke up and had leaves of gold. A robber and plucked all the leaves off. When the desired tree leaves of clear glass. Also, this wish was fulfilled. A storm blew the glass leaves the air. They fell to the ground and splintered. Finally the tree was only the needles back and was thrilled when that happened. 

Source: http://voiceofthetrees.blogspot.com/

Giannis, 6th grade, Dystos' Primary School