World Tree: Difference between revisions

{{cleanup|This trope is not "significant tree", it's "tree that binds the world together". Examples of merely significant trees (including the ones from Abrahamic tradition) – or of things that aren't trees at all – need to be moved to more-appropriate pages.}}

 

 

A gargantuan tree fills the sky. Usually situated in [[Grim Up North|a breezy land of snow and ice]] or [[The Lost Woods|a sprawling forest]] or maybe even [[Ghibli Hills|a green, green field]]. It can be seen from miles away...

The '''World Tree''' may exist ''between'' worlds, with its roots in one and its branches in another. It may even be a [[Pocket Dimension|Wood Between The Worlds]]. It's naturally a [[Genius Loci]]. See also [[The Tower]].

 

 

{{noreallife|if our world had a World Tree, we would have found it by now. Or, [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|knowing humanity]], we would have chopped it down for the wood and doomed the planet in the process.}}

* In ''[[Kimi ga Nozomu Eien]]'' (The Eternity That You Wish For, Rumbling Hearts) promises made at a tree on a hill are crucial to the plot.

* ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' uses the Kaballistic Tree Of Life. The concept of breaching the barrier that people put around themselves is integral to the plot.

* Mahora Academy in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' literally has the World Tree on campus. It is the setting of the last episode, where promises made in the past are remembered, and used as a battery for frequent time travel in the manga. Also in the manga it glows for one week per 22 years, makes confessions of love (or requests for 'deep' kisses) made near it magically binding, and provides enough ambient magic to power an army of robots.

** Also, it's one of the most powerful foci for magical energy on the entire Earth. {{spoiler|And it has an old gateport to Mundus Magicus beneath it. And in the late 200s / early 300s chapter-wise, the severing of all other gateports and the tremendous influx of chaotic energy from MM is affecting the World Tree, causing it to glow with extreme amounts of power. If/when Mundus Magicus collapses (which, in Ch. 317, [[The End of the World as We Know It|it starts doing]]), the backlash of energy will [[Sphere of Destruction|explode outwards]] from the Tree, leveling Mahora Academy and - presumably - killing thousands}}.

* In ''[[Saint Beast]]'', the giant tree that stands in front of the training hall is infused with memories of the angels who spent time there, allowing Kira and Maya to access them and gather courage before taking their first step toward adulthood.

* Most of the climatic fights in the Perfect Origin arc in ''[[Kinnikuman]]'' take place in Unforgiven Yggdrasil, a gigantic tree said to protect Choujin against the deadly Capillaria rays.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* ''[[The Fountain]]'' pretty much entirely revolves around this trope, particularly the Christian Tree of Life and Mayan World Tree variations. It actually ''is'' the titular [[Fountain of Youth]], apparently, since you drink its sap. (Though eating the bark is just as effective.) It can also [[Literal Genie|grant immortality]], but probably not the way you'd expect. "[[Exact Words|Together we will live forever]]," indeed.

** It apparently [[Bittersweet Ending|outlasts Earth]] and its health is seemingly tied to the health of the planet. It is suggested that the future version of the tree is a seedling planted over {{spoiler|Izzy's grave}} by present-Tom. Before future-Tom [[Gainax Ending|put it in a spaceship]], the original Tree was planted in a pool of water on top of a pyramid and guarded by a Mayan sacrifical priest [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|with a flaming sword]].

* The ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'' movie (and, by extension, the entire [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]]) has one, which binds the nine realms (Earth/Midgard, Asgard, Jotunheim, etc.) together. You can see it hovering as the universe itself during the end credits.

 

== [[Literature]] ==