TREE-WORSHIP 29 



man would soon distinguish between the 

 helpful and the harmful, between food and 

 poison, between benevolent spirits to be 

 rewarded, and malevolent ones to be pro- 

 pitiated. And, if the spirits that were usually 

 benevolent ceased to be so — if a tree did not 

 bear fruit, for example — clearly the spirit had 

 been offended, and his wrath must be appeased 

 by gifts. This was the stage at which man 

 arrived when magic ceased to have his sole 

 adherence. 



Has it become easy for us now to realise 

 that once it was a widespread belief that two 

 trees were the progenitors of the human race ? 

 Indeed we may say that it was universal, 

 where trees were to be found. What a 

 strange, rude anticipation of the modern theory 

 of evolution ! The Eddas have it that after 

 the creation of heaven and earth, Odin and 

 his brothers, walking by the sea, came upon 

 two trees, and changed them into human 

 beings, one male and the other female. From 

 the first brother they received life and soul ; 

 from the second, wit and the will to move; 

 from the third, face, speech, sight and hearing. 

 The gods also gave them clothing, and chose 



