The Tree of Evil

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

The Tree of Evil

I learn from the people that they have a tradition to the effect that the alder, which they call nitat kene-ni (Alnus japonica) was the first tree created. And one man told me it must be, he thought, the same as 'the tree of knowledge of good and evil,' I had been speaking of a short time before. It is not supposed, however, that this tree was caused to grow, or was created in our sense of the word. But it is said to have been sent direct from heaven already grown and planted in a land called Wenpipok, wherever that may be.

This tree is supposed to have been the origin of evil, or rather the means by which evil was brought into the world. I speak now not of moral evil, but physical; evil in the sense of causing bodily pain and suffering, but not evil in the sense of having brought sin into the world. The bark, not the fruit, is supposed to be the evil-causing agency. Even at the present day some Ainu consider it to be the direct cause of a disease they call shihapapu, a complaint which is said to consist chiefly in severe internal pains, and which often terminates in death.

After some time, as the tree grew old, the bark is said to have fallen off and rotted on the ground, as it does indeed at the present day. But as it decomposed and became fine powder or dust, it was blown over the face of the earth by the winds, and in some mysterious way became the cause not only of stomach complaints but also of many kinds of bodily ailments.

But, strange as it may appear, the bark of this tree is not only looked upon as the cause of illness, but is also sometimes used as a means for its cure. The bark, if taken fresh from the tree and a decoction made by steeping it in hot water, is said to work wonders; and not only therefore are there special maladies for which it is to be particularly recommended, but, as might be expected, it is also supposed to be good for almost every kind of disease.

If, now, instead of saying that this tree came down from heaven already grown, we say that it grew out of the axes and mattocks spoken of on a previous page, we have the second legend. There will therefore be no need to repeat it here..

The Elm Tree

Do not let it be supposed that the Ainu are all of one mind on so important a subject to them as to which tree was really first created, for we must not expect to find unanimity of opinion on such a matter. Accordingly we are told that while some hold the alder to have been first produced, others give the preference to the elm, and stoutly maintain their belief by argument. The reasons for the elm as against the alder are something like these:

(1) Man existed before disease, for unless there were some person to be ill, sickness could have no place. Granted.

(2) Health is naturally prior to sickness, and is the proper condition of man. Also granted.

(3) Food and clothing are necessary to health, and cooking is equally necessary for the preparation of food. Granted also.

(4) But fire is necessary to cooking food, and the means for producing fire are also necessary before fire can be produced. Granted of course.

(5) But before matches were brought in by foreigners, and the flint and steel by the Japanese, our ancestors produced fire by either rubbing the roots of trees together, or striking flints against one another; also before clothing material was introduced among us from Manchuria or by the Japanese, bark was used for making clothes. Granted.

(6) Now the roots by which fire was produced and the bark out of which the clothing was made came from the elm tree. This is also granted.

Mark then the conclusion of this Socrates. Hence as the elm roots were originally necessary for making clothes, as fire was necessary for cooking, and cooking necessary for food; as food and clothing were necessary for health, and health, being the original state of man, was prior to sickness; therefore there must have been fire to cook with and clothing to wear, and elm roots and bark to produce them; hence the elm tree and fire were the most ancient deities produced by God. The elm is therefore prior to the alder. This 'This is the house that Jack built' kind of argument is thought to be conclusive, and there is not much to be said against it.

Those Ainu, however, who protest for the alder against the elm, rest their main argument on the belief that fire came down from heaven in the beginning. But as no one living has ever seen fire descend therefrom, except in lightning, and as lightning is not a very desirable thing, this argument is not considered to be so strong as the other, and the sceptics have pretty sure ground to stand on Here. I will remark in passing, that on points like these there are plenty of sceptics among the Ainu; but I feel bound to say that I have never heard of an atheist in their midst. Atheist is a term altogether outside of their thought and vocabulary.

There is one interesting point in the above statement which I think should not be lost sight of, and that is, that the Ainu cannot imagine their ancestors to have been ever without fire and the implements for producing it; namely, the roots of trees and pieces of flint. In this they are like all other savage races; for, vast as the antiquity of the remains of man may be, they never carry us back to the time when he was ignorant of the art of making fire. In so far as this world is concerned, so say the Ainu, the elm tree and fire were the most ancient deities produced by God. Whether totemism is to be found in this or not, will appear as we proceed.

Bibliography

1. John Batchelor, The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore (London: Religious Tract Society, 1901), 45-50.

John Batchelor

World Mythology

A collection of myths, legends, and other stories that teach us something about the world. Note that myths are often tied into the history and religion of the people who tell them, and they should always be treated and read with respect!

View Group