Who hasn’t heard of juniper? Or cedar? Or cypress? Evergreens — in the literal sense of the word: eternal, not metaphorical — possessing a "balsamic" scent, particularly noticeable since ancient times. According to scientists, they have been known since the Cretaceous period, meaning they are over one hundred million (!) years old, at least in the case of cedar. The branches of these plants line the path of the deceased — as a symbol of death and its overcoming, as a symbol of the beginning of eternal life. For the purpose of ritual fumigation and fragrant incense, the branches are burned. It is no coincidence that the term "to incense" is historically related to the Greek name for cedar.
In various traditions of the Old and New Worlds, juniper is used for fumigating homes and other outbuildings to prevent... What do you think? Lightning. And also to drive away unclean spirits. But conversely: according to some beliefs, an evil spirit or devil resides in juniper. Others claim that the forest where juniper grows is sacred. It cannot be cut down because the Gods live in it. How can one not believe that the mass deforestation of juniper forests in Kyrgyzstan is predetermined by the spread of atheism...
With cedar, there are associations with beauty, health, immortality, indestructibility and invulnerability, strength, prosperity, pride, grandeur... In Assyria, it symbolizes the king; in ancient Hebrew tradition — the kingdom, nobility, fragrance. Later, cedar became the emblem of Christ. According to biblical tradition, cedar was used by Solomon in the construction of the temple.
In Southern Europe and Southwestern Asia, cypress served a similar role. A symbol of death, despair, eternal sorrow, grief. But also — at the same time — of rebirth, immortality of the soul, joy, mercy. This is one of the names of Aphrodite — Cyprida, as the island where she resides is named Cyprus — by the "cypress" characteristic. Cypress is dedicated to Apollo, Venus, Pluto... The club of Hercules, the scepter of Jupiter, and Cupid's arrows are made from cypress wood. An ancient myth tells of the origin of the cypress. A young man, accidentally killing his beloved deer, turns into a tree out of grief. Perhaps that’s why the dialectical Russian name is "elenik," meaning deer tree. After all, plots tend to wander.
Iranians tell a version about a branch of the cypress, once brought by Zoroaster from the heavens.
Such are the illustrious close relatives of our seemingly inconspicuous juniper! In the valley part, where there are many trees of different kinds, it can go unnoticed, but in the mountainous part, where it forms entire forests, it is impossible to pass by.
Juniper deserves to have hymns composed for it. What other tree can withstand temperature fluctuations of 80 degrees? After all, in both winter and summer — forty degrees. Forever arid, from which juniper is saved by a layer of wax covering its green scale-like leaves, preventing deadly evaporation in harsh conditions. The trunk, nesting in a rock crevice, mesmerizes with its eerie and unusual plasticity. Laocoön — that’s what comes to mind.
It is almost impossible to determine the age of a tree "by eye": often a crooked little one, hanging over a cliff, turns out to be a two-hundred-year-old tree.
There is also one of the mysteries associated with juniper that biologists have tried to solve. What kind of strange tree is this that loves only rocks and aridity? It turns out it doesn’t love them. It simply has no choice. Juniper grows well in valley places, reaching heights of 15 meters, with trunks reaching a meter in old specimens. So what’s the matter? Just like any hero, juniper has an enemy, and not just one. The most serious one — grasses. Yes, yes, ordinary feather grass and fescue — ephemerals! — are deadly enemies of juniper. Grasses grow quickly, their roots penetrate the upper horizons of the soil. An old tree, whose roots have gone more than twenty meters deep, is not harmed by grasses. But a little seedling will surely be choked. The struggle for moisture is a fight to the death.
Juniper can grow with a difference of 3000 meters — both in lowlands and in high mountains. Currently, it has turned out that below 1500 meters, juniper is rarely encountered. Biologists say: the lower boundary of juniper growth is anthropogenic. In simpler terms, juniper has been cut down with an axe. Perhaps not with an axe, but that’s not the point. According to the "Avesta," followers of Zoroaster were forbidden to use juniper as ordinary fuel, as another message from the same "Avesta" states that people "worshipping the dēvs" brought this plant to the sacred fire. It would be great to revive this tradition...