Many of us feel a tie to nature and the plant life within it. One of the main reasons that we exist (other than phytoplankton) is the trees that help preserve the land and produce oxygen for us to breathe. If you look at the structure of many trees they actually resemble our lungs upside down. Our tie to them is ancient and necessary for survival. Let's go through some of the different ways and symbolisms that are used in the tattooing of trees on us today.
Apple Tree:
Depending on usage these can reference different stories. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from Christianity would have a snake among its branches. Eating the fruit of this tree is said to have made the kind hearted and unaware realize sin and evil.
In Greek mythology Hera's golden apple orchard was involved in multiple myths: The Labors of Hercules, where he had to steal three golden apples from their branches. There would obviously be golden apples on this tree and either three Hesperides or the many headed dragon Ladon as the guard, perhaps both, in the imagery. The apple that started the Trojan war was said to have been picked by Eris and marked with the words "For the most beautiful" before being tossed into the middle of a marriage reception and causing a dispute between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was made to settle this dispute by Zeus, who wanted no part of the petty argument. This apple is referred to as the "Apple of Discord".
Banyan Tree:
The Banyan tree is a fig tree which is held sacred in many cultures. In Hinduism it is said that the leaves hold the Vedas, or Vedic poems. In Buddhism one symbolism is for passionate sensual desire, since the Banyan essentially overwhelms other trees which it grows on before taking full root. In many other South Asian/Indonesian/Micronesian cultures they have the role of being home to spirits, ancestors or creatures, as well as being conscious themselves.
Dead or uprooted tree:
This can represent death obviously, the abuse of nature, a feeling of separation, emptiness if it is hollowed out, fear of the big dark forest, or a foreboding of evil. Sometimes wicked faces are imbued upon the tree as if it is a vengeful and dangerous monster.
Family Tree:
The recording of family history goes back to earlier than one thousand BCE but the use of an image of a tree for this is much younger. Unlike the typical graphs or charts that are used to represent lineage a family tree works in reverse. The main trunk is the family name, the main branches are the oldest members and their spouses. The branches basically get smaller and more spread out as the generations carry on. Generally speaking, only a few generations are usually used in the representations for tattoos.
Hamadryads:
Feminine forest spirits or nymphs in Greek mythology which inhabit and are directly affected by the treatment of their tree. Often represented by a tree with a very feminine curvy form.
Human Faced Tree:
Not quite the Ents from Tolkien but close. These can represent a few different things. In some cultures it is believed that the trees hold the spirits of our ancestors. In others, the faces represent nature spirits that reside in the forest. While in others, they symbolize nature being alive and conscious, which to some degree some scientists are starting to lean in that direction.
Natural:
A tree in it's natural state can represent growth or simply an attachment to the forest and nature. Though some trees can be associated with different attributes; such as an oak being strong or a pine never losing it's green in the dead of winter. In the Norse myths man was made from an Oak branch and woman from one of the Ash tree. Both of these trees are incredibly strong.
Seasonal:
Seasonal variations of a deciduous tree can represent change or simply a love of the seasons.
Tree of Life:
This Celtic tree represents the cycle of life and nature. It is generally circular in form and the roots tie back into the canopy. This symbolizes the roots feeding the canopy as the canopy feeds the roots. This aspect is drastically important for a tree to be a tree of life, many artists just call their trees by this name but have no actual representation within them of this cycle.
Yggdrasil:
The world tree from Norse mythology. Depending on the source there are at least nine realms, or worlds, within this enormous Ash tree. Its roots reach deep into the underworld realms, as well as up into others, and its branches reach into the realms of the Aesir and Vanir in the skies.
These examples by no means cover all of the myths and legends which revolve around trees, but it is a good start.
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