North Eurasian Shamanic Traditions

The tradition of holy trees has found an enduring role in Scandinavian culture. Warden trees, known as tuntre in Norwegian and vardtrad in Swedish, are still planted in central places on many farms today. These trees, if well taken care of, are thought to bring good luck to the farm and the people who live there. It's a belief not so far removed from ancient lore – which held that the court of the gods was "kept beneath the great ash and it was there they meted out justice".