From the earliest times, trees have been the focus of religious life for many peoples around the world. As the largest plant on earth, the tree has been a major source of stimulation to the mythic imagination. Trees have been invested in all cultures with a dignity unique to their own nature, and tree cults, in which a single tree or a grove of trees is worshipped, have flourished at different times almost everywhere. Even today there are sacred woods in India and Japan, just as there were in pre-Christian Europe. An elaborate mythology of trees exists across a broad range of ancient cultures.

According to the Roman authors Lucan and Pomponius Mela, the Celts of Gaul worshipped in groves of trees, a practice which Tacitus and Dio Cassius say was also found among the Celts in Britain. The Romans used the Celtic word nemeton for these sacred groves. A sacred oak grove in Galatia (Asia Minor), for example, was called Drunemeton (Strabo, Geographica, XII, 5, 1). The word was also incorporated into many of the names of towns and forts, such as Vernemeton near Leicester in England.

The names of certain Celtic tribes in Gaul reflect the veneration of trees, such as Euburones (the Yew tribe), and the Lemovices (the people of the elm). A tree trunk or a whole tree was frequently included among the votive offerings placed in ritual pits or shafts dug into the ground. Others shafts had a wooden pole placed at the bottom. The Celts believed trees to be sources of sacred wisdom, and the hazel in particular was associated with wisdom by the Druids.

About Author:

Tommie Eriksson (also known as Tommy Eriksson) is a Swedish musician and occult author. He is the author of Mork Magi (Dark Magic), a book on the philosophy of the left-hand path as conceived by Dragon Rouge, published by Ouroboros Produktion in 2001. He founded psychedelic occult doom band Saturnalia Temple in 2006.

Eriksson founded the metal band Nocturnal Rites together with Fredrik Mannberg in 1990, though then belonging to the death metal scene. Tommie left Nocturnal Rites in 1994. (From Nocturnal Rites biography)

In 1995 he formed the occult musical project Shadowseeds with fellow Dragon Rouge member Thomas Karlsson, releasing the album The Dream of Lilith through Dark Age Records/Megarock Records. This release belongs to the metal/industrial genre. In 2004, Shadowseeds released a dark ambient CD-R titled Der Mitternacht Lowe, based on the theories of 17th century Swedish mystic Johannes Bureus.

Eriksson played guitar with symphonic metal band Therion in 1995, then took drumming duties in 1996-1997, and again guitar on the albums Vovin in 1998 and Crowning of Atlantis in 1999.

Tommie's drone/ambient project Skopolamin has co-operated with Swedish poet Iodine Jupiter for live shows in 2003 and on his book/DVD in 2005.

In 2012 Tommie co-founded 1970s psych/occult band The Tower. He is back on the drums in this band.

Tommie Eriksson also founded occult doom metal band Saturnalia Temple in 2006. The lyrics deal with subjects such as occultism, witchcraft and magic. The band played on Hell's Pleasure in 2011, Roadburn Festival in 2012 and Heavy Days in Doomtown in 2013, as well many more gigs around Europe.

Tommie Eriksson Discography:

- UR- 2007 demo, released independently.
- Saturnalia Temple - 2009 EP, released through Nuclear Winter Records.
- On the Powers of the Sphinx - 2010 split with bands Nihil Nocturne, Nightbringer and Aluk Todolo, released through The Ajna Offensive
- Aion of Drakon - 2011 full-length album, released through The Ajna Offensive
- Impossibilium - 2013 EP, released through The Ajna Offensive
- To the Other - 2015 full-length album, released through Listenable Records.