Did you know which #tree is most frequently struck by lightning? #Oaks have a knack for attracting bolts during thunderstorms, perhaps not coincidentally linked to their association with the god(s) of #thunder. But #Norse mythology is just a piece of a larger puzzle.
Perkūnas, the #Baltic thunder god, and his #Slavic counterpart, Perun, shared ties to the same venerable tree. Even #Roman Jupiter and #Greek Zeus joined the thunder god ranks. Across #Europe, cultures under similar latitudes shared grand bonfires on specific occasions:
Spring's arrival
Summer and Winter Solstices
All Hallows’ Eve
Each region had unique customs, but they all symbolized the sun's power, dispelling negativity and blessing crops and livestock. Interestingly, fire also served as a defense against #witches. In many traditions, the last sheaf of corn, often referred to as "the Old Woman", met its demise in the flames.
Despite differences, these bonfires shared common threads. They all symbolized the sun's power, dispelling negativity and blessing crops and livestock. #Fire also served as a defense against witches.
Fertility could have been another great mutual peculiarity: the #sun had the power to make the vegetation grow, so the fire could have resembled the star’s fertilizing strength. This could explain why even the farm animals were driven through the flames, sometimes hurting themselves.