『In the Hall of the Mountain King』
2025.4.26 Unnamed mountain, Sanmen County, Zhejiang Province.

After coming down the mountain, I asked an old local farmer at the foot. "That tree? The Mountain God?! emm.... Yes, exactly!" I was genuinely amazed to learn its name.

At the summit, the tree—maybe a camphor—stood unexpectedly alone on the southern cliff. No other large plant or tree in sight across the horizon. Its trunk leaned eastward, as if weathered by some great setback. Against the distant peaks, it brought to mind Tao Yuanming's(陶渊明) line: "Lost in a forest, no one notices a tree; standing alone, it becomes a marvel.(连林人不觉，独树众乃奇)"

Beside it lay a flat clearing with some obviously transplanted saplings. Up close, I saw the tree wasn't naturally tall—its base was encircled by half a meter of piled soil. Clearly, this wasn't a wild tree; it had been carefully tended.

I climbed up and leaned against the trunk for a while. Plain and unadorned—no red ropes, no ornaments.

"No wonder. Who would hike ten miles of mountain trails just to see this tree? Nameless mountain, nameless tree, and nameless visitor."

#InTheHallOfTheMountainKing #Photography #Landscape #SolitaryTree #Zhejiang #MountainGod #TreeLore #hiking #mountains #tree

Got a sleepyhead, stubborn pear tree? Lore in these parts says you have to have a talk with it. Give it a firm warning and a gentle tap with a switch - this tells the tree it's time to wake up and produce! #FolkloreThursday #TreeLore #Folklore

Don't say anything you want to keep secret near a willow tree. Many believed they would repeat your secrets to others #TreeLore #FolkloreThursday [My Image]

The oak tree! In one belief, carrying an acorn in your pocket would help you live a long life. In another, people might leave acorns on windowsills to stop their house being hit by lightning #TreeLore #FolkloreThursday [My Image]

Some trees on the Wirral, UK. As it's #NationalTreeWeek I thought I'd share a few photos. If only these trees could talk...
#Trees #TreeLore #TreeLove #FolkloreTree #RootSystem #treemagic

Good morning from a rather rain soaked Wirral. Today we have some ancient tree folklore. I've just started looking into British tree lore and I'm reading a book 'Root & Branch Magical Tree Lore ' by Melusine Draco. The British Isles were once covered by the Wild Wood, ancient forests. The ancient people believed these places to be inhabited by the Fae and were often places to be feared. But they also provided shelter and food.
#TuesdayTrees #Folklore #TreeLore #Wildwood #CelticFolklore #Myths