The Indo-Mediterranean Caduceus and the Worship of the Tree, the Serpent, and the Mother Goddess in the South of India

Granziera, Patrizia

doi:10.1215/1089201x-2010-038

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Interestingly, the proportion of species that are planted appears unrelated to the age of the church or the size of its forest, as some of the oldest and largest forests include many cultivated species. The number of planted species is higher than previous studies in other parts of Ethiopia, where only exotic species have been reported as planted (Wassie et al 2005, 2010, Aerts et al 2006. However, it is unclear whether researchers have asked local people about the cultivation status of indigenous species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…A recent survey of 348 church forests across northern and central Ethiopia (Aerts et al 2016) found that most are relatively small (2.48 ± 0.24 ha). Nonetheless, ecologists have conducted numerous studies showing that church forests harbour species that are rare in the rest of the landscape and therefore contribute to biodiversity conservation at local and regional scales (Wassie et al 2005, 2010, Aerts et al 2006, Mulat 2013, Meshesha et al 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tall, spreading trees (e.g. the mugumu (fig) of the Kikuyu, the yaxche (kapok) of the Maya or the asvattha (pipal) of Hindus and Buddhists) are often considered sacred in their own right (Karangi 2008, Zidar & Elisens 2009, Granziera 2010). Sacred groves and forests are found on every continent except Antarctica (Bhagwat & Rutte 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

2017

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SUMMARYIn the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia, Orthodox Christian churches provide habitats for plants that have become rare in the surrounding agricultural landscapes. The objective of this paper is to investigate why and how the local clergy and laypeople protect and promote woody plants within their sacred spaces. Interviews at 11 churches in the Debark District of North Gonder generated a list of 47 woody species, of which most are rare in the rest of the landscape. Three tree species (indigenous cedar, Juniperus procera; indigenous olive, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata; and exotic Eucalyptus globulus) were identified as most important. While cedar and olive are symbols of tradition and witnesses to church history, eucalyptus is a source of income and alternative material for church construction and repair. A significant proportion of indigenous species within Debark's church forests were said to have been planted, including cedars and olives. Knowledge that these species are cultivated enhances the conservation value of these forests by inspiring local people to continue planting trees and shrubs. In addition to serving as refugia for rare species, Ethiopia's church forests nurture the knowledge necessary to promote plant diversity in the rest of the landscape and serve as archetypes for community-driven conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

2017

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“…The woman is represented as being able to conceive because she has first been ritually wedded to a tree or has been chosen as the fitting receptacle for a spirit that is ready to be born into this material world. 29 A woman is able to bear a child for what she is herself: a vessel for the forces of life, not because of any biological process dependent upon a male partner. The need a woman might have to find a husband is unrelated to her power to conceive.…”

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confidence: 99%

Christianity and Tamil Culture: Father Joseph Beschi and the Image of the Virgin Mary

Granziera¹

2011

Toronto Journal of Theology

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Costanzo Giuseppe Beschi (1680–1747) was an Italian Jesuit sent to the Madurai Mission in 1711. Father Beschi was a highly educated man who commanded several languages, including Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Portuguese prior to his move to India. Once at the mission he learned Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, and Urdu and wrote extensively in Tamil on both religious and profane subjects. Beschi had a deep veneration for the Virgin Mary. He, like many other missionaries, called upon her for protection during sea voyages and for help in evangelization. In fact, Beschi was responsible for the erection of two important places of worship dedicated to the Virgin Mary: Konankuppam, near Parur, and Ellacurichi, near Tanjore. These two sanctuaries became places of pilgrimage during the seventeenth century and continue to be respected as such places today. The cult of the Virgin Mary in southern India and especially in Tamil Nadu is very popular, and she incarnates the emblematic figure of contemporary Indian Catholicism. This article examines the image of the Virgin Mary as portrayed by Father Beschi in his Tamil poems and as shaped in the artistic representations that decorate the two sanctuaries he erected in her honour in Tamil Nadu.

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AIDS Amma Shrine: Pedagogy as Tactics

Das

2019

Teaching AIDS

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The Indo-Mediterranean Caduceus and the Worship of the Tree, the Serpent, and the Mother Goddess in the South of India

Abstract: C o m p a r a t i v e S t u d i e s o f S o u t h A s i a , A f r i c a a n d t h e M i d d l e E a s t V o l . 3 0 , N o . 3 , 2 0 1 0 d o i 1 0 .1 2 1 5 / 1 0 8 9 2 0 1 x -2 0 1 0 -0 3 8 © 2 0 1 1 b y D u k e U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s 6 1 0

Cited by 4 publications

References 2 publications

Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

Christianity and Tamil Culture: Father Joseph Beschi and the Image of the Virgin Mary

AIDS Amma Shrine: Pedagogy as Tactics

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