The tree assignments that we had really started to play on my mind the last couple of days.  I tried to recognize coincidences with trees, but I didn't find any. Instead, I thought about two trees from home that are the only ones I ever really remember.  One is a giant willow tree that sat in the front yard of my friend, Katee's, house.  When I think of Willow Trees, I don't see them as "weeping willows" because all of my memories connected to that tree are happy.  But thinking about it, I really wanted to know what mythology had to say about these trees.  One of the big connections that I found while looking this up, is that willow trees are closely connected to water and the moon, and the Greek Goddess Helice.  Because of her, water was used in witchcraft ceremonies.  The connection that directly relates to this class, is Orpheus . He carried Willow branches down to the underworld with him on his journey.

The "weeping willow" idea came from the 16th/17th centuries, when lovers would mourn for their lost loves. There aren't many explanations for this, other than the physical characteristics of the trees.  By the 1800's, willows were commonly used representatives of loss, being carved into gravestones, or put on mourning cards.  There are so many connections to myths: too many to list, which is why I just focused on the ones that I found interesting or important.  Also, I had no idea that this is how the tree was given the name "weeping willow". I found all of this information on "Trees for Life", the website address is http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/forest/mythfolk/willow.html.

That willow tree that I remember... I guess it has a weird story that I would say is a coincidence.  My friend that lived there, our lives have always kind of been interconnected.  Our parents grew up together, and then lost touch until she and I were placed in the same class.  And then we grew up, and started to drift away from each other.  But when we graduated, I came to school here, and to my surprise, Katee's family also moved to Bozeman.  For them, it was just a spur of the moment decision.  But it once again connected our families.  A couple of months ago, I was talking to Katee's mom, and she brought up the willow tree.  I hadn't thought about that tree in several years, but I think that the tree is one of the images that I can always connect to that friendship.  So, I guess that the willow tree is personally connected to a really big coincidence that brought my friend and I back together after several years of not being in each other's lives.

I guess the literary "coincidence" for me is that I didn't expect the willow tree to be mentioned in Metamorphoses.  Honestly, aside from this class, I've never really thought of trees as something other than a piece of nature that was really pretty and fun to relax under.