Outside Reading Reflection - Peter Ikeda

A few weekends ago I went to go see "Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga' Hoole" with a few friends. The movie is based on a series of books that revolve around a band of owls who seek a sacred tree who's legends tell of its nobility and goodness. I had read the books and after seeing the movie decided I should reread them. I had just finished my bibliography project on Yggdrasil, the world tree of Norse mythology, so my knowledge of trees and their significance within religion and life was freshly ingrained into my mind while I read these books. Throughout the series the tree serves as a place of sacred importance to the band of owls; first as a legend and a myth set to inspire them and then when they discover the great tree it serves as a place where they undergo a spiritual journey. The "Ga 'Hoole" tree was the tree where the first owl king resided, it is a legend to many neighboring owl kingdoms, and is more advanced than any other owl kingdoms as well. It serves as the axis mundi of the owl universe in this series just like Yggdrasil serves as the axis mundi in Norse mythology because it is the center of all the universe. In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil was the tree where all life was intertwined. Through it's branches the nine different worlds were connected and there are many stories of the gods' interactions with this tree. Both trees are in the center of their respective universes and their interactions with deities, heroes, and other cosmological elements attribute to their significance. This connection really struck me as cool and got me thinking about other trees and how they're so significant in religion and how they serve a multiplicity of purposes to describe mankind and its beliefs.