| Aspen | The aspens of the world have been trembling ever since the moment Christ's blood was spilt as He was nailed to a cross made of aspen. |
| Cedar | An angel once blessed a cedar because it sheltered him from a storm. Since the angel prayed it would bear a fruit which would bless all people, God answered the prayer by allowing the cedar to be used as the Savior'scross. |
| Clematis or Mistletoe | These trees were condemned to become vines because they furnished the wood for the cross. Reminiscent of the snake's being condemned to crawl on its belly for tempting Eve. |
| Dogwood Tree | At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was a tree large enough to make a cross from. Because it felt such horror on this account, Christ promised the dogwood it would never again grow large enough to be put to such a use. As a memorial of Christ's passion, its blossoms now grow in the shape of a cross; its petals bear brown and red nail prints; and a crown of thorns graces the center of each of its flowers. |
| Holm Oak | While the rest of the forest rebelled, the holm oak agreed to become the wood of the cross and "die with Christ". |
| Pine | The same pine which concealed the Holy Family from Herod's soldiers was used to make the cross. Therefore, its cones when cut lengthwise represent the hands of the Christ Child while its branches grow in the shape of a cross. |
| Seth's Tree From Eden | Adam's son, Seth, begged 3 seeds from the angel who guards the gate to the Garden of Eden. He planted these seeds in Adam's mouth when he died.The tree which grew from these seeds had 3 branches - one each of cedar, cypress, and olive. Centuries later, King David wept over his sins beneath this tree. His son, Solomon, tried to destroy the tree and threw it into a swamp. The Queen of Sheba refused to use the tree for a bridge as walking over it would be the same as walking on the cross of Christ. |
| Weeping Willow | According to Charles M. Skinner, "bears a curse, inasmuch as it is one of the several trees on which Judas hanged himself, being planted by the devil in order to lure people to suicide by the peculiar restful swinging of its branches." Also believed to weep because its branches were used to scourge Christ. |
Comments© 1997 by Suzetta Tucker
To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "Legends and Symbols of the Cross of Jesus
Christ." ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1997. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/cross.htm
().