The Seba library treats Cedar in 9 passages, across 4 authors (including Neumann, Erich, Jung, Carl Gustav, von Franz, Marie-Louise).
not only was the cedar in fact imported into Egypt from Byblos, but the myth expressly relates that Osiris was found by Isis in Byblos in the form of a tree and was brought to Egypt from there.
Neumann establishes cedar as the specific arboreal body of Osiris, linking the dying-and-resurgent vegetation deity directly to the tree symbol and the mythological geography of Byblos.
, The Origins and History of Consciousness (Princeton, 2019thesis
He maketh it to come to pass that the cedar trees grow not, that the acacia trees bring not forth.
Neumann reads this Book of the Dead passage as the definitive mythological signature of the Terrible Mother: the god of the dead whose dominion is marked by the cedar's failure to flourish.
, The Origins and History of Consciousness (Princeton, 2019thesis
Anubis found that the heart of his dead brother Bata, which Bata had placed on a cedar-flower, had turned into a cedar-cone. He put it in a vessel of cold water, and the heart soaked it up and Bata began to live again.
Jung cites the cedar-flower and cedar-cone as the vegetative medium of Bata's resurrection, positioning cedar within the alchemical logic of life-giving water and transformation of the dead.
, Mysterium Coniunctionis: An Inquiry into the Separation and Synthesis of Psychic Opposites in Alchemy, 1955thesis
tree: as arcane substance, 296 cabalistic, 442 cedar, 269, 272n coral, 133 as Cross, 389 feminine numen of, 70f
Jung's index to Mysterium Coniunctionis locates cedar within the symbolic taxonomy of the alchemical tree, cross-referenced with the arbor philosophica and the feminine numen, situating it as an arcane substance within the broader tree symbolism.
, Mysterium Coniunctionis: An Inquiry into the Separation and Synthesis of Psychic Opposites in Alchemy, 1955supporting
Osiris in Cedar Coffin. From E. A. Wallis Budge, Osiris, I, Dover, New York, 1973, p. 5.
Von Franz reproduces the image of Osiris enclosed in a cedar coffin as an illustration for her alchemical introduction, visually anchoring the cedar's role as the sacred container of the divine body awaiting transformation.
, Alchemy: An Introduction to the Symbolism and the Psychology, 1980supporting
sprinkling him with cedar resin. He was then purified symbolically in some way with a brazier and torch… The heart was burned with cedar, cypress and a special kind of flour in front of the kettledrum.
Campbell documents Mesopotamian ritual use of cedar resin and cedar wood in the purification and sacrifice of the sacred bull, indicating cedar's apotropaic and consecrating function in ancient Near Eastern rite.
, Occidental Mythology: The Masks of God, Volume III, 1964supporting
cedar tree, 337n
The Alchemical Studies index cross-references the cedar tree alongside the symbolic centre, the peacock's tail, and celestial imagery, confirming its place in Jung's alchemical symbol-system.
, Alchemical Studies, 1967supporting
see also acacia; almond; ash; ashvattha; baopab; Bodhi; cedar; fig; forest; Gaokerena; myrtle; nettle; oak; olive; palm; persea; pine; plants
The index of Alchemical Studies enumerates cedar among the constellation of sacred trees referenced throughout the volume, positioning it as one member of a broader symbolic arboretum.
, Alchemical Studies, 1967aside
fir-tree, 244n; see also cedar-tree; pine-tree
In the index to Symbols of Transformation, the cedar-tree is cross-referenced with the fir and pine, situating it within a cluster of coniferous tree symbols relevant to the libido and transformation mythology.
, Symbols of Transformation, 1952aside