Deity by the Sacred Tree

This Relief is from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal at Kalhu. A tree deity or tree spirit is a nature deity related to a tree. Such deities are present in many cultures. They are usually represented as a woman, often connected to ancient fertility and tree worship lore. Trees were often regarded as sacred in the ancient world, throughout Europe and Asia. Christianity and Islam treated the worship of trees as idolatry and this led to their destruction in Europe and most of West Asia.