ABSTRACT
The tree-pulling ritual is a sub-category of Minoan tree cult, an aspect of Late Bronze Age Cretan religion known primarily from glyptic iconography. It is proposed that the human figures in tree-pulling scenes may be prophets who physically interact with the trees in order to produce sound from the rustling of the leaves. It is further suggested that the similar posture of all the human figures in these scenes indicates an ecstatic state, and that being in this state would enable the human figures to understand and interpret the sounds of the trees as a type of language. Tree-pulling iconography is analyzed in regard to animism, gender, dress, ethnographic analogy and shamanism, particularly the shaman’s capacity as an interspecies communicator. The role of bodily postures in the facilitation of ecstatic experiences points to the importance of an analysis of the tree-pulling figures’ pose within the wider corpus of Minoan iconography. It is determined that the pose is agonistic, which leads to the conclusion that the human figure is attempting to force the tree to participate in a communicative relationship.
