Burning Willow

The weeping willow (Salix babylonica), and the willow family (Salix) more broadly, are characterized by their preference for moist soils. Wherever a willow grows, water is likely to be found nearby.

The willow is an exceptionally versatile tree, which explains its many uses throughout history: for making ropes, wicker tools and utensils, as well as for ornamental, medicinal, architectural, and musical purposes. Because it propagates so readily from cuttings and has long served a variety of agricultural functions, willow trees were traditionally planted around Basque farmhouses.

Together with heather, olive, and birch, willow has also played a fundamental role in the history of drawing. Its wood has long been used to produce charcoal, the medium with which artists sketch and compose paintings and murals. The artistic use of charcoal dates back to prehistory, as evidenced by cave paintings.

The weeping willow (bid-e majnun in Persian) occupies a significant place in Persian symbolism. The word bid derives from the Indo-European root wei-t-, meaning “to turn,” “to bend,” or “to coil.” Majnun is the archetypal figure driven mad by love. Associations with mourning, grief, and sorrow also appear in other languages. In German, for instance, trauerweide literally means “mourning willow.”

The trunk of a weeping willow grows upright before gradually bending under its own weight. The higher it rises above the ground, the more its long, supple branches arc back towards the earth, as though seeking to touch it once again. Like ropes, they complete a living circle, reconnecting the tree with its own origin.