QUOTE(eqwer @ Jul 2 2012, 01:01)

couple question from a ESL guy: why oak tree represent the holy? i remember in The Vampire Diaries, the strongest vampires ----- the originals can only be killed by a stick that come from a acient oak tree too.
and why willow tree represent the dark?
Speaking as a native speaker, I have no idea, so I'll look on the Web.
It looks like oak trees were sacred to various cultures going back at least to the ancient Greeks, and were chosen as the sacred tree of Zeus and other gods probably due to the extreme toughness of the wood. A lot of modern Western traditions are absorbed from various non-Christian "pagan" religions.
e.g.
[
en.wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak#Religious[
www.controverscial.com]
http://www.controverscial.com/Oak.htmThe willow <-> dark association I hadn't heard before, but it looks like it also has an association with witchcraft and death and associated gods in the Western world, as well as fertility rituals, which are equivalent to "evil" in traditional Christian thinking, whereas in China willow branches were used to ward off ghosts.
This post has been edited by mechafujoshi: Jul 2 2012, 10:49