Óð Orbis

ʿAin Ghazal ~ (Arabic: عين غزال, romanized: ʿayn ġazāl) 'Spring of the Gazelle' ~ An early farming community, the ʿAin Ghazal people cultivated cereals (barley and ancient species of wheat), legumes (peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas) in fields above the village, and herded domesticated goats.In the earlier levels at ʿAin Ghazal there are small ceramic figures that seem to have been used as personal or familial ritual figures. There are figurines of both animals and people. The animal figures are of horned animals and the front part of the animal is the most clearly modeled. They all give the impression of dynamic force. Ain Ghazal that could support larger populations. As opposed to other sites as new people migrated to ʿAin Ghazal, probably with few possessions and possibly starving, class distinctions began to develop. The influx of new people placed stresses on the social fabric – new diseases, more people to feed from what was planted and more animals that needed grazing.

Acharaca  Ploutonion or a temple of Pluto, and a cave, named Charonium (Ancient Greek: Χαρώνειον άντρον), where the sick were healed under the direction of the priests

Acheron River the "river of woe", as one of the five rivers of the Hades, and depict Charon ferrying the souls of the dead across it as the entrance to the Underworld. 

Acherusia (Ancient Greek: 'Αχερουσια λιμνη or 'Αχερουσις) Lake  was a name given by the ancients to several lakes or swamps, which, like the various rivers called Acheron, were at some time believed to be connected with the underworld, until at last the Acherusia came to be considered to be in the lower world itself. The lake to which this belief seems to have been first attached was the Acherusia in Thesprotia, through which the river Acheron flowed.  Other lakes or swamps of the same name, and believed to be in connection with the lower world, were near Hermione in Argolis,  near Heraclea in Bithynia,  between Cumae and cape Misenum in Campania,  and lastly in Egypt, near Memphis. In Greek mythology, it was also the name of a cavern through which Heracles dragged Cerberus as one of his Twelve Labors.In Plato's Phaedo, souls are divided into four different categories. Evil souls are sent to Tartarus; good souls are sent onward to pure places of the world; but neutral souls as well as repentant people who performed great crimes are not immediately sent to their next realm. Neutral souls are cleansed in the Acherusian Lake before proceeding onward, similar to good souls but slower. People who committed great evil yet were repentant can hope their victims invite them into Acherusia where they can undergo the cleansing process.

Aethiopia

Akshay Vat (Indestructible Banyan Tree), is a sacred fig tree. The sage Markandeya asked Lord Narayana to show him a specimen of the divine power. Narayana flooded the entire world for a moment, during which only the Akshayavat could be seen above the water level. 

 Alexandria City of; the Pharaoh’s Pride; 

Amaravati (Sanskrit: अमरावती, romanized: Amarāvatī, lit. 'city of the immortals') is the capital city of Svarga, the realm of Indra, the king of the devas, in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.  It is also called Devapura, ‘city of the devas’ and Pūṣābhāsā, ‘sun-splendor’ in the Puranas.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia: Temple City of Vishnu

Aornum Charonium 

Ara

Ashvattha also Assattha, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a sacred tree for the Hindus and has been extensively mentioned in texts pertaining to Hinduism, mentioned as 'peepul' (Ficus religiosa) in Rig Veda mantra I.164.20 . Buddhist texts term the tree as Bodhi tree, a tree under which Gautam Buddha meditated and gained enlightenment.  

Athens; Acropolis,

Atlantis

Austras koks,Tree of Dawn, (World Tree/Tree of Life) on the path of the sun, in or by the water, often on an island or rock in middle of the seas, is the Austras koks thought to represent world tree or axis mundi, it is usually described as a tree, but can also be variety of other plants or even objects.  

Avernus Lake

Axum, City of

Ağaç Ana,  (World Tree/Tree of Life) a central symbol. According to the Altai Turks, human beings are descended from trees. According to the Yakuts, White Mother sits at the base of Ağaç Ana, whose branches reach to the heavens where it is occupied by various creatures that have come to life there. The blue sky around the tree reflects the peaceful nature of the country and the red ring that surrounds all of the elements symbolizes the ancient faith of rebirth, growth and development of the Turkic peoples.  

Babylon, City of

Baghdad, City of

Black Hills,

Budj Bim is a cone volcano that rises to 584 ft (178 m) at the intersection of three volcanic craters. Lava flows extend away from the craters toward the coast. The mountain is believed to be Budj Bim’s forehead, the scoria deposits (dark basalt containing vesicles made by air bubbles) produced by the volcano represent his teeth, and the lava flows are thought to be his blood that spilled over the plain, creating the wetlands that have supported the vitality of the Gunditjmara through millennia. The crater’s ridge is still known as the “High Head” and is a sacred place, visited only by Gunditjmara men in special emu-feather footwear. Budj Bim left guardians behind—weeping sheoak trees—to watch the people and ensure they are caring for the landscape. The trees whisper when the wind blows.

Byblos, (Phoenician) City State of 

Byzantion, City of

Caer Avolonne

Caitraratha, the grove of Kubera

Cape Matapan Cave

Chang'an (長安), meaning "Perpetual Peace",

Chichen Itza

Citadel of Arbil

Cocytus River

Colchis

Crater Lake;  The Native Americans would not gaze upon the lake, for to do so was to invite death. The lake, they said, had been created in a great battle between Llao, who ruled the Below World, and Skell, the chief of the Above World. During the battle, darkness covered the land, and Llao, standing on Mount Mazama, and Skell, on Mount Shasta, threw rocks and flames. The fight ended when Mount Mazama collapsed and sent Llao back into the underworld. Rain filled in the remaining depression, forming a lake in the mountain’s place.  

Cypress of Kashmar, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a mythical cypress tree of legendary beauty.  

Damascus, City of

Dandakaranya

Delphi; Oracle - in the town of Delphi on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, there was a temple devoted to the god Apollo. Within a sacred chamber, a priestess called the Pythia would breathe in sweet-smelling vapors emanating from a crack in the rock. These vapors would send her into a state of frenzy during which she would channel Apollo and speak gibberish. A priest would then turn that gibberish into prophesies.  Science: The temple was a real place, and scientists have discovered two geologic faults running beneath the site, now in ruins. Gas was likely emanating from those fissures when the oracle was in action. But researchers have been arguing over the contents of the euphoria-causing gaseous mix. Theories include ethylene, benzene or a mix of carbon dioxide and methane.

Dharmāranya - a sacred grove; a forest in Madhyadesa into which Dharma retired.

Donar's Oak, also Thor's Oak and Jove's Oak, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a sacred tree of the Germanic pagans located in what is now the region of Hesse, Germany. 

Durankulak 

Dvaita Forest

Efes, City of

Égig érő fa, Sky-high Tree, (World Tree/Tree of Life)  is an element of Hungarian shamanism and native faith

Ekachakra Grove

Életfa (Tree of Life)

Eleusis Ploutonion 

Elysium

Erebus

Ergenekon

Eridanos River

Eridu, sacred city of Sumer

Erytheia

Exploding Lake;  The Kom people in Cameroon lived for a short time in the land of the Bamessi. The leader, or Fon, of the Kom discovered a plot by the Bamessi Fon to kill all the young men in his kingdom, and the Kom Fon vowed revenge. He told his sister he would hang himself and the fluids from his body would form a lake. The Kom were not to go near the lake—they were to leave the fish for the Bamessi and should prepare themselves to leave the region on the day that was set for catching fish. On that day, when the Bamessi entered the lake to fish, the lake exploded (or imploded or sank, depending on the storyteller), drowning everyone.  Science: On the night of August 21, 1986, Lake Nyos, a volcanic lake in Cameroon, released a deadly cloud of carbon dioxide, killing 1,700 people sleeping in nearby villages. A smaller degassing event at Lake Monoun two years earlier killed 37. Carbon dioxide can build up in waters at the bottom of volcanic lakes such as these, where it is kept dissolved by the pressure of the lake water above. But seismic activity can trigger a sudden release of the gas, which will travel along the ground and suffocate anyone caught in the cloud. Such events might have been behind the exploding lake of the Kom legend.  Mayor notes that Africa is not the only place with cautionary tales of deadly lakes—Greeks and Romans also had stories warning of valleys or bodies of water that killed birds flying over them. They may also describe real places.

Fathomous (Okeanus) - The Ocean encircling the continent of Óð. 

Ficus Ruminalis, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a wild fig tree that had religious and mythological significance in ancient Rome. The tree is associated with the legend of Romulus and Remus. 

Fields of Asphodel

Gandvík; a dangerous sea, known as the "Bay of Serpents" because of its tortuous shape.

Glasir 'Gleaming', (World Tree/Tree of Life)a tree or grove described as "the most beautiful among gods and men", bearing golden leaves located in the realm of Asgard, outside the doors of Valhalla.

Göbekli Tepe, City of

Godsgallow ~ The Central World Tree and Treehenge

Golden Bough; (World Tree/Tree of Life) before entering Hades, Deiphobe tells Aeneas he must obtain the bough of gold which grows nearby in the woods around her cave, and must be given as a gift to Proserpina, the queen of Pluto, king of the underworld. 

Great Wall of China

Great Zimbabwe, City of

Greater Carthage, City of

Heraclea Pontica Cave

Hierapolis Ploutonion 

Himavanta Forest

Hyperborea

 Hoddmímis holt ("Hoard-Mímir's" holt) is a woodland hollow where Líf and Lífþrasir are foretold to survive the long winters of Fimbulvetr (the five year long winter preceding Ragnarok). 

Hōrai; Branch of Hōrai, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a branch from a tree found on Hōrai which has jewels for leaves. One of Kaguya-hime's suitors set out to search for the branch.  

île de la Cité, City of

Indus Valley

Inka

Irminsul (Great/Mighty Pillar or Arising Pillar), a pillar which is attested as playing an important role in the Germanic paganism of the Saxon people. The oldest chronicle describing an Irminsul refers to it as a tree trunk erected in the open air.  

Iroquois League

Isles of the Blessed

Jericho, City of

Jerusalem, City of

Kalpavriksha (also Kalpataru, Kalpadruma or Kalpapādapa), a wish-fulfilling divine tree. 

Kamyaka Forest

Khandava Forest

Kiev, City of

Kilauea & the Goddess  Pele;   Pele came to Hawaii with her sisters and other relatives. She started in Kauai. There she met a man, Lohi’au, but she did not stay because there was no land hot enough for her liking. She eventually settled in the crater at Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii and asked her sister Hi’iaka to return for Lohi’au. In return, Hi’iaka asked that Pele not destroy her beloved forest. Hi’iaka was given 40 days for the task but did not return in time. Pele, thinking that Hi’iaka and Lohi’au had become romantically entangled, set the forest on fire. After Hi’iaka discovered what had happened, she made love to Lohi’au in view of Pele. So Pele killed Lohi’au and threw his body into her crater. Hi’iaka dug furiously to recover the body, rocks flying as she dug deeper. She finally recovered his body, and they are now together. Science: What seems like a celestial soap opera actually describes volcanic activity at Kilauea, say scientists. The burning forest was probably a lava flow, the largest the island experienced since its settlement by Polynesians. Lava flowed continuously for 60 years in the 15th century, covering some 430 square kilometers of the island of Hawaii. “If any flow were to be commemorated in oral tradition, this should be the one, because the destruction of such a large area of forest would have impacted Hawaiian life in many ways,”  Hi’iaka’s furious digging may represent the formation of the volcano’s modern caldera that occurred in the years after the lava flow.

Knossos, City of

Kunlun the Hollow Mountain

Kush

Lake Avernus Cave

Lerna Lake

Lethe River

Libya

Lotophagiea, Island of, bearing a fruit that caused drowsiness, and which was said to be the only food of an island people called the Lotophagi or Lotus-eaters. When they ate of the lotus tree they would forget their friends and homes and would lose the desire to return to their native land in favor of living in idleness. 

Læraðr, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a tree that stands at the top of the Valhöll. Two animals, the goat Heiðrún and the hart Eikþyrnir, graze its foliage.

Machu Picchu

Madhu Forest

Mag Mell

Malia, City of

Manu’s Tomb

Memphis, City of

Meru

Yax imix che, (World Tree/Tree of Life) the world trees embodied the four cardinal directions, which also serve to represent the fourfold nature of a central world tree, a symbolic axis mundi which connects the planes of the Underworld and the sky with that of the terrestrial realm. 

Mexitec

Middlesea, inland sea surrounded by the continent of Óð 

Mímameiðr, Mimi's Tree,  (World Tree/Tree of Life) a tree whose branches stretch over every land, is unharmed by fire or metal, bears fruit that assists pregnant women, and upon whose highest bough roosts the rooster Víðópnir.

Modun,  (World Tree/Tree of Life)

Mourning Fields

Moving Sands, also known as the Flowing Sands (Liúshā (流沙), "flowing-sand", or "quicksand")

Naimisha Forest

Nakshatravana Grove

Nysa

Ogygia

Op - Largest City State

Óðhenge; Megalith

Panchaia

Petra, City of

Phaistos, City of

Phlegethon River

Prison of Solomon

Punt

Pyramids of Giza 

Radiant Qi Empire

Rama's Bridge;   In the Hindu epic the Ramayana, Sita, the wife of the god Rama, is kidnapped and taken to the Demon Kingdom on the island of Lanka. Bears and monkeys help Rama and his brother Lakshman by building a floating bridge between India and Lanka. Rama leads an army of monkey-like men and rescues his wife.  Science: Satellite images reveal a 29-kilometer line of limestone shoals that stretches between India and Sri Lanka that would have been drowned when sea level rose after the last ice age. It is possible that people were able to cross over the bridge until about 4,500 years ago. But Rama’s Bridge is not the only mythological site buried along India’s shores.   A more recent natural event, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004, revealed the truth of the legend of Mahabalipuram, a port city on India’s northeast coast that was said to be home to seven pagodas. Today, only one pagoda, the Shore Temple, exists. But the great tsunami removed centuries of sediment from the ocean floor just off the coast, revealing several submerged temples.

Remo Capitolis, City of, (Colosseum, Rome)

Remoan Republic

Scheria

Scythia

Sefirot, counting, enumeration  (World Tree/Tree of Life) the kabbalistic tree of life which encompasses both Barnstokkr (Child-trunk), a tree that stands in the center of King Völsung's hall.

Sheba

Sidon: Kenaʿani, (Phoenician) City State of 

Silk Road

Silver Branch, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a tree that represents entry into the Celtic Otherworld. It is also associated with Manannán mac Lir, an Irish sea deity with strong affiliation to Tír na nÓg. As guardian of the Otherworld, Manannán also has strong ties with Emhain Abhlach, the Isle of Apple Trees, where the magical silver apple branch is found.  

Skara Brae, City of 

Solnitsata 

Spartan Helles 

Stonehenge

Styx River

Sumera the 5-Peak Mountain 

Tara, City of

Tartarus

Tartessos

Teonimanu, the Vanished Island; People on the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific tell stories of Teonimanu, the island that disappeared. Rapuanate had taken a woman from the island to be his wife, but her brother took her back. So Rapuanate turned to sorcery in revenge. He was given three taro plants, two to plant on Teonimanu and one to keep. When new leaves sprouted on his plant, it was a sign that the island was about to sink. People had to flee the island, though—it became salty as the ocean water rose. They fled on boats, rafts or clinging to trees that were washed off the land.  Science: Lark Shoal sits at the eastern edge of the Solomon Islands, part of a ridge that flanks the 5,000-meter-deep Cape Johnson Trench. An earthquake could have sparked a landslide that let the island slide into the trench, Nunn says. Underwater maps have revealed several islands submerged under hundreds of meters of water. Islands have probably been sinking in this region for a million years.

Tetejetlen Fa, Tree Without a Top  (World Tree/Tree of Life)

Thebes, (Egyptian) City of

Thebes, (Greek) City of

Themiscyra

Tyre, (Phoenician) City State of    

Ulfensteppes; wide, central plains; home to pack and herd.

Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Aṉangu. The area around the formation is home to an abundance of springs, waterholes, rock caves, and ancient paintings. 

Uppsala; Sacred tree at Uppsala, (World Tree/Tree of Life) a sacred tree located at the Temple at Uppsala, Sweden, in the second half of the 11th century. It is not known what species it was, but a scholar has suggested that it was a yew tree.

Ur, (Sumerian) city of 

Uruk, (Sumerian) city of 

Útgarðar ("Outyards", the plural of Útgarðr. anglicized as Utgard, Utgardar and in other ways.) surrounded a stronghold of the jötnar. They are associated with Útgarða-Loki, a great and devious jotunn.  Utgard is thought to be the last of the three worlds connected to Yggdrasil being the home of the external cosmic forces. Utgard needs to be compared with the Midgard, the world of human affairs, and Asgard, variously attested at the crux of the matter or the centre of the world.

Világfa (World Tree/Tree of Life), the world tree connects different realities; the underworld, this world, and the upper world together. A shaman was believed to be able to climb through each of these levels freely by a ladder. 

Vrindavan Grove

World Mill

1.  the myth of Mundilfæri connects the turning of the cosmos via a 'mill-handle' with the regulation of seasons, and the myth of Bergelmir suggests the concept of a creative milling of a giant's body, associated in some way with the sea,

2. The World Mill (also "heavenly mill", "cosmic mill" and variants) is a mytheme suggested as recurring in Indo-European and other mythologies. It involves the analogy of the cosmos or firmament and a rotating millstone.  ancient Scandinavian and Indian examples.  the World Mill’s relationship to the sacred spiral and the revolution of the starry heavens, providing analogs in Chinese, Egyptian, Babylonian, and AmerInd folklore,  "that the idea of the World Mill originated as a result of the observation of the seasonal revolutions of the constellation of the 'Great Bear'."[1]

Yanartas & The Chimera; In the Iliad, Homer describes a creature “of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire.” This is the Chimera, daughter of the half-woman, half-snake Echidna and slain by the hero Bellerofonte. But her flaming tongue remained, burning in her lair.  In the Lycian Way, sits Yanartas, the site of the Chimera’s eternal flames. There, methane vents from dozens of cracks in the ground. The ignited gas has probably been burning for millennia, and sailors have long used it as a natural lighthouse.  The Hittite chimera had three heads—a main human head, a lion head facing forward and the head of a snake on the end of its tail.