“... Another perception in the ancient world is that a great tree stands in the center of the world, sometimes referred to as a ‘World Tree’ or a ‘Tree of Life.’ The idea that a cosmic tree is at the center of the world is a common motif in the ancient Near East. The tree’s roots are fed by the great subterranean ocean, and its top merges with the clouds, thus binding together the heavens, the earth, and the netherworld. In the Epic of Erra and Ishum, Marduk speaks of the mesu tree, the roots of which reach down through the oceans to the netherworld and the top is which is above the heavens. ...”