Mythological trees: The apple of discord and golden bough
Myths often place a tree at the point where human desire changes course. The golden bough opens a forbidden threshold, while the apple of discord releases rivalry into the world. Both turn an arboreal form into an agent of passage, conflict and transformation.
For Imelda Almqvist, a London-based shamanic painter, such symbols belong to an inner landscape where colour carries emotional and spiritual weight. Her paintings inspired by mythology, sacred traditions, mathematics and language invite close looking, revealing how branches, fruit and entangled roots can express otherwise invisible forces.
Two trees, two kinds of power
The paired motifs work differently within their source traditions. One is associated with sacrifice and passage between worlds; the other with attractiveness, competition and consequential choice. Their visual possibilities nevertheless meet in themes of access, transformation and moral ambiguity.
| Aspect | Golden bough | Apple of discord |
|---|---|---|
| Mythic source | Virgil’s Aeneid, later shaped by ritual scholarship | Greek mythology surrounding Eris and the Trojan War |
| Central object | A luminous branch carried into the underworld | A golden apple inscribed for the fairest |
| Threshold | Death, rebirth and passage between realms | Peace, rivalry and the movement towards war |
| Emotional register | Sacrifice, hope and renewal | Desire, jealousy and choice |
| Visual vocabulary | Mistletoe-like leaves, glowing bark, gateways | Round fruit, metallic colour, sharp contrasts |
A painting of either subject can therefore hold opposing energies: vulnerability beside authority, abundance beside danger, or beauty beside discord. These tensions give the trees a lasting presence in contemporary spiritual art.
The golden bough and the threshold
The golden bough comes primarily from Virgil’s Aeneid, where Aeneas must collect a special branch before he can enter the underworld. Its later association with mistletoe, sacred groves and seasonal customs was expanded by J. G. Frazer’s influential study of ritual and vegetation. It is a layered cultural symbol rather than a single uncomplicated myth.
For a painter, the bough can become a narrow passage illuminated against deep colour. Its leaves may suggest shelter and renewal, while its cut form introduces sacrifice and separation. A broader reflection on mythic symbols and meaning offers a companion way of considering how sacred imagery continues to shape inner experience.
The apple of discord and the power of choice
In Greek myth, Eris throws a golden apple inscribed “for the fairest” into the celebration of Peleus and Thetis. Paris’s judgement between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite leads to Helen’s abduction and the Trojan War. The fruit carries attractiveness, but it also destabilises relationships by turning preference into rivalry.
This narrative lends itself to painting through concentrated contrasts: a radiant sphere against turbulent ground, metallic skin beside organic foliage, or a seemingly small object surrounded by signs of mounting disorder. It also has the structure of an inner journey. Imelda’s labyrinth as spiritual journey shows how repeated turns can transform a painted surface into a route of discovery, making the apple’s journey through desire equally psychological.
Shamanic colour and energetic atmosphere
Colour does more than describe a tree in these paintings. It can indicate presence, communicate a subtle shift in energy and make the unseen perceptible. Gold might imply radiance or invitation; deep blue can hold mystery; red may register vitality, danger or accumulated force.
That sensitivity to invisible qualities runs through Imelda’s practice. Her account of painting invisible energies is directly relevant to mythological imagery, where aura and branch or fruit become carriers of narrative tension. The goal is not literal illustration but a visual language capable of suggesting forces beyond ordinary sight.
Texture strengthens this effect. Broken marks can suggest bark, weathered stone or a boundary dissolving into mist. Glazes may create depth without explaining every edge, allowing an image to remain open to intuition. In this way, the tree becomes both symbol and instrument for contemplation.
Sacred trees within an Australian context
Australian landscapes offer an immediate meeting between ancient mythology and familiar native vegetation. In Sydney, collectors may encounter eucalyptus forms alongside contemporary sacred art through inner-city galleries, design districts and online marketplaces. Its pale bark and persistent leaves provide a powerful local counterpoint to the golden bough.
Melbourne’s open-studio weekends, small gallery network and active fair culture create another way to encounter visionary painting. Australian collectors shopping through venues such as Melbourne Art Fair or the Artful platform increasingly combine physical viewing with digital collecting, making works from London accessible beyond major city galleries.
Country and Dreamtime references require particular care. Restricted First Nations designs, ceremonial knowledge and community-specific stories should never be absorbed as generic inspiration. When commissioning First Nations artists, credit, permission, payment and agreed cultural protocols come before visual novelty. At the bench, technical companions such as ocean-inspired glaze experiments demonstrate how luminous layers can lend natural forms a vivid, living presence.
Invite the myth into your space
Explore the available paintings and their pricing, then select the tree whose emotional tension speaks to your own story. A golden bough can mark renewal and spiritual passage; an apple of discord can hold ambition, rivalry and the consequences of choice.
Collectors in Australia can enquire about available works, viewing details and framing, while those ready to explore the creative process can ask about Imelda’s introductory two-day sacred art courses or longer professional programmes in London and Pennsylvania. Choose the image that draws you in and give its mythic energy a place in your world.