Acacia

Acacia is the name of a great number of related species of tree. 
== Legends ==
Vachellia seyal, also known as the Red Acacia, was likely the wood used to build the ark of the covenant and the altar of the tabernacle. Jacob, when he went to Egypt, planted twenty-four species of tree, the wood of which was taken into the desert during the Exodus. Only the wood of the shittah could be used due to the sins the Israelites would commit at Shittim, and thus would be the wood used to make the ark and altar to atone (shittim is the plural of shittah). Unknown. (1972). "acacia", in Leach, M. (ed) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. 3rd ed. p.5
When Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, his crown of thorns was made of acacia from the genus Vacheilla.
In Buddhism, acacia wood is burned on altars, and in Hinduism it is burned to make sacrificial fires.
In India there is a belief that evil spirits live in acacias, but will only do evil if the wood is used to make a bed which people then try to sleep on. People would be unable to sleep on such a bed. The use of the wood in sacred fires could potentially be a method to release and/or disperse said evil spirits. 
Historically, certain groups of eunuchs in India would be treated with the ashes and bark of Vachellia nilotica after their castration. 
In Patagonia, a type of Acacia is recorded as being the residence of a spirit, which the locals would make offerings to, including clothing and horses. 
The Heart in the Acacia Flower story, based on the Egyptian Tale of Two Brothers, is a well-known example of the separable soul folklore motif. 
== Further Reading ==
* Book of Numbers
* Golden Bough
* Tale of Two Brothers
== References ==
Category:Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend
Category:Materials