Perhaps the issue was of central importance like a world pillar?
Hebrew/Biblical/Judaeo-Christian:
002:009 Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is
pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life
also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
002:015 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden
to dress it and to keep it.
002:016 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden
you may freely eat;
002:017 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall
not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you
will surely die."
003:001 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field
which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God
really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"
003:002 The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees
of the garden we may eat,
003:003 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden,
God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you
touch it, lest you die.'"
003:004 The serpent said to the woman, "You won't surely die,
003:005 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
003:006 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired
to make one wise, she took of the fruit of it, and ate;
and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.
003:007 The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew
that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together,
and made themselves aprons.
003:011 God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten
from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
003:012 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
003:013 Yahweh God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
003:017 To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice,
and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying,
'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake.
In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
003:018 Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you;
and you will eat the herb of the field.
003:022 Yahweh God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us,
knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand,
and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."
003:023 Therefore Yahweh God sent him forth from the garden of Eden,
to till the ground from which he was taken.
003:024 So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east
of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned
every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
001:039 Moreover your little ones, whom you said should be a prey,
and your children, who this day have no knowledge of good
or evil, they shall go in there, and to them will I give it,
and they shall possess it.
003:020 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified
in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
002:007 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat
of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God.
022:002 in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on
that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits,
yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations.
022:014 Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have
the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates
into the city.
022:019 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out
of the holy city, which are written in this book.
Biblical:
The Cross?
Gethsemane?
"knowledge" impies sexual?
Sumerian/Babylonian:
http://grahamhancock.com/phorum/read.php?1,1057821Adapa tricked into turning down bread & water of life and looses chance of immortality.
Serpent steals from Gilgamesh/Urshanabi the plant of youth.
picture/seal of man, woman & tree?
Ningish.zi.da/Ningizzida/Gizzida (horned snake/dragon/hydra/serpent with human head) "lord of good tree of life"?
Iranian/Persian:
tree of all seeds
A.M. created a lizard to harm the ox-horn tree?
fig tree on bank of a river (in Mithras story)?
tree with 4/7 [ages]?
Indian:
Picture of Krishna and Radha has 4rivers, snake, 2 trees, man and woman, etc?
Polynesian:
tree 'Ahuehuete' "fir"?
"People of the tree were scattered"?
Norse/Germanic:
Ask (ash) & Embla (elm?) created from trees like tree of life &/or tree of knowledge.
Idun goddess of/with golden peaches?
Yggdrasil / world tree?
mistletoe?
Greek:
Paris offers apple to Aphrodite?
Pandora's box?
Von Daniken:
DNA double helix?