Necropolises Built Near the Confluence of Three Rivers
Zas [Zeus] and Kronos always existed and Chthonie; and Chthonie got the name of Ge, since Zas gave her Ge [Earth] as a present. (Diogenes Laërtius, I, 119)
Looking at the different geographic maps of the places where the Etruscans built their Necropolis it is possible to find a common pattern. Each one of them is situated right where there is the confluence of three rivers; each river represents a confine.
Studies confirm that the confluence of three rivers in order to create borders for lands was a costume also for civilizations such as the Celts. For these civilization, the land surrounded by three rivers is a place where different energetic fields meet creating a gate of communication with short duration between the physical plane and the etheric plane. Besides that, the Celts used to consider sacred the places where plants of wild Hazel and Whitebeam would grow.
Trees particularly precious to druids for their magic capacities are the wild hazel, the yew, and the whitebeam.
In the Celtic cults the wild hazel was considered as a catalyst of ancient knowledge, and the ingestion of its fruit was used to create a contact through visions with otherworldly presences. It was recommended to eat hazelnuts to help nutrition as they are rich in proteins and healthy fats; their properties were helpful for cerebral functions, but this was true for druids only when the fruit of the hazel was collected from the ground; to tear off wild hazelnuts and then eat them was seen as bad omen.
In order to create a protective shield of energy the Celts used to carry necklaces made out of hazelnut shells.
For the Celts the forest was sacred, the druids had an incredible respect for some plants such as the Birch, the Whitebeam, and the Alder. Most important was the use of the Whitebeam because for the druids it had fundamental energies and powers to reach the divinities. The belief was that by eating Whitebeam berries with the favorite food of the gods it was possible to rejuvenate. Protection was given by the stave or star that was the sacred symbol for protection evident when looking the stared cavity of the berries. Thus, eating Whitebeam berries meant to prolong life or even obtain immortality.
Regarding the Etruscans, we know that they themselves introduced the hazel in Italy as a magic and esoteric plant associated to Mother Nature, fertility, protection, healing and wisdom. It is in fact for these reasons that Etruscan rhabdomantists adopted forked branches of Hazel because its powers would lead to energetic places where usually water springs passed underground.
For the Etruscans the Whitebeam tree relates directly to the Chthonian divinities; so there were rituals and cults for underground divinities and the personification of the divine powers through seismic and volcanic events. Thus, the wood of the Whitebeam was used by the Etruscans for the production of many domestic objects to keep away negative energies. The ingestion of its fruit favoured to find clarity in life, the communication with etheric planes, and protection from negative energies and fear.
The wood of the Whitebeam when heated on fire could be bent, so that was possible to create butter churns, different wooden shapes to make cheese, or even to bend the sticks of the shepherds. Besides, Talismans used to be made to protect the person from lightning and negative influences.
Finally its applications reached even activities as the navigation, the Whitebeam was considered a great protector against sea storms; pieces of this wood would be attached to parts of the boat keel.
