Sacred groves were a feature of the mythological landscape and the cult practice of Old Europe, of the most ancient levels of Germanic paganism, Greek mythology, Slavic mythology, Roman mythology, and in Druidic practice. Sacred groves also feature prominently in many Asian and African mythologies and cultures, most notably in India, Japan, West Africa, and Anatolia.
Excavations at Labraunda have revealed a large shrine - which, according to Herodotus was supposed to have contained a sacred grove. The site was sacred to both Carians and Mysians.
In Syria, some sacred groves are believed to have been made during Assyrian times.
In central Italy, the town of Nemi recalls the Latin nemus Aricinum, or "grove of Ariccia", a small town a quarter of the way around the lake. In Antiquity the area had no town, but the grove was the site of one of the most famous of Roman cults and temples: that of Diana Nemorensis, a study of which served as the seed for Sir James Frazer's seminal work on the anthropology of religion, The Golden Bough.
A sacred grove behind the House of the Vestal Virgins on the edge of the Roman Forum lingered until its last vestiges were burnt in the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE.
In the town of Spoleto, Umbria, two stones from the late third century BCE, inscribed in archaic Latin, established punishments for the profanation of the woods dedicated to Jupiter (Lex Luci Spoletina) have survived; they are preserved in the National Archeological Museum of Spoleto .
The Bosco Sacro (literally sacred grove) at Bomarzo, Italy is a well-known sculpture garden and sacred grove.
The pagan Germanic tribes also performed tree-worship and had the concept of sacred groves. It is thought that the idea of sacred trees like the Thor's Oak might have led to the concept of the present day Christmas tree.
Nemetons were often fenced off by enclosures, as indicated by the German term Viereckschanze - meaning a quadrangular space surrounded by a ditch enclosed by wooden palisades.
Many of these groves, like the sacred grove at Didyma, Turkey are thought to be nemetons, sacred groves protected by druids based on Celtic Mythology. In fact, according to Strabo, the central shrine at Galatia was called Drunemeton. Some of these were also sacred groves in Greek times (as in the case of Didyma), but were based on a different or slightly changed mythology.
Around 14,000 sacred groves have been reported from all over India, which act as reservoirs of rare fauna, and more often rare flora, amid rural and even urban settings. Experts believe that the total number of sacred groves could be as high as 100,000. Threats to the groves include urbanization, over-exploitation of resources, and environmental destruction from Hindu religious practices. While many of the groves are looked upon as abode of Hindu gods, in the recent past a number of them have been partially cleared for construction of shrines and temples.
Ritualistic dances and dramatizations based on the local deities that protect the groves are called Theyyam in Kerala and Nagmandalam, among other names, in Karnataka.
The concept of sacred groves is present in Nigerian mythology as well. The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, containing dense forests, is located just outside the city of Osogbo, and is regarded as one of the last virgin high forests in Nigeria. It is dedicated to the fertility god in Yoruba mythology, and is dotted with shrines and sculptures. Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist, has helped revive the grove. The grove was designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. .
Sacred groves are also present in Ghana. One of Ghana's most famous sacred groves - the Buoyem Sacred Grove - and numerous other sacred groves are present in the Techiman Municipal District and nearby districts of the Brong Ahafo Region. They provide a refuge for wildlife which has been exterminated in nearby areas, and one grove most notably houses 20,000 fruit bats in underground caves. The capital of the historical Ghana Empire El-Ghaba, contained a sacred grove for performing religious rites of the Soninke people. Other sacred groves in Ghana include sacred groves along the coastal savannahs of Ghana . Many sacred groves in Ghana are now under federal protecttion - like the Anweam Sacred Grove in the Esukawkaw Forest Reserve Other well-known sacred groves in Ghana include the Malshegu Sacred Grove in Northern Ghana - one of the last remaining closed canopy forests in the savannah regions , and the Jachie sacred grove.
Sacred groves in Japan are typically associated with Shinto shrines, and are located all over Japan. The Cryptomeria tree is venerated in Shinto practice, and considered sacred. Among the sacred groves associated with such jinjas or Shinto shrines are the shrine at Atsuta-ku, Nagoya - one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan, and the Kashima Shrine - now protected as part of the Kashima Wildlife Preservation Area, on account of its varied bird life and plant life (it houses over 800 kinds of trees).
The Utaki sacred sites (often with associated burial grounds) on Okinawa are based on Ryukyuan religion, and usually are associated with toun or kami-asagi - regions dedicated to the gods where people are forbidden to go. Sacred groves are often present in such places, as also in Gusukus - fortified areas which contain sacred sites within them. The Seifa-utaki was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2003. It consists of a triangular cavern formed by gigantic rocks, and contains a sacred grove with rare, indigenous trees like the Kubanoki (a kind of palm) and the yabunikkei or Cinnamomum japonicum (a form of wild cinnamon). Direct access to the grove is forbidden.
A major event leading to the eventual formation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took place in what is commonly referred to within the Church as The Sacred Grove. This Grove is a forested area near the border of western New York near the home of Joseph Smith, Jr. around 1820. It is the location where Smith said he had his First Vision, an important theophany in the movement's theology.
The exact location of the Sacred Grove is not known, but it would have been west of Smith's adolescent home on the border of the towns of Palmyra and Manchester. This area was being cleared at the time for farming by the Smith family, who were also using the trees to harvest maple syrup. The area has been purchased by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who cares for the area and allows tourists to visit. Many Latter Day Saints view the place as a sacred site.
The Sacred Grove's main historical significance is as the location of Joseph Smith's First Vision. In the early 19th century, the western New York area had "caught fire" so many times with intense revivalism that it later became known as the burned-over district. As an early adolescent, the revivalism both interested and confused Smith, and he became concerned "for the wellfare of my immortal Soul," which led him to study the scriptures . Believing that "there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament" , and not knowing where to turn for forgiveness of his sins, he went to the woods near his home to pray . While praying, Smith said he saw a "pillar of light", and then "his mind was caught away" into a vision , where two personages, identified as God the Father and Jesus Christ, told him his sins were forgiven and that all churches were false and corrupt ().
This story has become a foundational element in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because adherents believe this vision started Smith on a path toward becoming a prophet, translating the Book of Mormon from golden plates, and re-establishing the Church of Christ.
The Sacred Grove is also suggested as a possible site where Joseph Smith, Jr. showed the golden plates to Eight Witnesses in June 1829. Smith's mother said that the event took place at a location near the Smith log home "where the [Smith] family were in the habit of offering up their secret devotions to God" . According to Joseph, the plates had been taken there by the angel Moroni, who had been guarding them since their translation ().
Located in Palmyra, New York, the Sacred Grove is often visited as part of the Smith Family Farm, an historical site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 843 Stafford Road in Palmyra. The church operates a welcome center on the farm, which includes a replica of the log home built in 1818 by Joseph Smith, Sr. and his wife Lucy Mack Smith, as well as the original frame home built by the Smiths in 1825.
Other historic sites close to the Smith Farm are the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center, where Smith was given the records that he translated the Book of Mormon from, as well as the Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site, located at the E.B. Grandin Printing Shop in Palmyra.
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