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The usual interpretation of the tree in the Garden of Eden is that it has a phallic significance. More correctly, the tree signifies the mother and the fruit represents her breasts and vulva which the father denies the son. The serpent is Adam's penis with which he beguiles Eve. Many myths are considered, all of which show that the tree is a maternal symbol. The subtitle of the article, A Psychoanalytic Investigation of the Origin of Mankind, is a little pretentious.