Le platane de l’Ilissos et le chêne de Dodone: arbres sacrés dans le Phèdre de Platon

Abstract

In Plato’s Phaedrus (229 a 8‑c 5) figures a plane tree growing by Ilissos; it hosts Socrates’ and Phaedrus’ discussion. Socrates refers later (275 b 5‑c 2) to the oak of Zeus at Dodona. Our paper is articulated around certain capital aspects of the symbol of the ‘sacred tree’, detecting their presence in the dialogue, in view of sheding some new light on the role that the plane tree of Ilissos and the oak of Dodona could play in this philosophical text. We may thus distinguish better the elements that Plato borrows from the religious thought and his innovations.