On the 10^th of September a scientific conference titled “Green Intelligence: From Climate Change to Socio-Economic Processes” was held at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) within the framework of “Baku Climate Action Week 2026”. At the conference a leading researcher at the Institute of Folklore, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor Elchin Galiboghlu made a presentation titled “Nature Cults in Azerbaijani Folklore: In the Context of Mythological Thinking and Eco-folkloric Memory”. It was noted that the ancient layers of the relationship among humans and nature in Azerbaijani folklore were most clearly evident in nature cults. Beliefs concerning water, soil, trees, mountains, stones, fire and wind demonstrate that natural phenomena and objects were not perceived merely as observable realities within the traditional worldview.

The relevance of this topic manifests itself in yet another dimension today. Climate change, rising temperatures, the increase in extreme weather events, drought, the depletion of water resources, soil degradation and the weakening of ecosystems are bringing the issue of humanity’s relationship with nature back to the forefront. In this regard, the study of the sacred value attributed to natural objects in folklore is not limited to an examination of ancient worldviews; it also reveals the cultural and spiritual foundations of humanity’s relationship with nature…