1. The green cord dream
Ellen White ((1827-1915): “He [my guide] handed me a green cord coiled up closely. This he directed me to place next to my heart, and when I wished to see Jesus, take from my bosom and stretch it to the utmost… I placed the cord near my heart and joyfully descended the narrow stairs…” (EW, p. 81, 1882).
Alexander Afanasyev (1826-1871): The Frog Princess. “The old man gave him a ball of yarn and said, “here is a ball of yarn, follow it wherever it rolls” (Russian Fairy Tale, 1855).
Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859): The Six Swans. “She [the witch] gave him a ball of yarn that had strange quality when he threw it in front of him, it unwound itself and showed the way” (Grimm’s Fairy Tales, 1812).
2. Trees of gold and silver
Ellen White (1827-1915): “On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree, and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure, transparent gold. At first I thought I saw two trees. I looked again, and saw that they were united at the top in one tree. So it was the tree of life on either side of the river of life. Its branches bowed to the place where we stood, and the fruit was glorious; it looked like gold mixed with silver” (EW, p. 17, 1882).
Ellen White: “Next I saw a field of tall grass most glorious to behold; it was living green, and had a reflection of silver and gold…” (To The Little Remnant Scattered Abroad, April 6, 1846).
Schonwerth (1810-1886): “He found himself in an enchanted garden awash in bright sunlight, full of flowers and branches with gold and silver leaves and fruits made of precious stones. The tree of paradise was growing right in the middle of the garden” (King Goldenlocks (1857), Translated by Maria Tatar, 2012).