Symbol Dictionary: Fruit
Fruit: Fruit is the symbol of harvested labors, the result of hard work and abundance. Fruit represents “the prize.”
Ambrosia: This mythical food gives everlasting life and heals all wounds and is often represented with wine, honey or fruits. In Greek Legends, Mother Hera gives the other Gods a drink of magical wine, which gives them immortality, according to Barbara Walker, in her book The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983). However the ancient sacred eastern Indian texts also impart this idea of a food or drink that gives immortality such as the Vedic soma, Persian haoma, and Egyptian sa. All of these words are also connected with the moon and menstrual blood, suggesting immortality through the life-giving feminine blood.
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Apple: Apples are significant in our culture, from sayings like, “The apple of my eye,” “An apple for the teacher,” to folk legends about Johnny Appleseed, and American apple pie. The apple in Christian dogma comes from the tree of knowledge in paradise. It is the key to original sin, the fall of grace from God. From Symbols Of Church Seasons And Days (1997), by John Bradner, “By tradition the apple is the fruit of the Paradise Tree. It is used sometimes as a symbol of Christ, the new (or second) Adam.” However the apple’s five-pedaled blossoms, like the rose and pentagram, comes from the older Indo-European tradition representing the “knowledge” of sacred femininity, sexuality, and immortality. |
Cherry: Today this symbol is used in slang for a variety of expressions from a cherry-red paint job, to the hymen of a virgin. Like the apple and pomegranate, this fruit represents the virgin (or maiden) Goddess, and depending on the cultures view of sex, may also include temptation. According toBarbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), “the cherry symbolized the Virgin Goddess: bearing her sacred blood color and bearing its seed within, like a womb.” Many cultures include the Cherry in myths or practices. Buddha’s virgin mother Maya, was supported by a cherry tree, the Sala, while giving birth; Gypsies use the Cherry in love magic; and French courtly love used “Cherry” as the name for the beloved.
Peach: Similar to the apple, the peach is a symbol in China for the genitalia of women. Oriental legends tell of gods being reborn in magical peach gardens. According to Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), “Peach Blossom meant a virgin in Taoist symbolism, while the fruit stood for a mature woman whose juices were essential to man’s health.”
Pomegranate: The pomegranate, like the apple and peach, also represented female sexuality and reproduction. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983), states, “The pomegranate with its red juice and many seeds was a prime symbol of uterine fertility.” Legend tells that eating pomegranates impregnated women (Nana, mother of Attis); kept souls in the underworld (Persephone, Kore, and Eurydice); Pomegranate juice was used to anoint the pillars of Solomon’s temple; it was drunk on the occasion of important weddings; and according to Symbols Of Church Seasons And Days (1997), by John Bradner, “This fruit… (has the) meaning of the hope of resurrection.” To this day the statue of Argive Hera or Our Lady With the Pomegranate, holding a child and a pomegranate, is worshipped by pilgrims at Capaccio Vecchio.