The apple is an ancient symbol of life, eternal youth and immortality. Thanks to its almost perfect spherical shape, it symbolizes integrity, infinity, eternity, reversibility, cyclicity, perfection.
State seal of the American state of Washington. The apple is the official fruit of this state.
The healing properties of the apple were highly valued in many ancient cultures. There was a belief that apples could give those who eat them, if not immortality, then at least good health. Apples were considered the food of gods, magicians and sorcerers, thanks to which they gain their supernatural abilities. A widely spread story is about the hero getting a magic apple: Hercules steals an apple from the garden of the Hesperides, characters from Slavic fairy tales go in search of “rejuvenating apples.”
If you cut an apple in half, its core will look like a five-pointed star, a sacred pentagram. Perhaps for this reason, the apple was a symbol of the goddess Aphrodite and was associated with Lucifer. The five-pointed star manifests itself in nature in many ways. Most likely, this symbol appeared from the pattern of movement in the sky of the star Venus, repeating its outline. The pentagram is a symbol of femininity, secret knowledge, initiation. The apple also takes on such meanings.
William Tell shoots the apple on his son's head. German engraving from the 16th century.
The appetizing seductive appearance of the apple and its aroma have become a symbol of love, pleasure, joy of life, physicality, youth and freshness.
In the Song of Songs, the apple is a symbol of passion, carnal desire. However, the apple is an allegory of everything worldly, coming, futile and subject to withering and rotting. As Josephus wrote, while outwardly smooth, shiny and juicy, the apple of Sodom was filled with ash inside.
A multi-colored apple has become the emblem of Apple Corporation, a world famous manufacturer of computer equipment.
Death of King Arthur. Painting by the English artist J. Archer. According to legend, Arthur was buried on the island of Avalon, whose name translates as “Apple”
Sovereign apple
The orb, a symbol of state power, appeared in the Roman Empire and traced its origins to the golden apple as a symbol of peace. In Byzantium, the orb was added to the top in the form of a cross, and in this form this regalia subsequently spread throughout Europe.
Power of the Holy Roman Empire
German Emperor Henry III with the orb in his hand. Medieval miniature
In Russia, the power appeared during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov. During the crowning ceremony, the sovereign was presented with a scepter and orb. She became the personification of the entire kingdom, which, like a golden apple, the ruler had to hold tightly in his hand. It was customary to hold the scepter in the left hand, and the “apple” in the right.
The image of an apple in proverbs and sayings
The frequent occurrence of the image of an apple in myths, fairy tales and works of art is not accidental. This symbol, rooted in the history of the people, filled with the deepest philosophical and human meaning, reflects the worldview and culture of the people, their wisdom. It is no coincidence that the image of an apple is preserved in folk traditions and culture today. The apple very successfully and accurately “appeared” in Russian proverbs and aphorisms.
"The apple never falls far from the tree" -
"There's nowhere for an apple to fall." This is what they say when there are a large number of people in a place, and as a result it becomes crowded
“Like the apple tree, so are the apples.” The apple seed knows its time.”
“An apple a day and you don’t need a doctor.” It is believed that an apple is a symbol of health and restoration of vitality.
“Like the gardener, so is the apple.” A good gardener has a good garden. A good master always has a good result.
In the collection of proverbs V.I. Dahl 251 proverbs about apples.
- Without labor there is no fruit
- The Savior has come—it’s only an hour: the fruits are ripening.
- An apple on a plate.
- All of Europe is talking about the Michurin hybrid.
- Nice on the outside, but rotten on the inside.
- If you've eaten your fill of fruit, don't break the branches.
- From generation to generation - the same freak.
Adam's apple
It is traditionally believed that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which Eve bit into following the teaching of the serpent, was an apple. The apple became a symbol of the Fall, initiation into secret knowledge. Having tasted the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve became able to distinguish good from evil and learned a sense of shame. The first people emerged from the state of innocence and serenity in which they were in paradise. Because they acquired the ability to judge in terms of Good and Evil and in this they became closer to the gods, they were expelled from Eden.
The eating of the apple by Eve and her husband is also symbolically interpreted as their involvement in sexual relations, which were previously unknown to them. The apple appears here as a symbol of knowledge, sin, and carnal pleasures. The original sin of Adam, according to theologians, was atoned for by the agony of the cross of the “second Adam” - Jesus Christ. "Adam's apple" is the second name for a man's Adam's apple, which supposedly appeared when a piece of apple got stuck in the throat of the first man.
A. Durer. Adam and Eve
Apple in art
The apple and stories associated with it are often used in literature, in works of painting and sculpture, in songs and operas, in cinema (“The Da Vinci Code”, “Apples of Paradise”, “Golden Apples”, etc.) and animation (“Snow White and seven dwarves”, “Rejuvenating apples”, etc.).
Of the most famous Russian and Soviet authors and performers, “apple themes” are present in Vladimir Vysotsky, the Aquarium group, in Russian folk and modern songs.
Apples are depicted in paintings by Ilya Repin, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso and other great artists. Sculptures depicting a woman with an apple are popular: Venus with an apple, Aphrodite with an apple, etc.
The apple in heraldry symbolizes peace. A sphere made of precious metal and stones, topped with a cross, which is a symbol of monarchical power, was called the “Sovereign Apple” in Rus'. The apple is also depicted on many coats of arms.
Author: Anna Shcherbinina
Apple Spas
Apple Savior - Transfiguration of the Lord, celebrated on August 6 according to the old style, August 19 according to the new style. Forty days before his death, Jesus went up Mount Tabor to pray with his disciples Peter, James and John. During prayer, the face of Jesus was transformed, and his clothes became shiny and white. Jesus spoke with the prophets Elijah and Moses. The voice of God came from the cloud: “This is My Beloved Son; Listen to him."
Rafael Santi. Transfiguration
What happened is interpreted as a declaration of the divine nature of Christ, his special purpose. The consecration of fruits on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord has a symbolic meaning - they are transformed, cleansed of worldly, sinful things. Apples and other fruits and vegetables usually ripened for Apple Savior, but before this holiday it was forbidden to eat them.
Image of apples in the myths of the peoples of the world
The apple has long been included in the myths of the peoples of the world, and this suggests that it, like the egg, is associated with the worldview of ancient man.
Apple (symbol) is the fruit of the tree of life, the world tree, that is, the axis of the world, the Universe. Many artists depict their paradise gardens as apple trees (S. Botticelli “Spring”)
The almost perfectly round shape was associated with ideas about the world, the Universe, and space; golden delicate color, “blush” of an apple – with beauty, health and youth; smooth, satiny skin hiding a juicy fruit - with mystery and richness; sweetness and aroma - with pleasure and enjoyment.
Mythological tales about Odysseus, usually dating back to around 1200 BC. e. already depict such a flourishing state of fruit growing on the island. Kartsir (Corfu island) from King Alcinous that the apple tree was undoubtedly in a cultivated state there. In the 7th song of the Odyssey this garden is depicted as follows: “Behind a wide courtyard there was a garden of four decades, surrounded on all sides by a high fence; there grew there many fruitful, branchy, broad-topped apple and pear trees, and pomegranates, abundant in golden fruits. Also sweet fig trees and olives, blooming luxuriously there all year round, both in the cold winter and in the sultry summer. We see fruits on the branches, warm marshmallows were constantly melting there, birthing some, pouring others: pears after pears, apples after apples, figs after figs. Purple cluster after cluster replaced there, ripening” (Poln. sobr. soch. volume 11 PG., 1918).
According to this legend, in the Greek archipelago 1200 BC. e. Apple garden culture is already at a considerable height. Archaeological excavations and studies of vegetation and the period of pile buildings in Central Europe, as a result of which the remains of apples were discovered, indicate that the apple tree appeared here in the post-glacial period with Stone Age man - the period of pile buildings. During the Ice Age, the caveman did not know the apple tree. Caring for the apple tree as a cultivated plant began to be shown at least 5 thousand years ago, that is, in the Neolithic era. Since ancient times, China, Persia, Turkey, and Armenia had their own habitats for the apple tree, and it was not brought to them from other countries. The apple tree culture today has reached 63 degrees north latitude in Scandinavia, and it penetrated into Europe from the south.
There are many legends about the apple tree and the apple in the mythology of the northern peoples, among the Norwegians, for example, about the golden bird that picked golden apples in the royal garden. There are many similar references to this fruit in medieval writings. From the Greeks and Romans, the apple tree culture passed on to the peoples of Western Europe. The first literary information about cultivated apple tree plantings in Western Europe dates back to the beginning of the 7th century. The New World did not know the apple tree before the arrival of Europeans; it was only in 1600 that it first appeared in the Hudson Valley region, and from there it spread to other states of the USA and Canada over the course of 250 years. Now in the USA, even varieties of apple trees have been created for Alaska. Of the countries of the Southern Hemisphere - South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, Chile was the first to introduce apple culture in the mid-16th century. In 1835, Charles Darwin, traveling on the ship Beagle, admired the apple orchards in the city of Valdivin; the streets there reminded him of the tropics in an apple orchard. The apple tree was brought to South Africa by the Dutch from the East India Campaign in 1601, and from there it began to spread. It was brought to Australia by the British during the founding of the English colony of New South Wales in the southeastern part of its colony (1788). So the domestic apple tree grows on all continents except Antarctica, as befits the first tree in the garden.
During the times of Kievan Rus, the apple tree culture appeared in the European part of the country; it is associated with the activities of monasteries. According to the chronicles, the apple orchard at the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, founded in 1051 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, was especially glorified. In the 16th century, apple tree culture was already widespread in the northern regions of Russia. In the 17th century, travelers from abroad praised apple orchards in Russia and the varieties of apples growing in them.
In the 18th century, apple trees spread to the gardens of landowners, then wealthy peasants. Russian fairy tales about rejuvenating apples, the firebird and golden apples appeared.
Judgment of Paris
The goddess of discord, Eris, was outraged that she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. To avenge the insult, she tossed the guests an apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful.” A dispute broke out around the apple as to which of the three goddesses present, Hera, Athena or Aphrodite, should receive it. Paris, the son of Priam, king of Troy, was entrusted with judging the goddesses. Each of the goddesses tried to bribe Paris in order to get the coveted apple. Athena promised him wisdom and invincibility, Hera - honor and power.
However, Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite, who promised to give him the most beautiful woman on earth as his wife. The beautiful Helen, whom Paris chose, was the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. The abduction of Helen by Paris was the cause of the Trojan War. The myth about the quarrel between the goddesses over the status of the “Most Beautiful One” gave rise to the catchphrase “apple of discord” - a reason for confrontation that threatens to entail frightening consequences.
P. Rubens. Judgment of Paris
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Magic apple
Myths and legends
Since ancient times, there have been many legends and myths among different peoples of the world, where the apple or apple tree is one of the main characters.
In Ancient Greece, the apple personified the symbol of love and was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. To protect their homes, Germanic tribes surrounded them with apple trees, as they believed in the divine origin of the apple tree and the protection of all the gods over it.
The history of the origin of the expression “apple of discord” is associated with the legend about the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, as well as about the king of Sparta - Menelaus, his woman - the beautiful Helen and the Trojan prince Paris. It is believed that it was the apple that ultimately caused the Trojan War.
The last, twelfth labor of Hercules, which is considered the most difficult of all the previous ones, was associated with three apples, which he needed to pick from a golden tree in the gardens of the vault of heaven, guarded by a dragon.
Another legend tells of Atalanta choosing a groom by competing with applicants in running speed. Only Hippomenes was able to get ahead of her, using the golden apples that he dropped while running. Atalanta fell behind, raising them, and Hippomenes became her husband.
One of the attributes of the three beneficent goddesses Grace in Roman mythology was an apple.
In Scandinavian mythology, “rejuvenating apples” are mentioned, and in Slavic mythology, the apple became the emblem of a happy marriage and procreation, and was also a symbol of fertility and beauty. Many wedding traditions of the ancient Slavs are associated with the apple; they were exchanged as a declaration of sympathy, they could serve as an invitation to a wedding, they were used as decorations in wedding ceremonies, they could be a gift for the newlyweds, as a wish for healthy offspring.
Other Slavic rituals are also associated with apples and apple trees. This fruit was a symbol of health and prosperity. During the New Year's celebrations, apples were used to “charge” water for washing. It was believed that even by holding a tree or touching its fruits, you become healthier. As a symbol of abundance, apples became “gifts” not only to newlyweds, but also at the birth of children, for housewarming, as a cure for infertility.
Religion
The biblical story about Adam and Eve tells about the fruits from the tree of good and evil; it is not known for certain whether they were apples or not, but most interpreters of the Holy Scripture consider them to be the forbidden fruit and a symbol of the Fall.
The story of Saint Dorothea and Theophilus, who lived in the 3rd century AD, is also associated with apples.
On some icons you can see Christ with an apple in his hands, as a symbol of salvation.
The Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord is popularly called the Apple Savior.
Fairy tales
In folk Slavic and other fairy tales, the apple always has some magical properties; it can be a guide (and the apple tree is a refuge) for wanderers, a rejuvenator for those who want to gain beauty and youth, a source of wealth and happiness for its owners.
On the other hand, no less often, a poisoned apple is found in fairy tales, as, for example, in Snow White, but in such stories there is always an antidote in the form of goodness, beauty and love.
Apple figurines are made from different materials
- Made from onyx , they come in yellowish and green shades. Such an Apple brings stability and firmness to the owner’s life, disciplines him in his work, and helps in business negotiations. The energy of this stone is strong - in good intentions, onyx has magical powers: An apple attracts easy money to the house, i.e. not “crazy” ones, but earned through hard work. Onyx also enhances leadership, gives power and strength. An onyx apple can “pull out” diseases such as neurology, insomnia, anxiety, and heart disease.
- Made of crystal or glass , of any color - transparent edges reflect the rays of light and sun. A crystal apple is a valuable item that keeps the relationship between two people cordial and friendly. If you place such an apple together with crystal balls, the energies will intensify, bringing happiness, mutual understanding, harmony and peace to the family.
- An apple made of semi-precious metals , decorated with crystal and stones - such an exquisite figurine is good to give as a gift to business people: according to Feng Shui, it strengthens business ties.
- An apple tree made from natural jade stone is a tree of happiness, one of the most powerful signs in Feng Shui. Apples of a bright scarlet color certainly bring love into the home, they preserve family happiness and do not allow sexual passion to fade away.
The magical meaning of an onyx apple
Eastern practitioners believe that the dimensions of the talisman do not matter, and therefore you should choose the stone amulet you intuitively like.
A figurine in the form of an onyx fruit signifies fertility and a rich harvest. In ancient times, such a magical apple was given as a wedding gift with the wish of passionate feelings and many children. In China, the fruit of a fruit tree is a symbol of prosperity, peace and absence of disease. The figurine of a round, smooth, blemish-free apple has magical properties; it is important that it has a small tail. 1-2 leaves are acceptable.
Onyx, which comes in yellow and light green colors, is the most suitable natural material, long considered the patron saint of kings and warriors. The stone gives the owner a cool mind, helps to understand other people and protects from dangers. It is believed that onyx gives spouses happiness, helps them relax and brings harmony to the soul. Indian practitioners believe that the talisman will absorb excess energy. However, only kind and honest people can use the magical properties of onyx. Owners of the stone apple note the following effects of the figurine:
With the help of such a talisman, an entrepreneur will be able to successfully conduct any negotiations.
- stability in all areas of life;
- gaining strength of character;
- improving self-discipline;
- success in negotiations;
- attracting finance;
- strengthening leadership skills;
- gaining power;
- normalization of sleep and wakefulness;
- treatment of heart diseases.
