Pomegranate: Fruit of the gods

Pomegranate Seeds (Photo by Sakartvelo)

If you want your table to look a bit more festive during this holiday season, try adding a fresh pomegranate to the mix.  Its bouncy shape and bold color will no doubt catch the eye of many an

appreciative guest.

However, the history of pomegranates goes way beyond mere festivities.  In fact, Marxana tells us that there "has never been a fruit so filled with hope and despair."

The ancient Hebrews believed that all pomegranates contain 613 seeds, a number which reflects the exact total of Torah commandments.  Many of today's scholars think that the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate (the Latin name of which is pomum granatum, or "seeded apple").

Early Christians equated pomegranates with "the seed that bore the son of God," as well as with "the Virgin Mary's power over life and death."  Iconic artwork therefore depicted the Holy Mother "with a pomegranate either in her hand or nearby."

In ancient Greek mythology, Hades, the god of the underworld, was trying to persuade Persephone to join him there.  After he kidnapped Persephone, her mother Demeter, the harvest goddess, "caused every plant on Earth to die."  Zeus, the king of the gods, thus ordered Hades to release Persephone.  Before doing so, clever Hades tricked her into eating four pomegranate seeds.  Persephone must therefore rejoin Hades in his underworld for four months out of every year.

  

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate

http://www.marxanabrandfoods.com/Legends___Lore.html

Copyright December 16, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved