Mythical Fruit
Who would have thought that these simple wonders from the earth could carry so many stories across so many cultures! From China,Iran, Greece, and Norway through to Christianity - fruit has often represented abundance, fertility, and plentitude as well as earthly pleasure, overindulgence and temptation.
Specific kinds of fruit have acquired their own meanings in world mythology - here are some of the myths and legends that have gained strong symbolism in various cultures.
Persephone and the Pomegranate
This is a Greek myth about the seasons of the year.
Persephone was … One day, while she was picking flowers, she was abducted by Hades to the underworld.
When her father, Demeter, finally got her back he asked her if she had eaten anything while she was there. Persephone admitted that she had eaten a pomegranate seed at the urging of Hades just before she left.
This was a trick by Hades - anyone who ate his food was required to remain in the underworld. Because of this, Persephone was required to spend one-third of each year in the underworld as the wife of Hades, and two-thirds of the year with her mother Zeus.
While Persephone is with Demeter and Zeus on Olympus the ground is fertile and the crops grow - Spring and Summer. When she returns to the underworld, the ground becomes colder and less fertile until her return - Autumn and Winter.
So according to the myth, it was a one pomegranate seed that sealed Persephone’s fate as Queen of the Underworld and the ushering in of Autumn and Winter, when the seeds lie underground awaiting again the fertile warm months of Spring and Summer.
Esphandiar and the Pomegranate
COMING SOON!
Great Zimbabwe Wall
Zimbabwe mini brick I
Great Zimbabwe Wall
Church of the Good Shepherd (New Zealand)
Situated on the shores of Lake Takapo in the South Island, the Church of the Good Shepherd is one of New Zealand’s most photographed buildings.
It was Built in 1935 to commemorate the original pioneers of the Mackenzie Country, who arrived after Māori had been established in the area. It was instructed that the Matagouri bushes surrounding the site were to remain and that the stones for the wall were to be procured from within a radius of five miles - unchipped and in their natural condition. A concrete cross, symbolic of Christianity, was placed on the northern gable. Inside the church, a representation of the Good Shepherd is carved on the altar, and alpine flora and fauna are carved on the Oamaru stone front. Oak was chosen as the wood for a number of fittings in the church to symbolise the links between the Mackenzie Basin sheep herders and their British forbears.
Adjoining land was also gifted so that the church remained in splendid isolation - protecting it from ever being usurped by future development.
These symbols of land and religion combined with the Church of the Good Shepherd's position in the midst of an almost sacred natural beauty, have enraptured visitors ever since it was built and provides a place of worship for local residents.
Church of the Good Shepherd
Church of the Good Shepherd mini brick
Blarney Castle (Ireland)
available from Churchhouse Gallery
Set into the tower of Blarney Castle on the southern tip of Ireland’s County Cork is the famous Stone of Eloquence. Better known as Cloch na Blarnan or the Blarney Stone.
One of the 16th century legends involves the goddess Clíodhna and Cormac Laidir MacCarthy.
Cormac was troubled with a lawsuit and feared the ruling would be against him. He prayed to the goddess Clíodhna and she told him to kiss the first stone he finds on the way to court.
In the morning, MacCarthy kissed the first stone he found and immediately was given the ability to speak with eloquence. MacCarthy won his case and afterward brought the stone to be incorporated into the parapet of the Castle.
It’s believed anyone who kisses the stone will be endowed with the gift of the gab - or ‘blarney’ - and this is where the English language saying "What a load of blarney?" comes from!
Ahlambra (Spain)
currently available from my shop
Alhambra in Granada, Spain, is often described as having a spiritual essence, particularly in its architecture and the way it is perceived by visitors. Its origins - on the top of the Al-Sabika hill in Granada, Spain - go back to the mid-13th century and the reign of Muhammad I ibn al-Ahmar - the founder of the Arabic, Nasrid family.
The name "Alhambra" is thought to be from the Arabic Qal'at al-Hamra (Qalat Al-Hamra), meaning "castle of red” - so the name might represent the red clay that was used to construct it.
Alhambra, created to be a self-sufficient fortress that would ensure independence and resilience, served multiple purposes. It was a royal and wealthy residence, a symbol of spirituality, a centre of cultural and artistic achievement, and a gigantic display of Islamic power. It became a hub for poets and scholars with its calligraphic inscriptions of Arabic poetry on the palace walls. These reflected themes of beauty, nature, and spirituality.
The architecture showcased innovative techniques and elegant aesthetics. These elements not only served decorative purposes but also reinforced Islamic cultural values. The natural elements of light and water were also very prominent. Numerous fountains, pools, and water channels symbolise purity and life and the connection to nature.
Legend has it that the sounds of clanking chains and low moaning voices can be heard across the Courtyard of the Lions in the heart of Alhambra, and that spirits of the North African Abencerrages, murdered in a nearby Royal Hall, continue to roam the area. Blood spots are still said to be visible on the marble floor inside.
