Out & About February 2017

The fruit of love Naomi Slade dissects the sensuous quality of the apple, from Greek myths and legends to the Garden of Eden, poetry and old wives’ tales

W hether or not you are a gardener, there is a kind of sensual, luscious, juicy quality about fruit that lends itself to the language of love. It appears in poetry and prose, in mythology and folklore; a coy metaphor, a cautionary tale or a symbol of lust and passion. In 1675, metaphysical poet Richard Leigh published a love poem in which a beautiful lady picks and eats peaches; “Behold, wherever she does pass,/How all the am’rous Trees contend,/ whose loaded Arms should her embrace,/While with their fruit tow’rds her they bend,/ As if the willing Branches meant,/To her, their Bounty to present”.

The goddesses did everything in their power to persuade Paris to decide in their favour, but Aphrodite won by offering Paris the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world. He gave Aphrodite the apple and set out to claim the gorgeous Helen of Sparta. At the time, however, she was married to Menelaus – who took it badly when she was abducted by Paris on heavenly approval and, setting out to reclaim her, started the Trojan war (hence hers was the face that launched a thousand ships). So apples are clearly powerful and should not be trifled with. Yet folk magic often uses them in domestic-level divinations and to create love philtres (potions). In Roman times apple pips would be thrown into the fire to see whether all would be well in love – if they popped loudly it was a good sign. In country areas it was common for young girls to discover the first letter of their true-love’s name, by removing the skin of an apple in a single spiral and throwing it over their shoulder, to form an initial where it landed. Meanwhile, in Scotland, young women who ate an apple in front of a mirror while combing their hair with the other hand, would see the face of their future husband appearing in the mirror behind them. From ancient times to popular culture, the apple as a symbolic fruit thrives, as love and temptation go hand in hand; therefore, perhaps, the perfect gift for a beloved is a fruit tree. An Orchard Odyssey by Naomi Slade, £24.99, published by Green Books. Signed copies are available from Waterstones, Newbury. www.naomislade.com @naomislade

But, even 400 years ago, this drew on thousands of years of fruity imagery.

Apples appear early in Christianity, tempting Eve into original sin in the Garden of Eden. In paganism, meanwhile, they are a symbol of knowledge and abundance, often depicted as a

giving, fruitful tree that evokes fertility. In Ancient Greece, there were similar associations with love and abundance.

On the wedding night a bride was given apples to eat, which were supposed to awaken sexual desire and stimulate fertility, ensuring many children. And while it is no longer customary to pelt girls with fruit, at one time a gentleman could confess his love to a lady by tossing an apple at her. If she caught it, the affection was reciprocated. Goddesses and symbolic apples go hand in hand, but the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, did not arrive by hers smoothly. The story goes that Eris, Goddess of Discord, angered by not being invited to a wedding, threw a golden apple inscribed ‘to the fairest one’ into the wedding party. It was immediately claimed by three goddesses – Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. A celestial cat-fight ensued and they appealed to Zeus to decide who the apple rightfully belonged to. Preferring not to get too involved, he nominated Paris, handsome, mortal and known for fair play, to make the decision.

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