"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Isn't it interesting how we find an apple so useful and powerful, at the same time? but why it is an apple and not any other fruit?
Eve ate the apple from the garden of Eden and was doomed to live on earth.
An apple fell on Newton's head, and the laws of gravity came into existence.
Do you know that in ancient Greece, you could even get engaged because of this particular fruit!
Then we have the apple of discord, the supposedly golden apple that was the cause behind the trojan war.
And of course, let's not forget snow white.
But what it is with apple that it finds it's placed in so many phrases and myths?
Every myth, every story is interconnected, sometimes we see the connection, sometimes we don't, but most of the time we choose to ignore. Sometimes we are so engrossed in our own beliefs that we fail to see the other side of the story. Just like in the case of Adam and Eve, we blame Eve to be the cause of the doom of humans when it is for her only that the human race actually began. If Adam and Eve were not punished to come to earth, then obviously they wouldn't have any descendants running about the planet. The garden of Eden is considered as a safe and happy place where everything is served on a golden platter, a state of bliss where there is no shadow of worry whereas the apple brings about the cruel reality of hardships and trouble in real life.
Now how many of you actually knew snow white is an adaptation of Eve's doom?
Yes, my dear, the famous Disney movie is actually an adaptation of a story from the bible. Snow white is the example of the perfect princess, kind and sweet, she saw the good in everyone but after waking up from the death sleep I don't think she would have the same notions about the world that she had earlier. in the real version of Grimm brothers, the stepmother was punished to dance wearing hot iron bands around her ankles till she died, if snow white was the same innocent girl then I think she would have stopped the torture.
Not only that if you watch closely, then you will find many similarities between the Disney princesses and the age-old myths. For example, the apple of discord shares a similar storyline as sleeping beauty/ maleficient. How? Well, as you see, according to Greek mythology Eris wasn't the favorite person of anyone, being the daughter of chaos the situation was even worse but she felt extremely insulted when she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis while every other god was (ring any bells), so she barged into the wedding throwing the apple of discord in front of the goddesses and told whoever is the fairest of them all, the apple belongs to her, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all three of them argued and no one could come to the decision as who is the fairest goddess, so Zeus appointed Paris of Troy to be the judge. now began the bribing ceremony, while Hera and Athena promised him power and wealth respectively, Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman, well I guess love conquers all just as Aurora woke with the help of true love's kiss, Aphrodite won the bribing competition and then you know the story.
Unbelievable right! a freaking epic war and the root of it is what?
AN APPLE
An insult is what it took for the whole world to tear apart.
wait!the apples don't stop here, there are many more stories with apples as the center of attraction like the golden apples in the garden of Hesperides.
The legends made apples to symbolize temptation, discord, vanity, beauty, desire, lust, knowledge, and obviously the doom of men.
But the great question still remains, why apple?
is it because apple was more delicious than other fruit and just by looking at the shiny red skin people could be salivating or maybe because there were more apple thieves than gold thieves. Or maybe just European people had a sick infatuation with apples.
but whatever apple is the only fruit that has so much literary importance in ancient + modern works, it is the only fruit that signifies so many things at once and I think even THE APPLE is confused in what it signifies knowledge or doom. I guess it is the most confusing fruit out there.
- blue rose belles
(Archie)
Good! Carry on...
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