THE APPLE. 



Both pagan and Christian mythologies portance of the apple than do the mod- 

 have endowed the Apple with wonderful erns, who treat it chiefly as ''the embry- 

 virtues. It has possessed a symbolism onic condition of cider or as something 

 for inan in all stages of civilization, to be metamorphosed into pies." It is 

 Standing for the type of the earthly in its said to be indigenous to every part of the 

 contrast with the spiritual, it represented inhabited globe except South America 

 the idea of that conflict between Or- and the islands of the Pacific. It is 

 muzd and Arimanes in which the evil equally at home in the fierce heat of the 

 principle is continually victor. The equator and among the frosts of Siberia, 

 stories of Eve, of Paris, the Hesperides In olden times, the fig was the index of a 

 and Atalanta all emphasize this thought, native civilization. Later on, the vine 

 showing the Apple to have been a reward was king, but at the present time there 

 of appetite over conscience. are many who maintain that the Apple is 



The allegorical tree of knowledge bore the only genuine index of civilized man, 

 apples guarded by the serpent, and die and claim that it flourishes best in those 

 golden fruit of the garden of Hesperides regions where man's moral and intellec- 

 was apples protected by the sleepless tual supremacy is most marked, 

 dragon, which it was one of the triumphs The Athenians made frequent mention 

 of Hercules to slay. The Assyrian tree of the cultivation of the Apple, and Pliny 

 Gavkerena,the Persian "Jima's Paradise,'* enumerates twenty varieties that were 

 "Indra's heaven" and the Scandina- known in his day. It is generally sup- 

 vian ash tree Yggdrasil, all prefaced the posed that the Goths and Vandals intro- 

 story of Paris and the apple of discord duced the manufacture and use of cider 

 which Ate brought to the banquet of the into the Mediterranean provinces arid 

 gods. In Greece it became the emblem references to it are made by Tertullian 

 of love, being dedicated to Venus. Aphro- and the African Fathers. The use of ci- 

 dite bore it in her hand as well as Eve, der can be traced from Africa 'into the 

 and it is said that Ulysses longed for it in Biscayan provinces of Spain, and thence 

 the garden of Alcinous, while Tantalus to Normandy. It is supposed to have 

 vainly grasped for it in hades. The fruit come into England at the time of the con- 

 was offered as a prize in the Grecian quest, but the word "cyder" is said to be 

 Barnes given in honor of Apollo. Anglo-Saxon, and there is reason to be- 



Among the heathen gods of the north lieve that it was known in the island as 



there were apples fabled to possess the early as the time of Henghist. As the 



power of conferring immortality, which mistletoe grew chiefly on the apple and 



were carefully watched over by -the god- the oak, the former was regarded with 



dess Iduna and jealously preserved for great respect by the ancient Druids of 



the dessert of the gods who experienced Britain, and even to this day in some 



the enervation of old age. Azrael ac- parts of England, the antique custom of 



complished his mission by holding the saluting the apple trees in the orchards, 



apple to the nostrils of his victims, and " in the hope of obtaining a good crop the 



the Scandinavian genii are said to have next year, still lingers among the farmers 



possessed the power of turning the fruit of Devonshire and Herefordshire. Dur- 



into gold. ing the middle ages, the fruit was made 



The ancients better appreciated the im- the pretext for massacring the op- 



38 



