THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE APPLE AND PEAR. 
5 
But the third asks for a pious wife; which it seems was a hard thing to find in those days. He was 
directed however to propose for a certain king’s daughter. Two princes were before him, and had 
put their apples on the table, he puts his apples by the side of the others, and aided again by the 
good angel, he obtains the princess, but is sent with her to live in poverty in the midst of a forest. 
The charity of the elder brothers is quickly destroyed by their worldly wealth, and they are reduced 
to their pear tree again ; whilst that of the younger one, and his good wife is increased, and meets 
with the customary reward of fairy wealth and happiness. “ Sclavonic Tales!’ Naake. 
The Volsunga Saga tells us how King Rerir (son of Sigi) and his wife having grown old and 
childless, cried without ceasing to the gods to give them a child. And Freyja of the golden hair, 
taking pity on them, called Ljod, her handmaiden, and gave her an apple to drop in the queen’s lap. 
The queen ate the apple, and in due season bare a son, the famous Volsunga. 
The apple tree has been supposed to be of Eastern origin, in consequence, probably, of the 
frequent occurrence of the word “apple” in our translation of the sacred writings. It has been said 
to be the tree of knowledge from which Eve ate the fruit in Paradise ; it is mentioned by the prophet 
Joel; and it is thought to be the tree alluded to by Solomon. 
“ As the apple tree among the trees of the wood so is my beloved among the sons.”— Cant, ii 3. 
“ Comfort me with apples.”— Cant. ii. 3. 
“ A word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”— Proverbs xxv. 
The best authorities in the Hebrew language believe that the citron is the fruit spoken of 
here, and not the apple. It is right, however, to say, that Dr. Thompson, the Eastern Missionary, 
in his well known work “The Land and the Book!' states that when at Askelon in June he saw 
“quite a caravan” start for Jerusalem, loaded with apples that would not have disgraced an 
American orchard. He thinks that the translation which represents the Hebrew word “ taffuah” 
by citron is not correct. “ The Arabic word,” he says, “is almost the same as the Hebrew, and it 
is as definite, to say the least, as our English word.” It means apple. Citrons are large, weighing 
several pounds each, hard and indigestible. The tree must be propped up, or the fruit will bend 
it to the ground. It is scarcely a tree at all, and too small and straggling to give any shade, 
and no one would dream of sitting under it. And he concludes, “ as to smell and colour, all the 
demands of the Biblical allusions are fully met by these apples of Askelon ; and no doubt, in 
ancient times and in royal gardens, their cultivation was far superior to what it is now, and the fruit 
larger and more fragrant. Let “ taffuah,” therefore, stand for “ apple,” as our noble translation has 
it.”—p. 546. 
Learned authorities have discussed, with great minuteness, the question whether the forbidden 
fruit was really an apple, but the word “ apple,” in its early use, comprehended so many different 
sorts of fruit, that it is not possible to determine accurately the precise nature of 
“ that alluring fruit. 
. . . . that crude apple that diverted Eve.” 
It is however curious that the protuberance in front of the throat should be called “ Pomum 
Adami or Adam’s apple, from a whimsical supposition that the forbidden apple had not been 
swallowed, but had stuck there. 
