When you enjoy a piece of fruit, you probably don’t think much about its origin. However, fruits have some fascinating origin stories of their own. For instance, did you know that the coconut is believed to have originated from a severed head, or that apples were originally yellow and cast a radiant golden glow across the sky during sunset?
Let’s dive into these intriguing mythological origin tales of fruits.
Coconuts
The origin of coconuts can be traced back to the legendary story of Sinbad the Sailor from the One Thousand and One Nights. During his fifth voyage, Sinbad bought and sold coconuts. Several myths surround coconuts, with one suggesting that they grew from a severed human head, complete with two eyes and a mouth. According to this myth, a head was buried, and from it sprouted the first coconut tree.
In another Arapesh myth, coconuts are said to have grown from the severed head of a man who had killed a woman for walking ahead of her husband. The man was subsequently killed and beheaded. Yet another myth from the Admiralty Islands tells of coconuts growing from a head that was cut down by its own brother. In this story, two brothers steal a canoe to go fishing, but the owner of the canoe chases them and throws all their caught fish into the water. Left with no fish, the younger brother resorts to cutting his older brother into pieces and returning. He buries his brother’s head in the sand, and miraculously, it sprouts into a coconut tree.
Apples
Apples hold a special place in mythology as a heavenly fruit. According to Greek mythology, apple trees were created by Gaia, the Earth, and gifted to Hera as a wedding present. Legend has it that the first apples were golden in color and that the apple tree was guarded by three minor goddesses known as the Hesperides and a hundred-headed dragon named Ladon.
The famous tale of Hercules stealing the golden apples involves him slaying this formidable dragon. What’s intriguing is that the golden apples, when kept in a garden facing the West, would cast a radiant golden glow across the sky during sunset.
Strawberries
Strawberry were the fruit of fertility, love and virginity.
Strawberries are closely associated with the Norse goddess Friga. In Christian mythology, strawberries were considered the fruits of the Virgin. They symbolized qualities of radiance, purity, and virginity.
Strawberries were cherished by various gods and goddesses, including Venus, Aphrodite, Freja, and the Virgin Mary. However, it was the Virgin Mary’s favorite fruit, to the extent that she claimed all strawberries for herself. She established a rule that anyone approaching Heaven with traces of strawberry juice or fruit on them would be banished and denied entrance. Strawberries held a sacred status as a fruit of great significance.