I have something of a fascination with certain subjects: world mythologies, ritual symbolism, secret societies, anthropology. I come by it honestly, I suppose. When I was a child, I read parts of Ovid’s Metamorphosis and then did a comparative study with my then favorite movie Clash of the Titans. As I was about five or six years old, this was cause for some concern. My love for Greek mythology turned into an lifelong exploration of other world mythologies. I love the commonalities. I love what these stories represent.
As I grew older, I often subconsciously searched for patterns and connections in everything. This ended up becoming a link between my love of mythologies and the patterns of certain symbols’ reoccurences. As I explored these reoccurences, and as I started watching cartoons, television programs, and movies with more of a anthropology/archaeology story base, I ended up following what appears to be a natural path to lerning about various real and imagined secret societies that are just full of these repeating symbols. One of these ubiquitous symbols is the apple.
Now, before I go any further, you need to understand that I was raised in the Episcopal church by my ordained Episcopal father. This is important because I do have something of a grasp on some Christian concepts, however I have also elected to no longer walk that road because I find my worldview doesn’t work with it. I personally claim a eclectic pagan path, but I’m certainly understanding how so many archaeologists and anthropologists end up as atheists.
So, back to this apple. Those with a strong Christian upbringing will remember that it was the apple that led to Adam and Eve being evicted from Paradise. Fans of Greek mythology may remember how Atalanta won a foot race with three golden apples, as well as a how a certain young man started a certain war with some golden apples. Those who have spent much time reading fairy tales will remember Perrault’s telling of Snow White, where a poisoned apple was among the stepmother’s many attempts to eliminate the poor girl. Secret society enthusiasts will regard the apple as an important part of their research, as the apple and its seed configuration is frequently connected to groups such as the Bavarian Illuminated Society.
The interesting thing to note here is the way the above references can be grouped. The Greek myths were passed down through oral tradition until they were finally recorded, quite possibly changed along the way. The other three all have their symbolic roots in Christianity. The Christian symbolism present in the majority of Perrault’s work is well-documented. Similarly, it is amazing how many known secret societies have some sort of basis in a Christian religion, widely a Common Era practice.
The more I thought about this, the more I started thinking about my limited explorations of Chinese, Egyptian, and Celtic mythology. The only one that even addresses apples is an old Celtic article that claims that the druids and chietains wer fond of a snack of dried apples and hazelnuts. It should be remembered at this point that the British Isles were briefly held by Rome, who homogenized much of Eurpe for a while.
This made me start wondering very seriously about Chinese and Egyptian mythologies. Both cultures flourished before 1 CE. A brief hunt on Google turned up this article on garden myths, which address a Chinese garden of peaches, but shows no apples in Chinese lore. (However, the search does show that apples and roses are related, for those of you who have read the latest Dan Brown book.) Attempts to find apples in Egyptian mythology bring you to classroom activities on how to make a mummified apple.
Further research into the symbolism on the apple itself leads to explorations of the Arthurian legend, the ties between the Apple of Discord and the goddess Eris, and other interesting connections. At the very least, it would make for an interesting research subject for a few weeks.
