Various articles on Pomegranates

[The Madame X]

Symbolism of the Jewish Pomegranate in the Bible and Pomegranate Gifts -
See more at: http://www.jewishgiftplace.com/Symbolis ... anate.html

Although the pomegranate is an ancient symbol steeped in tradition, it has re-emerged in contemporary culture, not only because of its beauty and rich history, but because the pomegranate is quite desirable for its healthy, antioxidant qualities. The word pomegranate, “rimon” in Hebrew, is derived from the Latin words "pomum" (apple) and "granatus" (seeded). Grown in the Mediterranean region for several thousand years, this remarkable fruit is rich in symbolism and there are specific references to the pomegranate in the Bible.

Exodus 28:33-34 states that images of pomegranates be woven into the hem of the me’il (“robe of ephod”), a robe worn by the Hebrew High Priest. Pomegranates can also be found in the Bible in 1 Kings 7:13-22, where the fruit is depicted on the capitals of the two pillars which stood in front of the temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem. King Solomon is said to have designed his crown based on the “crown” of the pomegranate. The significance of the Jewish pomegranate is further exemplified by its appearance on ancient coins of Judea, one of only a few images that appear as a holy symbol.

Jewish tradition teaches that the pomegranate is a symbol of righteousness because it is said to have 613 seeds, which corresponds with the 613 mitzvot, or commandments, of the Torah. For this reason and others, it is customary to eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah. Moreover, the pomegranate represents fruitfulness, knowledge, learning, and wisdom.

Interestingly, many Jewish scholars believe that the pomegranate was the “forbidden fruit” of the Garden of Eden. Furthermore, the pomegranate is listed in the Bible as one of the seven species (shivat haminim) of fruits and grains that are special products of the Land of Israel.
The Growing Popularity of Pomegranate Jewelry and Pomegranate Gifts

Because the pomegranate is so rich in history and symbolism, it is represented in modern culture in everything from pomegranate jewelry to all kinds of pomegranate gifts, which are appropriate for many occasions. Pomegranate Judaica is quite popular today due to the continued interest in this ancient, healthy, and mysterious fruit.

In fact, the beauty of this historical fruit translates so well into modern jewelry and art, it can be seen on everything from pomegranate necklaces, bracelets and earrings, to the pomegranate mezuzah. The rich red color and symbolism of the pomegranate makes it the perfect subject for jewelry makers and artists alike.

[The Madame X]

Pomegranate
from: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

The pomegranate, as a symbol, was known to and highly esteemed by the nations of antiquity. In the description of the pillars which stood at the porch of the Temple (see First Kings via, 15), it is said that the artificer "made two chapiters of molten brass to set upon the tops of the pillars." Now the Hebrew word caphtorim, which has been translated chapiters and for which, in Amos (ix, 1), the word lintel has been incorrectly substituted, though the marginal reading corrects the error, signifies an artificial large pomegranate or globe. The original meaning is not preserved in the Septuagint, which has nor in the Vulgate, which uses sphaerula, both meaning simply a round ball. But Josephus, in his Ardiquities, has kept to the literal Hebrew.

It was customary to place such ornaments upon the tops or heads of columns, and in other situations. The skirt of Aaron's robe was ordered to be decorated with golden bells and pomegranates, and they were among the ornaments fixed upon the golden candelabra. There seems, therefore, to have been attached to this fruit some mystic signification, to which it is indebted for the veneration thus paid to it. If so, this mystic meaning should be traced into Spurious Freemasonry; for there, after all, if there be any antiquity in our Order, we shall find the parallel of all its rites and ceremonies.

The Syrians at Damascus worshiped an idol which they called Rimmon. This was the same idol that was worshiped by Shaman before his conversion; as recorded in the Second Book of Kings. The learned have not been able to agree as to 'he nature of this idol, whether he was a representation of Helios or the Sun, the god of the Phoenicians, or of Venus, or according to Grotius, in his Commentary on the passage in Kings, of Saturn, or what, according to Statius, Feems more probable, of Jupiter Cassius. But it is sufficient for the present purpose to know that Rimmon is the Hebrew and Syriac for pomegranate.

Cumberland, the learned Bishop of Peterborough (Origines gerLtium antiquissimae, or Attempts for discovering the Times of the First Planting of Nations, page 60), quotes Achilles Statius, a converted Pagan, and Bishop of Alexandria, as saying that on Mount Cassius, which Bochart places between Canaan and Egypt, there was a temple wherein Jupiter's image held a pomegranate in his hand, which Statius goes on to say, "had a mystical meaning." Sanconiathon thinks this temple was built by the descendants of the Cabiri. Cumberland attempts to explain this mystery thus: "Agreeably hereunto I guess that the pomegranate in the hand of Jupiter or Juno, because, when it is opened, it discloses a great number of seeds, signified only, that those deities were, being long-lived, the parents of a great many children, and families that soon grew into nations, which they planted in large possessions, when the world was newly begun to be peopled, by giving them laws and other useful inventions to make their lives comfortable." Pausanias (Corinthiaca, page 59) says he saw, not far from the ruins of Mycenae, an image of Juno holding in one hand a scepter, and in the other a pomegranate; but he likewise declines assigning any explanation of the emblem, merely declaring that it was a Greek expression meaning a forbidden mystery. That is, one which was forbidden by the Cabiri to be divulged.

In the Festival of the Thesmophoria, observed in honor of the goddess Ceres, it was held unlawful for the celebrants who were women to eat the pomegranate. Clemens Alexandrinus assigns as a reason that it was supposed that this fruit sprang from the blood of Bacchus.

Bryant (Analysis of Ancient Mythology in, page 237) says that the Ark was looked upon as the mother of mankind, and on this account it was figured under the semblance of a pomegranate; for as this fruit abounds with seeds, it was thought no improper emblem of the Ark, which contained the rudiments of the future world. In fact, few plants had among the ancients a more mythical history than the pomegranate.

From the Hebrews, who used it mystically at the Temple, it passed over to the Freemasons, who adopted it as the symbol of plenty, for which it is well adapted by its swelling and seed-abounding fruit.

[The Madame X]

The Power of Pomegranate Symbolism
by Leanne Chesser
full article at: http://leannechesser.hubpages.com/

What Makes Pomegranate Symbolism So Powerful?
There's nothing quite so powerful as pomegranate symbolism.

Any symbol is powerful.
A symbol transforms abstract concepts, ideas and beliefs into tangible things that we can touch, see, hear, taste, smell and understand. Symbolism brings power to the abstract concept and also to the object that symbolizes it.
Symbols touch our emotions.
They teach.
They enhance meaning.
They motivate.
But there's something more about symbolism with the pomegranate.
The pomegranate has been used throughout history and in almost every religion as a symbol of humanity's most fundamental beliefs and desires, including life and death, rebirth and eternal life, fertility and marriage, abundance and prosperity. Almost every aspect of the pomegranate has come to symbolize something . . . its shape, color, seeds, juice.
What is it about the pomegranate that appeals to humanity to such an extent?
What is it that seems to literally call to us?
What is it about the pomegranate's qualities and characteristics that give voice to these deepest, most abstract concepts, beliefs, hopes and dreams?
Well . . . let's see what its religious and mythological symbolism reveals.

Pomegranate Symbolism: Judaism
The pomegranate is popular within Judaism.
As references in the Hebrew Bible indicate, pomegranates decorated the priest's robes and the temple.
Pomegranates were eaten by the Israelites while they were in Egypt. As they traveled to the promised land, there were places without pomegranates. But the promised land would once again provide them with the luscious fruit.
Pomegranates were also used for making wine.
A legend arose within Judaism that each and every pomegranate contained 613 seeds, representing the 613 commandments of Torah.
A belief also circulated that the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was the pomegranate.
Nowadays, the crowns on top of the Torah scrolls are often made in the shape of pomegranates. Pomegranates are used during Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and are used to decorate the Sukkah (hut or tabernacle) during Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).
Pomegranates in Judaism: References in the Hebrew Bible
Exodus 28:33-34 - Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe.
Numbers 13:23 - When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.
Numbers 20:5 - Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.
Deuteronomy 8:7-8 - For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.
1 Samuel 14:2 - Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Mignon.
1 Kings 7:18, 20 - He made pomegranates in two rows encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars. . . . On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around.
Song of Songs 8:2 - I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house - she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
Haggai 2:19 - Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.

Pomegranate Symbolism: Christianity
The pomegranate is often seen in paintings and statues of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus.
It's a symbol of resurrection and everlasting life.

Pomegranate Symbolism: Islam
The Qur'an refers to pomegranates:
6:99 - It is He who sent down out of heaven water, and thereby We have brought forth the shoot of every plant, and then We have brought forth the green leaf of it, bringing forth from it close-compounded grain, and out of the palm-tree, from the spathe of it, date thick-clustered, ready to the hand, and gardens of vines, olives, pomegranates, like each to each, and each unlike to each. Look upon their fruits when they fructify and ripen!
6:141 - It is He who produces gardens trellised, and un-trellised, palm-trees, and crops diverse in produce, olives, pomegranates, like each to each and each unlike to each.
60:68 - O which of your Lord's bounties will you and you deny? Therein fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates.
Legend states that each pomegranate contains one seed (aril) from the pomegranate in paradise.

Pomegranate Symbolism: Mythology
The Myth of Persephone
Persephone is the daughter of Demeter (mother goddess of crops) and Zeus.
The story goes like this:
"When Persephone is carried off to the underworld by Hades, Demeter is enraged and prevents the crops from growing. To restore the natural order, Zeus arranges his daughter's release by negotiating a settlement between Demeter and Hades. But Hades had already given Persephone a pomegranate seed, and since she has eaten the food of the underworld, she is compelled to spend one-third of the year there with Hades and the other two-thirds in the world above. (The Greeks thought of the year in terms of only three seasons: spring, summer and winter). This 'deal with the devil' was always thought to explain the arrival of spring, which is when Persephone returns to earth. Her subsequent return to the underworld means the end of the growing season and the coming of winter, seen as the time of death."
So, the changing of the seasons is said to be caused by Persephone eating a pomegranate seed - - food of the underworld.
Alternatively, it is thought that this myth explains "the fate of Greek girls who were often turned over to much older men in arranged marriages. Demeter's grief over the loss of Persephone was typical of the experiences of Greek mothers who gave up their daughters in arranged marriages, usually to an older stranger."
In this sense, the pomegranate is a symbol of the indivisibility of marriage.
Quotes taken from: Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis.

Pomegranate Symbolism: Chinese Culture
Here, the pomegranate represent many sons - - a common fertility symbol.

Pomegranates in Literature
Pomegranates are powerful in religious writings, as you can see above. But they're also powerful in other literature.
Pliny wrote about how to preserve pomegranates.
Homer referred to pomegranates in his "Garden of Alcinous."
Shakespeare wrote of nightingales singing in pomegranate trees (Romeo and Juliet) and of picking kernals out of pomegranates (All's Well that Ends Well).

[The Madame X]

The pomegranate in Japan
http://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/ ... -in-japan/

In Japan as in many other civilizations, the theme of the death of children, forbidden desire and demonic temptation is a recurrent theme in pomegranate lore.

In Japan, Kishimojin or Kariteimo, is worshiped by infertile women to bring fertility to their wombs, for she is regarded the Buddhist Goddess of Easy Delivery, Giver of Children, & Guardian of Children. Often depicted suckling an infant and holding the Pomegranate in Right Hand – a symbol of fertility due to its many seeds (and is often compared to Athena often depicted holding a pomegranate in her left hand as well as the Madonna in Christian iconographic paintings, where the Virgin Mary often holds Persephone’s pomegranate, symbolizing Mary’s authority over the death of her son). The deity is particularly venerated by Japan’s Nichiren Sect and to Devotees of the Lotus Sutra, and has its origins in the Hariti (Sanskrit = Hāritī), the Protector of children; wife of Panchik, who is regarded to have originally been the Hindu Mother of Child-Eating Demons who repented and converted to Buddhism.

In Buddhist lore, the demoness Hariti was originally a child-eater like Lilith. The Buddha cured her of child-eating by teaching her to sublimate her forbidden desire by eating, instead, crunchy bloody pomegranates. She became thereafter a protectress of little children.” “

Kariteimo and the Indian Hariti recall the similar-sounding Harutha found in a Jewish legend:

The Jewish legend “associates the pomegranate with death & with the menstruant or polluted woman, a Lilith or a harlot. The Talmud tells us of a time when the wife of Rabbi Hiyya ben-Abba disguised herself as Harutha the Forbidden Maiden to test her husband’s will-power. When he saw the gorgeously bedecked demoness, he became most excited, & cried out, “Who are you?” She replied, “I am Harutha. If you desire me, you may have me for the price of a pomegranate. Fetch me the one at the highest bough of that tree.” Rabbi Hiyya hurried to climb the tree & obtained the pomegranate, but upon his return, he found only his wife, who reassured him, “You were only tempted by me.” But her husband felt so guilty, he said, “Nevertheless, I would have done evil,” & he fasted unto death.” — The pomegranate of ancient myth (Paghat’s Garden)

Extracted below from “Pomegranate Lore and Legend“

“The pomegranate is a focal symbol in the legend and lore of many different cultures. Some hold that it was the pomegranate which was the fruit of temptation (remember the Punic apple?) leading to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden in the Bible.

With its abundance of seeds, the fruit has long been a symbol of fertility, bounty, and eternal life, particularly to those of the Jewish faith. Many paintings of the Madonna Virgin and Child prominently display a pomegranate. Ancient Egyptians were buried with pomegranates in hope of rebirth.

The Hittite god of agriculture is said to have blessed followers with grapes, wheat, and pomegranates. The seeds were sugared and served to guests at Chinese weddings. When it was time to consumate the marriage, pomegranates were thrown on the floor of the bedchamber to encourage a happy and fruitful union.

Berber women used pomegranates to predict the amount of their offspring by drawing a circle on the ground and dropping a ripe pomegranate in the center. The amount of seeds expelled outside the ring allegedly prophesied the number of her future children.

Mohammed believed pomegranates purged the spirits of envy and hatred from the body and urged all his followers to eat goodly amounts.

When Persephone was held captive in Hades, the Greek goddess of spring and fruit swore she would not partake of food until her release. However, she could not resist the tempting pomegranate, consuming nearly the entire fruit before halting herself and leaving only six seeds uneaten. It is from this story that believers think our yearly cycle of six months of growth and harvest followed by six months of winter is derived.“

It was the fruit of Kore the Maid, or Persephone, whom even as an underworld divinity was beautiful & kind … and also of …

“the maidenly Side (“Pomegranate”) who in Greek myth vied with Hera in a competition of beauty. She was a very ancient divinity of Boeatian origin. As the wife of Orion she was, like Orion, both a stellar & cthonic divinity, though dwindled in Greek myth to little more than a failed rival of Hera. For her audacity she was punished, being made to believe she had caused the death of her own children. In consequence she threw herself from a high cliff upon a rock. Where her blood spilled upon the rock, the first pomegranate tree arose. In another version, she was cast into Hades for pretending to the beauty of Hera, & lived as a gloomy nymph of an underworld pomegranate forest from which Persephone’s only winter meal was plucked.”

The pomegranate had close associations with the soil, agriculture, fertility and in particular Earth mothers, symbols of renewal life & death and of the awakening of the earth and cyclical seasons (and of the Underworld):

In ancient Syria the god Rimmon [2 Ki 5:18], whose name means “Pomegranate,” was (like Tamuz & Baal Hadad), a sacrificial divinity who passes temporarily through death, & whose resurrection is either instigated by or attended exclusively by women, nymphs, or goddesses. Rimmon seems for a while to have been a national deity overseeing lamentations for the death of Israel’s kings [Zech 12:11]. “

“In the ancient & medieval worlds, pomegranates symbolized birth & death, being itself capable of bleeding. It was frequently associated with maidens & maiden-goddesses, for its bloodiness was often identified with the menses of an underworld goddess.”

“In India, Kali & Durga after devouring demons was said to have teeth like pomegranate flowers, which is to say, red with blood.

But in her quiescent mood Mahadevi sat beneath a pomegranate tree distributing wealth to the world. Kali’s son, elephant-headed Ganesha, or Ganapati, is frequently seen holding a pomegranate in one of his many hands or in his elephant trunk.“

“To ancient Persians the pomegranate symbolized invincibility in battle, extending the fruit’s authority over death. Many biblical personages & locations were named for this very god, who seems to have continued to be worshipped in the lands aportioned to Simeon [Josh 15:32] & Zebulun [19:13]. Rimmon seems for a while to have been a national deity overseeing lamentations for the death of Israel’s kings [Zech 12:11]. Rimmon had also a sacred site in Benjamin, where the name Rimmon was associated with the father of killers [2 Sm 2-9]. A Benjaminite sanctuary in time of warfare & extreme crisis was named for the Pomegranate Rimmon & for his consort Shala…”.

Pomegranate as Forbidden Desire was also a component of its meaning within Athena’s Parthenon, but the forbidden desire to eat of the fruit also underlays the Persephone myth & numerous Pomegranate legends.

“In Jewish lore it was again the fruit of things forbidden, growing upon the Tree of Knowledge (of sexuality & death) forbidden to Adam & Eve. For the mystic Moses Cordovero, pomegranates represented the divine emanations of God such as dwelt upon the Sephiroth Tree, with both dark & light aspects.

In the Song of Songs Rabbah, we are told that the seeds of a pomegranate represent children studying Torah, which may bear some relationship to an idea from Islamic legend, that each seed of the pomegranate is capable of producing a different fruit from paradise.”

All these elements seem to have come together in the biblical Garden of Eden – the temptation of the fruit/tree of knowledge=wisdom(?), by a snake(demon?), loss of immortality (and consequently banishment from) paradise…except that the fruit of temptation may have been a pomegranate, the “Carthage apple” instead of the malus apple, according to popular folklore. The genus name Punica is the name of the ancient city of Carthage. It has been cultivated since ancient times, & was once known as “the Carthage apple,” apparently after ancient groves of pomegranates.