Pomegranate The Sacred Fruit
The ancients had always given special importance to the pomegranate as a vital food and medicine for people in many different cultures, and it has religious significance, being a symbol of life, birth, fertility, marriage, and wealth.
It is likely that the pomegranate tree is native to Greece, while some believe that it came from Persia (now Iran) and Afghanistan and has been cultivated since ancient times.
Pomegranate in ancient civilizations
Pomegranate had a place in the religions of the ancient world. In Zoroastrianism, pomegranate seeds are used in the Yalda Night ritual, in which Iranians believe that the angel of light and truth, Mithra, was born.
There are also other various references to the pomegranate in Persian mythology, where it is said that the legendary hero “Isfandyar” became invincible after eating one of these fruits.
In Buddhism, the pomegranate is considered one of the three sacred fruits. According to Japanese legend, the savage Hariti ate children and was cured of evil when Buddha gave her a pomegranate to eat.
It is also one of the national symbols for Armenians, as it symbolizes life, fertility, and abundance. In Armenian weddings, pomegranates were thrown on the ground, and their seeds spread widely as a wish for the bride to have many children.
Ancient Greece knew it in the eighth century BC, as it appeared in Homer's epic The Odyssey as part of the paradise gardens of the legendary Phaiakian people who inhabited the distant islands.
The pomegranate fruit occupies a large space in mythology. “Paris” settled the ongoing conflict between the three Greek goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite over which of them was considered the most beautiful when Aphrodite was given a pomegranate fruit.
It is said that Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, subsequently planted a pomegranate tree in Cyprus, and she also carried a long scepter crowned with a fruit of this fruit. It is said that she grew the first pomegranate from the blood of her handsome lover, Adonis, after her lover made a mistake when he hunted a wild boar, which in turn symbolized the god Ares.
Pomegranates in heavenly religions
The pomegranate had a great appreciation for all monotheistic religions. In Judaism, the pomegranate was mentioned as one of the 613 commandments of the Torah. It symbolizes sanctity, holiness, and fertility. Therefore, it used to decorate the pillars of the Temple of Solomon, just as it decorated the clothes of the Jewish kings and their rabbis. In Christianity, it is considered a symbol of rebirth and eternal life.
While In Islam, it is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an as one of the blessings and signs indicating the power and greatness of God Almighty.
