The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-10-20
NUMBER SO
Legends ReIaIIng TO the Apple.

OF all fruits the apple seems to have
had the earliest, widest, and most mys-
tical history. In Greece the Eame of the
hardy fruit, which, having appeared oB
earth the same time as man, has followed
him in his migration around the globe,
became the name for sheep, and all man
Ber of wealth, as in Rome the flock be-
came money. TheOphratUs enumeraies
1t as among the more civilized fruits
TacItus says that it was The favorite fruit
of the ancient Germans, and u shriYeled
apple Is among ihe recoYeries from the
lake dwellings of Switzerland. The myths
concerning it meet us in every age and
country. Aphrodito bears it in her hand
as well as Eve. The serpent guards il {;
the dragon watches it. 1t is celebrated
by Solomon il is the healing fruit of
Arabian tales. Uhsses longs for ii in The
gardens of Alcinous Tautalus grasps
vainly for it in IIades. In The Prose Edda
it is written, ''Iduna keeps in bnx apples
which the gods, when they feel old age
approaching, have only to taste TO become
young again. 1t is in this manner that
they will be kept in renovated youth until
Ragnarok" general destruction.-
AzIael, The Angel of death, accOmplishes
his mission by holding it TO The nOstriI
and m the Northern Folklore .sSno w,lron''
Is tempted To her death by an apple, half
OF which a cone was poisoned, but recov-
ers life when The apple falls from her lips.
The Golden Bird seeks the golden apples
in the Kings Garden in many Morse
story and when the tree bears no more,
''Frau Bertha reveals TO her favorite
that II is because a mouse gnaws at the
trees root Indeed the kind of mother
goddess Is sometimes persunihed as an
apple tree But oflener the apple is the
tempter i'll Northern mythology also, and
sometimes makes The nose grow 80 that
the sacred pear alone can bring IT again
to moderate size
A Polish legend, given by Mannhardt,
says: There is glass mountain, on The
top Of which stands a golden castle, before
which is tree with golden npples. In
the castle lives the enchanted daughter of
prince. Many vainly Try to get on tho
mountain; but at last the youth who had
fastened the claws of a lynx To his hands
and feet is successful With a golden
apple he ealms dragon which he finds
at the entrance and finally, having bros
ken the spell that bound the princess, he
must remain with her, and not return 10
the lower earth. In the goddess HolIa's
garden the favorite fruits are the apple
and pear-the latter of which fruits re,
tained its sanetiiy in France long after
the introduction OF Christianity A Han
overian legend says that girl was asked
by the dwarfs 10 be goG-moIher to one of
rhrir children. On the fixed day she was
led do" beautiful staircase, which was
under an apple tree in court, to superb
garden, whose trees were laden with fruits.
She was repaid for coming by an aprons
tul of APP les, which, when she returned
to The earIh's surface, were found to be
of solid gold.
These golden apples are ofen met with
in Northern mythology. In some legends
it is related that such may be taken from
tree growing over fountain Of holy
water with rejuvinating powcr-an of
these myths being traceable fO the tree
and fountain Urd, one of the Nuir In
the Edda, Skirnir offers eleven golden
apples and the ring Drupnir (from which,
Oh every ninth night, eight equally heavy
rings drop TO Gerda, if che will return 10
Freyer's love.-HaTe,''s Nayasi,le.