The National tribune., 1881-09-24
LEGENDS RELATING TO THE APPLE,

Of all fruits the apple seems to have had the
earliest, widest and most mystical history. In
Greece the name of the hardy fruit which, hav-
ing appeared on the earth about the same time
as man, has followed him around the globe, be
came the name for sheep, and all manner of
wealth, as in Rome the flock, pecus, became pc
cunia, or money. TheOphrastus enumerated it
as among the more civilized fruits, (urbaniores
Tacitus says that it was the favOrite fruit of the
ancient Germans, and a shriveled apple is among
the recOveries from the lake dwellings of Switzer
land. The myths concerning it meets us in every
age and country. AphrOdite bears it in her hand
as well as Eve The serpent guards it; the drag
on watches it. 1t is celebrated by Solomon; it
is the healing fruit of Arabian tales. Ulysses
longs for it in the gardens of AlcinOus; Tantalus
grasps vanly for it in Hades. In the prose Edda
it is written: "Iduna keeps in a box 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 the general destruction. ARA
ell the angel of death, accomplished his mission
by holding it to the nostril and in the Northern
Folklore, "SnOwdrop" is tempted to her death by
an apple, half of which a crOne has poisoned, but
The golden bird seeks the golden apples of the
Kings garden in many Morse story; and when
the tree bears no more, Frau Bertha reveals to
her favOrite that it is because mouse gnaws at
the trees root. Indeed, the kind mother goddess
is sometimes personified as an apple tree But
oftener the apple is the tempter in Northern myth
Ology also, and sometimes makes the nose grow
so that the sacred pear alone can bring it again to
moderate size.
A Polish legend, given by Mannhadt, says:
There is glass mountain, on the top of which
stands a golden castle, before which is tree of
golden apples. Many vainly try to get on the
mountain; but at last the youth which has fast
ened the claws of a lynx to his hands and feet is
successful. With the golden apple he calms a
dragon which he finds at the entrance, and finally,
having broken the spell that bound the princess,
he must remain with her and not return to the
lower earth In the Goddess of Holla's garden
the favorte fruits are the apple and the pear the
latter of which fruits retains its sanctty in France
long after the introduction of Christianity.
A Hanoverian legend says that girl was asked
by the dwarfs to be the god-mother to of their
children On the day fixed she was led down
beautiful staircase which was under an apple tree
in q court, to a superb garden whose trees were
laden with fruits. She was repaid for coming by
an apronful of apples, which, when she returned
to the earths surface were found to be of solid
gold.
These golden apples are often met with in the
Northern mythology. In some legends it is re-
lated that such may be taken from tree grow
ing over a fountain of holy water with rejuven-
ating power-all of these myths being traceabe
to the tree and fountain of Urd, one of the Nor
mir In the Edda, Skirnir offers eleven golden
apples and the ring of Draupuir from which, on
every night, eight equally heavy rings drop, to
Gerda, if she will return Freyr's love.-Hmper's
Magazine.