paul veraguth
apple
It looks so innocent sitting there, doesn’t it. But I doubt there’s any other fruit that’s been the source of so much dispute and contention.
According to Greek mythology, all the gods and goddesses met on Mt. Olympus for the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. All them but one…Eris, the Goddess of Strife, who was omitted from the invitation list for obvious reasons. Understandably irked by this slight, Eris (also known as Discordia) showed up anyway and tossed an apple onto the table around which the deities were gathered. The apple, she said, was for the most beautiful goddess. Three goddesses claimed the ‘apple of discord’ for themselves, starting a chain of events that lead to the Trojan War. All for an apple.
That’s just one example. Let’s not forget the legendary Apples of Istakhar, sweet on one side and bitter on the other. And Prince Ahmed’s apple from the Arabian Nights, a cure for every ill (except greed and covetousness). Or the Apples of Idun, the flesh of which kept Norse gods perpetually young. And, of course, the apples of the Hesperides which were guarded by a dragon with a hundred heads. Is it any wonder that Christians, Jews and Muslims associate the apple with the Fruit of Knowledge eaten by Eve in the Garden?
Look at it, that apple, sitting there so innocently. Just look at it. Tempting, isn’t it.
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