THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Apple

Lisa Karen Miller

          Shakespeare made good use of orchards as settings for his plays. Hamlet’s father was murdered while taking his customary nap in his orchard.  That villainous brother obviously knew where to find him.

          Henry VIII spent some coin on acquiring the latest and best varieties of apple for his orchards. Fruit saplings cost sixpence, compared with a penny for most other deciduous trees. His fruitier, Richard Harris, amassed an impressive collection, covering 105 acres. Henry’s vast orchard included pippins from Normandy, the first cultivated apples.

          Malus pumila is a symbol of fruitfulness, prosperity, and rejuvenation. It enjoyed a magical reputation in many cultures’ mythologies.

          Loki, that mischievous Norse trickster, stole the apples which the goddess Idun fed to elderly gods. Loki was forced to return the fruit when the gods were in danger of demise.

          In Switzerland, apple trees were planted for baby boys, pears for girls.  As the trees either thrived or failed to, so would the children. Across Europe, a good crop of apples portended the birth of many twins.

          The names we have given apple varieties reflect our affection for them – Sheep’s Nose, Granny Smith, Slack-my-girdle, Fair Maid of Kent, Pink Lady, and Cornish Gilliflower.

          Conversely, Tom Putt is named for a Devon squire who was so disliked that even the church bells were heard to call “Hang Tom Putt!”

          A being called Apple Tree Man reportedly lives in the oldest tree in Somerset, England.  Lazy Lawrence is another such orchard entity. In Yorkshire, Auld Goggie guards unripe apples.

          Apple blossom laid on the altar of the Virgin Mary guards the trees against frost, while sun shining through apple branches on Christmas Day means a plentiful harvest.

          In Wales, apple blossom laid in the coffin restored youth beyond the grave. The Celtic paradise features apple trees with both blossom and fruit, but in the earthly domain this is a bad omen:

“A bloom on the tree when the apples are ripe

Is a sure termination of somebody’s life.”

          The tradition of bobbing for apples dates back to the Romans.  Young unmarried people would try to bite an apple hanging on a line or floating in water. The first to succeed would be the next to marry. 

          The Celts liked this so much they adapted it into their Samhain (Halloween) celebrations; it was in keeping with the apple’s symbolism of fertility and abundance.

           To keep colds away for a year, eat an apple at midnight on Halloween – perhaps this is why we used to get so many apples when trick or treating?

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller