The Lore of Apples

Faced with a deluge of delicious apples over the past few weeks, I thought I would start September by discussing some of the folklore surrounding the apple tree. The British have cultivated over 2000 varieties of apple from our native crab apple with wonderfully evocative names such as the Star of Devon, the Blenheim Orange, the Knobby Russet and the Bloody Ploughman. A major spiritual and magical use for apples is that of love and other matters of the heart. One ritual for a young woman who is torn between two lovers is to assign the name of each lover to an apple pip. She should then place each pip on separate cheeks and the one that sticks is the most faithful and preferable lover. Another tradition from Cornwall involves the flicking of an apple pip into a fire to determine if a lover is faithful. If the pip explodes and pops upon hitting the flames, the lover has been faithful. If it burns quietly without popping, he/she/they have been unfaithful. The apple tree itself is said to harbour a guardian spirit called The Apple Tree Man, who can be found residing in the oldest apple tree in an orchard. Plucking the last apple from any apple tree is said to anger this spirit and is strongly advised against. Finally, I should mention Pomona, the beautiful Roman Goddess of abundance, fruit trees and orchards whose role it is to protect her trees and watch over their cultivation. Her symbol is a pruning knife although she is associated more with the flourishing of her beloved trees than that of their harvesting. Thank you for reading 🍎