Persephone Set

Early harbingers of spring, daffodils transform previously colorless landscapes with otherworldly yellow or white flowers. Symbolizing both fertility and death, the flower is sacred to Hades, and was said to grow along the banks of the river Styx in the Underworld.

Of the symbols of the autumn equinox, the pomegranate is one of the most evocative. It draws its association from the myth of Hades and Persephone, a divisive and layered tale of ancient Greek marital customs and seasonality. The pomegranate plays a central role in this story as the object through which Persephone is bound to the Underworld, but its ancient symbolism is much broader.

The origin of the pomegranate tree in Greek mythology is linked to transformation and rebirth with two examples of women being transformed into pomegranate trees. It also took on a sinister cast, as its ruby juice was associated with blood in the legends of Adonis, Eteocles, and Menœceus. It was most often associated with fecundity and marriage, being one of Hera's sacred symbols. Pomegranates feature in ancient Athenian marriage rites, where a bride would eat a fruit--an apple, a quince, or a pomegranate--before joining her new husband's household. Whether this act was a reflection of the myth or if the myth was a reflection of a common social practice remains unclear; however, it is clear from the archeological record that pomegranates paradoxically symbolized marriage and fertility as well as death and the dead.

Notes About the Artwork

Source Print

Melagrana

Artist: Giorgio Gallesio

From: Pomona Italiana: Trattato degli alberi fruttiferi conteneate la Descrizione delle megliori varietáa dei Frutte coltivati in Italia, accompagnato da Figure disegnate, e colorite sul vero

History

Giorgio Gallesio was an Italian botanist and researcher. He conducted experiments on fruit which would later be quoted by Charles Darwin.