The Pagan Heart
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September-October 2005 Issue
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Herbs Under Scrutiny: Apple - the Food of the Dead
By Jill Bentley
Halloween, or as most of you might call it Samhain, is coming up so this issue I wanted to do something that related to the holidays. At first I leaned towards the most obvious herb - pumpkin, but the more I got into my research the more I realized that pumpkin would be great but the apple is better and can relate more to whatever one celebrates this year. Samhain is the Celtic holiday celebrating the New Year, the "end of summer," and the start of the "dark" half of the year - winter. Dark and light, life and death, are all themes on this holiday. It's believed that the "barriers between worlds" thins, bring both gods and those in the Underworld/Otherworld closer to us - this kicks off the Festival of the Dead, "Feile na Marbh," or Halloween, or even as the "Feast of Apples." Throughout history and myth the apple has always held a dubious spot in most cultures. The most well known would of course be Eve and the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - signifying knowledge but tainted with loss of innocence and Christian sin. In all likelihood this myth is a hold over from earlier mythologies for apples have a long history of association with knowledge, purity, and eternal life. Apples are also sacred to the goddess of love, Aphrodite, signifying not only love but also its not-so-accepted twin lust. In many cultures the apple gives immortality. In Norse myth, the Golden Apples are protected by the goddess Idunn. At one point she was captured by a giant with the help of Loki, the trickster, and all the other gods started to grow old without her youth-giving fruit until Idunn and her apples were restored to them. In Celtic myth the Silver Bough, which is a branch that bore buds, flowers, and fully-ripened fruit, acted as a magical charm, enabling its possessor to enter the land of the Gods, the Underworld. Others believe than an apple tree grows in the center of the Underworld and is the food of the dead and if while visiting one eats of it they will never be able to return to the land of the living. Lastly, the apple is a symbol of the soul. On Samhain some burn apples so those who will be born in the spring will have food for the winter months. Some just pile their altars with apples as an offering to the spirits that might come and visit them; this is where the name "Feast of Apples" comes from. As you might guess, apples have strong magical properties with dual personalities. One side is its power in love and healing while the other is its power of immortality. Apples have long been used in love spells, the apple blossom in incense and candles to attract love, and the fruit as a unifying force if shared between lovers. In healing, it is said just eating an apple will prevent fever. The wood of the apple tree is excellent in making charms and wands for emotional magic and gaining wisdom. The healing properties of apples are well known - everyone has heard the saying "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away." Maybe part of this came from its immortality properties but I sure there is also a more scientific explanation - apples are good for you. In fact apples are said to lower cholesterol. So this Samhain don't forget to set out apples along with your pumpkins. While those jack-o-lanterns are frightening away evil spirits, your precious apples will welcome home those lost this last year and send them over with full bellies. This is not a holiday for mourning but one to celebrate, remember, and honor those gone from us. Happy Samhain.
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