Apple Folklore
In addition to the biblical account of Adam and Eve and their renowned apple,There are other bits of folklore featuring apples:
>Swiss folklore holds that William Tell courageously shot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow, defying a tyrannical ruler and bringing freedom to his people.
read the story of William Tell from the William Tell museum in the Swiss town of his birth
>Irish folklore claims that if an apple is peeled into one continuous ribbon and thrown behind a woman's shoulder, it will land in the shape of the future husband's initials.
>Danish folklore says that apples wither around adulterers.
>Apples are said to increase a woman's chances of conception as well as remove birthmarks when rubbed on the skin.
>According to a popular legend, Isaac Newton, upon witnessing an apple fall from its tree, was inspired to conclude that a similar 'universal gravitation' attracted the moon toward the Earth as well .
read the story of Isaac Newton from MSN Encarta
>In the European fairy tale Snow White, the princess is killed, or sunk into a kind of coma with the appearance of death, by choking on a poisoned apple given to her by her stepmother. Later, the princess is jostled into coughing up the piece, miraculously returning her to life
a treatise on the Snow White tale (not for children, but fascinating for folklore lovers)
.
>In Arthurian legend, the mythical isle of Avalon's name is believed to mean "isle of apples".
>In the United States, Denmark and Sweden, an apple (polished) is a traditional gift for a teacher. This stemmed from the fact that teachers during the 16th to 18th centuries were poorly paid, so parents would compensate the teacher by providing food. As apples were a very common crop, teachers would often be given baskets of apples by students. As wages increased, the quantity of apples was toned down to a single fruit.
>The Apple Wassail is a traditional form of wassailing practiced in cider orchards of southwest England during the winter. The ceremony is said to "bless" the apple trees to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season.
>In Ancient Greece, a man throwing an apple to a woman was a proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted
The Tale of Johnny Appleseed
back to the Autumn pages
>Swiss folklore holds that William Tell courageously shot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow, defying a tyrannical ruler and bringing freedom to his people.
read the story of William Tell from the William Tell museum in the Swiss town of his birth
>Irish folklore claims that if an apple is peeled into one continuous ribbon and thrown behind a woman's shoulder, it will land in the shape of the future husband's initials.
>Danish folklore says that apples wither around adulterers.
>Apples are said to increase a woman's chances of conception as well as remove birthmarks when rubbed on the skin.
>According to a popular legend, Isaac Newton, upon witnessing an apple fall from its tree, was inspired to conclude that a similar 'universal gravitation' attracted the moon toward the Earth as well .
read the story of Isaac Newton from MSN Encarta
>In the European fairy tale Snow White, the princess is killed, or sunk into a kind of coma with the appearance of death, by choking on a poisoned apple given to her by her stepmother. Later, the princess is jostled into coughing up the piece, miraculously returning her to life
a treatise on the Snow White tale (not for children, but fascinating for folklore lovers)
.
>In Arthurian legend, the mythical isle of Avalon's name is believed to mean "isle of apples".
>In the United States, Denmark and Sweden, an apple (polished) is a traditional gift for a teacher. This stemmed from the fact that teachers during the 16th to 18th centuries were poorly paid, so parents would compensate the teacher by providing food. As apples were a very common crop, teachers would often be given baskets of apples by students. As wages increased, the quantity of apples was toned down to a single fruit.
>The Apple Wassail is a traditional form of wassailing practiced in cider orchards of southwest England during the winter. The ceremony is said to "bless" the apple trees to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season.
>In Ancient Greece, a man throwing an apple to a woman was a proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted
The Tale of Johnny Appleseed
back to the Autumn pages
