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Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is about apples.

For those living in the state of Washington, apples are a source of pride, and at this time of year, as cider becomes available, they get people to dream up wild stories about their origins and historical references. Why there are so many myths about apples is beyond me, but here are a few of them.

Cider v. Juice

What is the difference between apple juice and apple cider? Apple juice is made from apples, as is cider.  However, to be considered a cider, one of the two requirements must be met. If the juice comes from the unfiltered squeezing of apples it is considered cider. Another qualifier would be that the apples are harvested at the end of the season, so late fall apples are used to make cider. Legally, there is no difference between juice and cider, so some companies just slap on a cider label in the fall, even though they just produce apple juice. 

Apple Trees Grown from Seed Produce No fruit.

Not only do apple-producing  trees require cross-pollination, but a grafted sapling, instead of a seed, needs to be planted and have access to sunlight and water as well as cross-pollination.

What was the Fruit in Eden that Adam was to Avoid?

The Bible never mentions what kind of fruit it was, but considering the origin of the story, it was more likely to have been a fig or a pomegranate. However, the term “Adam’s Apple” came about in the 17th century with the newer translation of the forbidden fruit; the bump in a man’s throat is supposed to be that fruit getting stuck in Adam’s throat.

Norse Reference:

The goddess Idunn kept magical apples that provided the gods with eternal youth for those who ate them. Talk about your apple a day keeping the doctor away! Adversely, there are tales of poisoned apples that take life away such as the Disney version of the fairy tale of Snow White.

The Celtic Otherworld:

If one desires endless youth, wisdom, or a one-way trip to a fairy realm, a divine gift from the otherworld may make buddying up to a god worth your while.

Greek Golden Apples:

Paris had a golden apple; he was tasked to give the apple to the most beautiful goddess. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, in doing so he set in motion events that led to the Trojan War according to Homer.

British Fairy Lore: 

The British wrote the how-to book about  entering the fairy realm. You simply needed to sleep under a grafted apple tree to be whisked away since apple trees are under the influence of faeries.

Superstitions:

While it may be good luck to plant an apple tree near a home (it can block lightning and keep love inside the house), you might get bad luck if you cut down an apple tree or burn its wood unless it has first naturally fallen to the ground.

Who was Johnny Appleseed?

Unlike the Disney adaptation of a nomadic and strange man who ran around planting apple seeds here and there, the folktale is based on a real person. John Chapman was the real Johnny Appleseed, but the American folktale misrepresents him as this goofy guy who ran around the country in a deranged manner and had an odd obsession with growing apple trees.

Chapman was an entrepreneur who planted nurseries of apple trees. At his business’ height, he owned over twelve-hundred acres of nurseries. He sold them to people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana over a fifty-year period to people making their way out west. As settlers passed by, he would sell, or trade, his little trees. 

His trees did not produce apples that could be eaten. His apples were meant to make hard cider for the settlers who may find that a blessing when going through the hardships of making their new home in what was the west. As the settlements expanded into new territories, he would travel to where the new settlements were being established and plant his nurseries.

Originally he was from Leominster, Massachusetts, but he spent most of his life alone. He may have been considered funny looking based on his attire. At times, he would trade his little trees for cast-off articles of clothing, which may or may not have fit him. If the clothing was in good shape, he would give it to people who needed it more than he did. This may have spurred the depiction of him as a barefoot, coffee-sack-wearing guy with an odd hat who preferred to sleep next to a fire rather than indoors.

Just like many settlers of that time, he had horror stories of entanglements with Indigenous people.  While he was a vegan and a pacifist, he encouraged western expansion and the removal of Indigenous people from their ancestral lands. At seventy-one years old, he reunited with his half-brother in Ohio, but his exact resting place is unknown. 

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Until next time, this is your Lovable Lord of Lore.