We have all heard and used the expression "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This expression is based on a very old superstition and is one of many associated with apples. I am quite sure that you have all held an apple in one hand and twisted the stem while reciting the alphabet to ascertain the initial of that "special someone" - the apple of our eye. I am equally as certain we have all gotten happy feet and sang along with the Andrew's Sisters "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me". In "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we are moved and touched by the gracious and dignified austerity of Hester Prynne's declaration "A is for Apple." There is a very long tradition of prediction and divination with apples. A great many of them, of course, are associated with love and relationships.

Apples were once considered to be the food of the gods - if you cut an apple in half crosswise the centre is revealed as a five pointed star. The apple and apple tree are symbolic of the guarantee of immortality in Irish tradition and the apple tree is universally esteemed as a holy tree. The expression "apple of the eye" has a biblical origin and means the pupil of the eye and something or someone that is very precious and in need of protection, Deuteronomy 32:10, Proverbs 7:2, Lamentations 2:18, Zechariah 2:8. In Norse mythology Idun is the goddess who tends to the apples of eternal youth. Her apples prevent the gods from aging rapidly.

Traditional Christianity generally regards the apple as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge which Satan tempted Eve with in the Garden of Eden. Since that time, superstition has dictated that to eat an apple without polishing it first is a challenge to Satan. Carl Jung interpreted the same apple as a symbol of life. Apples were also sacred to the goddess Venus and symbolized her, she "was worshipped on one half of the apple as the evening star, Hesper,...and as Lucifer, son of morning, on the other."

To dream of ripe, sweet, red and green apples is a promise of well deserved reward and shows the achievement of harmonious balance in your life. If the apples were green and bitter, it indicates that you could face a loss through your own foolishness and fickle friendships. Red, ripe apples denote true, dependable friendships.

If you dream of an apple which is rotten on the inside, it can indicate a relationship with serious problems even if the surface appears perfect. Eating apples with a friend or other people is a happy omen. Eating alone in a dream generally indicates a need to protect yourself from loss of status and friendships. Apple pie or baked apples in a dream can augur high expectations leading to disappointments. To dream of apple trees in blossom or an orchard can predict unexpected joys and prolonged advancement. A Crabapple tree is an indication of a new experience approaching.

In keeping with the traditions of the Romany, a young lady wishing to dream of her future husband was to obtain an apple from a widow on the Eve of St. Andrew. No thanks were to be given. The young lady consumed half of the apple before midnight and the other half after, which would ensure a dream of her intended.

We have all played the childrens Hallowe'en game of bobbing for apples. Traditionally speaking, the girls were to polish, mark and then float an apple in the tub of water. The boy that retrieved her apple with his bite would be her spouse. There is another apple game for boys called Snap Apple. Apples are hung from the ceiling on strings, the boys leap and try to sink their teeth into them. The first boy to bite into an apple would be the first to marry.

Peeling apples for a prediction has been popular for ages. This method was used if someone had a very important question. The apple was peeled very carefully so that the questioner ended up with a long unbroken peel. The question was asked and the peel was thrown over the shoulder. The answer was "No" if it fell in the shape of an "U" or an "O" and it was "Yes" if it was anything else.

Another very popular form of a peeling prediction was one that allowed a girl to find out who her future husband would be. The apple was peeled, again in one long continuous piece, and thrown over her left shoulder. If the peel remained unbroken, it would fall in the shape of the initial of her future spouse. If the peel broke, she would remain unmarried.

The seeds and cores from the apple were often used to make difficult decisions. There is a tradition in Europe for women who have several lovers and are unable to choose. She is to take an apple core, state the name of one of the men, and throw the pip in a fire. If the pip "pops" it means he is "bursting" with love for her.

If you are having difficulty making up your mind between two people, places or situations just take two apple seeds and assign one to each of your choices. Stand in front of a mirror and stick the seeds on your forehead. The one that falls off last is the right choice.

For people desiring to know the initial of the person who will be their next relationship, take an apple seed and stick the seed to your forehead. Recite the alphabet. The letter you are saying when the seed falls is the initial you seek.

Counting the seeds was also a form of divination. To find out what the future held, people would cut an apple in half and count the seeds in the core. If the seeds were even in number, good luck was coming. An odd number indicated a disappointment and cutting one of the seeds in half indicated that the future could hold hard lessons and uncertainty.

In Austria if a girl cut an apple in half on St. Thomas' Night it was believed she would learn her future. An even number of seeds indicated that she would marry soon but if one or more of the seeds was cut she would have troubles in her future and be widowed.

Many cultures have interesting beliefs and traditions about apples. An apple appearing in the grounds of your tea cup indicates an achievement. In Britain if an apple tree comes into bloom out of season while still bearing fruit it was an augury of a death in the family. In the rest of Europe this same event is viewed as an omen of extremely good fortune. It is also good fortune to find any type of fruit growing double. If you share it with a friend you will both receive a wish. A pregnant woman eating one could have twins.

You were never to pick all the apples off the tree at harvest, some were to be left for the birds. If any apples were left on the tree in spring, there would be a death in the family within the year. It is also a good idea and considered lucky to leave a fallen apple or two on the ground in the orchard to keep any spirits who may be wandering through content. In Germany if the first apple on a new tree is picked and eaten by a mother with many children, the tree will be abundantly fertile as well.

I hope you have some fun with this and don't worry, only people who have read this article will know how those two little dents in your forehead got there. Only God can count the apples in a seed.

Sources:

A Dictionary of Omens and Superstitions
by Philippa Waring
Souvenir Press 1978
ISBN 0-965-63619-4

The Dreamer's Dictionary by Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Corbett
This is a companion book to the above
from the same publisher

Secrets of Gypsy Dream Reading
by Raymond Buckland
Llewellyn Publications 1990
ISBN 0-87542-086-9

The Mammoth Dictionary of Symbols
by Nadia Julien
Robinson 1996
ISBN 1-85487-273-7

The Kids Guide to Fortune Telling
by Louise Dickinson
Kids Can Press 1998
ISBN 1-55074-479-8


The Holy Bible King James Version