|
TATTOO DESIGNS & SYMBOLS - APPLE TATTOOS
Tattoo Symbol Index -
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Tattoo designs - A >>
Apple
Apple Tattoos - Apples
have long symbolized fertility, love, sensuality and sexuality,
temptation and sin. No doubt apple enthusiasts eagerly anticipated
the ripening of the fruit of the apple tree with its promise of
sweetness to come as they turned from green to red in the rays of
the sun. An apple is literally ripe with promise. When the fruit is
cut in half, through its vertical plane, the seed casing was thought
by many to resemble a female vulva, or external genitalia. When the
fruit is cut in half through its horizontal plane, the seed casing
is exposed as a star-shaped, five segmented structure. This
pentagram shape was widely seen as a symbolism of knowledge. And
when the pentagram was contained within a circle, very reminiscent
of an apple, it was thought to represent sacred knowledge.
 The
most famous apple undoubtedly belongs to Eve. In fact, it was an
unnamed fruit from the Tree of Knowledge that Eve offered to Adam in
the Garden of Eden, later called 'apple' by Renaissance artists who
were inspired by the Greek legend. In Renaissance art, an apple held
in Adam's hand depicted sin. Thereafter, paintings of the Tree of
Knowledge in the Garden of Eden depicted apple trees, and the apple
became identified with knowledge and temptation, although there is
no specific mention of apple in that particular Bible story. The
phrase 'apple of thine eye' appears in one of the Psalms and refers
to the eye's pupil - something precious and to be protected. It's a
phrase still in use today, and is associated with love and
relationships.
 The apple is thought to be the earliest tree to be cultivated.
Alexander the Great is credited with importing the apple from Asia
Minor to Greece around 300 BC. The apple frequents myth and legend,
some episodes sweet, some sour. In ancient Greece it was the food of
the gods, and a symbol of knowledge, youth and immortality. The
Greeks spoke of 'Golden Apples' growing on the Tree of Life, which
had magical healing powers. On the other hand, an apple is said to
have started the Trojan Wars - aptly called the 'Golden Apple of
Discord'. A goddess with a grudge offered the golden apple as a
prize to the fairest goddess in the pantheon. Paris, a Trojan,
judged Aphrodite the fairest for offering him the love of the
beautiful Helen. Athena, a very poor loser, sided with the Greeks in
the fight to get Helen back. The rest is history - or myth -
depending what you believe.
|
|
In Norse mythology, the apple was the food of the gods and a symbol
of eternal youth. It was a fertility symbol in Europe, where young
women were given apples by their suitors. Irish tradition upholds
the Apple as a symbol of immortality, and for the Swiss it has been
the emblem of freedom since the 14th century story of William Tell.
Forced by the enemy to shoot an arrow through an apple perched on
the head of his son, William Tell became a hero for the Swiss when
he succeeded. |
 Gypsy tradition would have a young woman eat half an apple before
midnight and the other half after, if she wishes her true love to
appear in a dream. Folk lore would have us believe that dreaming of
a green apple warns of 'fickle or foolish friends', while a rosy one
suggests they're dependable. Counting the pips in the apple core is
a fortune telling practice. On a more scientific note - or at least
an apocryphal tale - Isaac Newton put the apple to work on his proof
of the force of gravity. After it hit him on the head, that is! In
China the Apple represents peace.
Our love of the apple has made it one of the most widely cultivated
fruits anywhere in the world. It was usually one of the first fruit
crops introduced by colonists and explorers to new lands. Apple
trees were widespread in the Americas by the sixteenth century. No
doubt in part because for as nearly as long as apples have been
harvested and stored away for long winters in northern climates, the
juice of the apple has also long been fermented to make apple jack
or apple cider.
An apple tattoo design offers a tantalizing bite, a little bit
sensual and a little bit sinful.
Choose your own great
apple tattoo design by the world's top tattoo artists to buy the perfect
apple design for you.
Tattoo designs - A >>
Apple
Tattoo Symbol Index -
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
|
