GOLDEN APPLE? What is the real legend of GOLDEN APPLE actually? Is there anybody to explain that?

Question

What's so special about GOLDEN APPLE actually?
Is it true that GOLDEN APPLE is the "forbidden fruit"?
What would happen to anyone who eats this "forbidden fruit"?

Answer 1

The Golden apple is an element that appears in some countries' legends or fairy tales. Usually, a hero (like Hercules or Prince Charming in Eastern countries legends) has to retrieve the golden apples hidden or stolen by a negative character like a zmeu, dragon or monster. In several non-English languages, the word for "orange" is derived from the phrase "golden apple."

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Greek Mythology
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Atalanta
Three golden apples were featured in Greek Mythology, in which a hunter named Atalanta raced against a suitor named Hippomenes who used the golden apples to distract her so that he could win the race.

"After Atalanta participated in the hunt and received the pelt, her father claimed her as his offspring and wanted her to get married. Although a very beautiful maiden, Atalanta did not particularly want to marry. In order to get her a husband, her father made a deal with Atalanta that she would marry anybody who could beat her in a foot race. Atalanta happily agreed, as she could run extremely fast.
She outran many suitors. The one that finally became her husband accomplished this through brains, not speed. Hippomenes (also known as Melanion) knew that he could not win a fair race with Atalanta, so he prayed to Aphrodite for help. The goddess gave him three golden apples (sometimes the fruit was quince instead) and told him to drop them one at a time to distract Atalanta. Sure enough, she quit running long enough to retrieve each golden apple. It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Hippomenes finally succeeded, winning the race and Atalanta's hand."
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The Garden of the Hesperides
The Garden of the Hesperides was Hera's orchard in the west, where either a single tree or a grove of immortality-giving golden apples grew. Hera placed in the garden a never-sleeping, hundred-headed, dragon, named Ladon, as an additional safeguard. The eleventh Labor of Hercules was to steal the apples from the garden.

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The Judgment of Paris
Main articles: Judgment of Paris, Apple of Discord
Zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. Left off the guest list was Eris (goddess of discord), and upon turning up uninvited she threw or rolled a golden apple into the ceremony, with the inscription which said: καλλίστῃ or, "for the fairest one". Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Zeus decided that Paris of Troy would judge their cases. Each of the goddesses offered Paris a gift. Hera would give him power, Athena would make him wise, and Aphrodite offered him the love of the world's most beautiful woman, Helen. Paris chose Aphrodite, and Helen's leaving of her previous husband precipitated the Trojan War.

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Norse mythology
In Norse mythology, golden apples grant immortal life to the Gods. They are cultivated by the Goddess Iðunn.

Golden apples are an important element in Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold, prelude of the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. After building the Walhall for the gods, the giants Fafner and Fasolt asked Wotan to give them Freia, the goddes who cultivates golden apples, as Wotan promised them. When the giants took Freia away, the gods suddenly became old and weak. It convinced Wotan to go to Nibelheim with Loge in order to steal the ring from Alberich, thus getting a substitute for Freia that would please the giants.

Golden apples are associated with a leitmotif. It is first sung by Fafner, when he explains to his brother Fasolt why they must take Freia away from the gods.


It is also a legend in Norse mythology. Idun is the keeper of the apples, which make the Gods and Goddesses young. One day Loki, Odin and Thor go on a camping trip. An eagle (a giant in disguise) takes Loki and makes him promise to hand over Idun so that he might wed her and also have eternal youth. Loki agrees and takes Idun to him. The Gods don't miss the apples at first but then start to demand where Idun and her apples went. Loki confesses and agrees to get her back under pain of death. He succeeds after a risky flight, and the Gods rejoice that they have the apples back.

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Modern literature
The William Butler Yeats poem The Wandering Angus, has the lines:

I will find out where she has gone
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among the dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are gone
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

Answer 2

Nope. nothing to do with forbidden fruit. Frbidden fruit is says to be an apple but the bible does not say it is.

It is a greek legend and there is no forbidden fruit in greek mythology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_apple

It is though that by 'golden apple' they actually mean 'an orange' though reasoning could as well be the other way around and the orange was named after the myth..who can tell.

The 'golden apple' is a prize.

Symbolic for the real prize that is behind that one.. sort of like the medal in the olympics. It also is used as a target hor heroisme. No real value or use to it except that 'everybody' seems to want it or even steal it.

Answer 3

I have only heard the greek version of the GOLDEN APPLE ledgend, and there it isn't a forbidden fruit. The gift from the god of chaos, Eris, it was to be given "to the fairest". The story goes on to have three greek godesses fight over the apple, and a man, Paris, judge who is the fairest, but in this myth I don't see it being a forbidden fruit as in adam and eve. The Biblical apple may have also been called a golden apple, but when someone says golden apple now, they generally mean the greek myth.

Answer 4

Atlanta And The Golden Apples

Answer 5

Golden apple is also another common name for the fruit yellow mombin.
The Golden apple is an element that appears in some countries' legends or fairy tales. Usually, a hero (like Hercules or Prince Charming in Eastern countries legends) has to retrieve the golden apples hidden or stolen by a negative character like a zmeu, dragon or monster. In several non-English languages, the word for "orange" is derived from the phrase "golden apple."

Answer 6

The Golden apple is one of Three things. In Hercules Twelve labors, he had to take golden apples from a garden guarded by a Dragon that never sleeps. Eris, the goddess of discord threw it at a wedding attended by Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena, and said that it was for the fairest. When they asked Paris to judge, he said Aphropite, and took her prize of Helen, hence the Trojan war. Later, Atlanta lost the race to her future husband, because the apples had been put in her path, and she went off to go get them. Is it any wonder why they are called forbidden?

Answer 7

Golden Apple is a deep Pharonic (old Egyptian) myth.
Its a gift from the queen to the Pharaoh (king/God).
Nope, there is no evidence that the forbidden fruit is actually an apple.
Nothing but the wrath of God, because of disobeying His direct rules.

Answer 8

Below is a link to a website with a bunch of stuff about golden apples.
In Norse myth, Idun (the goddess of youth) must continue to supply the gods with golden apples to keep them from growing old. In Greek mythology as well apples are associated with youth, but other posters have talked about Greek mythology.
Youth has little to do with knowledge, but Christian mythology is notorious for borrowing from popular myths (snakes, end-of-year celebrations, springtime rebirth, etc.)--really all mythologies have equivalents with each other.

Answer 9

Yeah, I agree with the Dude. The legend that I recall from a college mythology course was about the judging contest between who was the fairest. That ultimately led to the start of the Trojan War.

Answer 10

An egg