Since the apple is a fruit that has been associated with temptation, sin, and knowledge from biblical times to modern-day advertising, it is no surprise that the apple was adopted as a symbol of Christianity. In fact, it’s hard not to see an Apple logo without associating it with Jesus because the company uses the phrase “Think Different” in its ads which are taken directly from his famous words.
This is an obvious reference to the temptation of Adam and Eve by the serpent in the Garden of Eden (a story told in the book of Genesis), which states that Satan took on a form like a snake and tempted them to eat from the tree of knowledge – an act they were not supposed to do. The apple symbolizes their sin, and, by association, death, and corruption that followed.
Apple symbolism in art
The apple has been an object of symbolism in art and music for centuries. One example is in John Milton’s Paradise Lost where the snake (Satan) tempts Eve to eat from the Forbidden Fruit and she later gives it to Adam. The part in which the snake says:
“hath your Lordship has eaten of the fruit forbidden?
Forbidden? Whom should Man obey?”
is especially relevant to the Apple logo and slogan. The snake is an embodiment of evil and Eve’s willingness to eat from the forbidden apple – something she wasn’t supposed to do, represents her disobedience.
The use of the apple to symbolize knowledge also has its roots in the bible. In the book of Genesis, Eve was deceived by Satan into believing that eating from the forbidden fruit would make her wise and God wanted ignorance to be bliss. That idea is relevant in today’s society where Apple products are luxury items that most people use simply because they want them not because they need them.
Fortunately, the history of the apple is not all negative as many positive things have come from it including a much-loved fruit that people eat around the world every day. It also doesn’t look bad when displayed on t-shirts, advertisements, and tattoos.
Apple symbolism in Japan
In Japan, apples symbolize “good luck” and “happiness”. Japanese people consider the apple to be a good luck charm and it is commonly used in celebrations such as weddings and graduations.
Japanese people often give apples to their friends during the New Year, when they want to wish them happiness for the coming year. Sometimes an apple is given with a red envelope which contains money. Many Japanese people believe that receiving an apple is lucky because it represents “happiness” which is what they want in their lives.
Apple symbolism in literature
In literature, apples represent knowledge and temptation. Some famous literary quotes containing the word “apple” refer to those meanings such as “to err is human, to forgive, divine”.
Apples can also symbolize death and immortality. For example: during the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans in Homer’s Greek epic, The Iliad, the Greek warrior Ajax carries three dead soldiers, on top of his shoulders, to Achilles in order to show their bravery. One of the soldiers is holding an apple symbolizing that they will go to Elysium after they died which is where immortals live.
Apple symbolism in death note
Apples show up often in the Japanese manga and anime series Death Note, but do they hold any special meaning? The word “apple” (in Japanese: Ringo ) appears throughout the entire manga several times. But it’s not just a reference to the red fruit we know from our world. It also has a deeper connotation within the story as a symbol of death and as an object that can be used to kill.
For those who don’t know the series: Death Note tells the story of Light Yagami, a young student who finds a notebook with special powers labeled “Death Note”, dropped on Earth by a Shinigami (a Japanese god of death).
Anyone’s name written in the notebook would die within 40 seconds after having read it. Light decides to use Death Note to rid the world of criminals and create a better society. To keep track of all his killings, he uses Kira as an alias – which is basically just “Light Yagami” rearranged into the alphabet – intending for this to become his new name.
At first, Death Note only appears in the manga within Light’s point of view, which makes it easy to suppose that this is just his imagination gone wild. But later on in the story, other characters start noticing these “strange things”. This includes apples falling from trees – even though there are no apple trees in the vicinity – and even a person being killed by what seems to be an apple piercing his head.
The apples are an important part of the Death Note manga. They show up almost everywhere throughout the story, whether it’s in one of Light’s daydreams or just in normal daily life occurrences. Their presence might seem random, but they are actually extremely important to the series.
As an apple pierces through a person’s head, it seems obvious to think that this means death… but obviously, only in the fictional Death Note universe. The apples are likely used as a way of portraying how dangerous the Death Note is. It shows Light being able to kill people at any time he wants, and it has a way of showing that Light is the only one who knows what’s going on.
This apple symbolism is also frequently used in other scenes within Death Note. For example, an apple falling from a tree often shows up when Light imagines killing someone – perhaps this was meant to show how death can come out of nowhere for the victims of the Death Note, as Light claims he didn’t plan to kill anyone.
In addition to this, apples are also shown as objects of temptation and sin. Religious symbols such as a cross or a Star of David show up quite often throughout the series – but not an apple.
In contrast with these religious symbols, which can be seen as a contrast with evil, the apple is shown on several occasions to represent danger and temptation. This relates to religious symbolism in real life, as apples are often associated with the biblical story of Adam and Eve, in which they sinned by eating an apple from a forbidden tree.
Biblical symbolism and meaning of apple
The meaning and symbolism of the apple is a sign of sin because the fruit was used in the story of Adam and Eve. Though there are many other interpretations, Adam and Eve could not eat from the tree of life until they ate from the tree of knowledge. The snake offered them an apple to eat, which would make them wise.
Another interpretation is that the apple symbolizes knowledge, just as in the story of Adam and Eve. Yet another interpretation of an apple is temptation. After all, this fruit was the one offered to Adam and Eve by a snake. The snake was implying that they eat it so that they will know everything, however, God had forbidden them to eat from this fruit.
Is the apple in the Bible a metaphor?
The Bible does not say that the apple is itself a metaphor, but it does mention an apple in the story of Adam and Eve. The Bible uses this story to explain why humans are sinners who die (and often must face temptation).
When someone eats an apple, they take something good (the literal fruit) and make it worse by using it in an unwise way. The author of the story may have intended to teach people that they cannot use something good (like knowledge) in a bad way and expect not to face consequences.
Apple symbolism in greek mythology
The most common influence of apples in greek mythology is through the story of Eris, the goddess of discord. She was angry because she wasn’t invited to a wedding, so she went anyway and threw an apple with “for the fairest” written on it among the guests.
Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena all claimed that the apple was for them. Eventually, they started a war to solve the problem, with Ares leading the charge on the side of Aphrodite. There are many variations in this story, but it usually ends with Paris being chosen to decide who gets the apple.
The three goddesses bribed him into choosing them – Hera offered political power, Athena offered skill in battle and wisdom, and Aphrodite offered the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite, which prompted the Trojan War.
There’s a lesser-known story about how Athena got her epithet Pallas, which also involves an apple. Zeus had two children – the titan Prometheus and the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Each of them wanted to be immortal, so Prometheus created humans out of clay and tricked him into accepting it as a sacrifice.
However, he realized that he had made the humans too weak, so he asked Zeus for some fire. Zeus said no because that would give humans power over all the other creatures on earth, but Prometheus gave them some anyway. When Zeus found out, he was furious, so he chained Prometheus to a rock and sent an eagle to eat his liver every day.
The Titan Atlas was also involved in an apple story. He had been tasked with holding up the sky, and he asked Zeus to let him set it on the ground for a little while so that his arms wouldn’t get tired of carrying all of it.
Zeus agreed and told him not to put it down for more than a few minutes. Atlas didn’t listen and put it down for a few seconds, at which point he realized that he couldn’t pick it back up. He asked Zeus to let him take the sky again, but Zeus said no because Atlas couldn’t be trusted.
Later, Perseus came by and told Atlas that if he showed him the way to Andromeda, he would hold the sky for him. Atlas agreed, so Perseus carried it for him while he went to rescue Andromeda. Unfortunately, Perseus didn’t return quickly enough, and Atlas ended up holding the sky again.
Green apple symbolism
Green apples are the most popular variety of apples in both Ireland and the United States. They are also often associated with anti-aging or health, but there are many other interesting facts about green apples that may surprise you. Here we dive deeper into some of these fascinating green apple symbolism clues.
The color of the fruit is what gives us clues about its particular health benefits. Green apples are no exception. They are extremely high in vitamin C, with one tablespoon of apple juice containing nearly 13 percent of your daily intake.
Apples also contain quercetin, an antioxidant that has been linked to preventing LDL cholesterol from blocking arteries -– the first step toward heart disease. Quercetin has been used in some arthritis studies and it is also thought to be a possible anti-inflammatory agent.
Green apples come in many different shades and hues of green, so the symbolism behind green apple color can range from lighter olive green to dark forest green depending on where it came from and what time of year it was harvested.
Green apple symbolism is also associated with earthy emotions such as jealousy and envy. In some cases, green can be seen as a balance between blue’s calm coolness and yellow’s fiery passion.
Apple symbol of love
The apple is also symbolic of love, as implied in the story of Adam and Eve. When God created Adam, it was intended for him to have a partner. Thus, when he first saw Eve, he knew that she was the perfect mate for him because they were both made out of the same soil or ground
What does a red apple represent?
Red apple symbolism is associated with love, desire, and beauty. They can also be symbols of fertility or even lust.
An old Irish song says the following: “Oh you beautiful and charming young woman whose skin is as soft as the skin of an apple.” Red apples are associated with beauty because they are usually bright, shiny, and smooth.
Red apples are usually harvested in the fall, so they also have some connection to the harvest season and autumn.
Red apple symbolism is associated with passion and desire. This can be both good and bad -– red fruit often represents physical love or something that might lead to temptation or vice. One interesting note about this is that apples are one of the top fruits that cause allergies. Many people have problems eating red apples because they carry a number of different tree pollens.
The color red has long been associated with aggression, anger, and danger. When combined with apple symbolism, these traits can be especially strong. For example, in Norse mythology, the personification of desire was once lured by a clever young man into biting an apple, which is probably where the phrase “biting off more than you can chew” came from.
At the same time, however, red apples are also strongly associated with love and passion. They are often seen as symbols of beauty -– especially female beauty -– because they are round, red, and shiny.
What does the apple symbolize in Chinese culture?
The apple is a symbol of immortality in Chinese culture. The word “apple” (“píng guǒ” in Chinese) sounds similar to the words for “harvesting peace” (平果).
The apple is associated with immortals because apples are said to grow on an island where no one ever gets sick and dies. Because of this connection, oranges were differentiated from apples and given the symbol of an immortal (the king) whereas apples (the peasants) were represented by pears.
In Eastern Chinese folklore, the apple is a fertility fruit that would fall from heaven to show a girl her future husband’s face as well as to enhance her fertility.
Spiritual apple symbolism
The spiritual meaning of apples is closely related to their symbolism in different religions, mythologies, and folklore. Apples are considered sacred in many cultures, mainly due to their being mentioned in the Bible.
