Among the numberless fruits which from time to time have been
regarded as divine emblems, the principal are perhaps the fig,
the pomegranate, the mandrake, the almond, and the olive. The
peculiarly sacred character which we find attached to the fig
ceases to be a mystery so soon as we remember that the organs of
generation, male and female, had, in process of time, come to be
objects of worship and that the fig was the emblem of the latter.
A basket of this fruit is said to have been the most acceptable
offering to the god Bacchus, and therefore, by his devotees, was
regarded as the most sacred symbol. The favorite material for
phallic devices was the wood of the sacred fig, for it was by
rubbing together pieces of it that holy fire was supposed to be
drawn from heaven. By holy fire, however, was meant not so much
the natural visible element which was kindled, as that subtle
substance contained in fire or heat which was supposed to contain
the life principle, and which was sent in response to the
cravings of pious devotees for procreative energy, which
blessing, among various peoples, notably the Jews, was indicative
of special divine favor.
By pagans, Jews, and Christians, the pomegranate has long been
regarded as a sacred emblem. It is a symbol of reproductive
energy. Representations of it were embroidered on the Ephod, and
Solomon's Temple is reported as having been literally covered
with decorations, in which, among the devices noticed, this
particular fruit appears the most conspicuous. Its significance,
as revealed by Inman and other writers, is too gross to be set
forth in these pages.
Among the most sacred plants or flowers were the lotus and the
fleur de lis, both of which were venerated because of some real
or fancied organic sexual peculiarity. The lotus is adored as
the female principle throughout Nature, or as the "womb of all
creation," and is sacred throughout oriental countries. It is
said to be androgynous or hermaphrodite--hence its peculiarly
sacred character.
It has long been thought that this lily is produced without the
aid of the male pollen, hence it would seem to be an appropriate
emblem for that ancient sect which worshipped the female as the
more important creative energy.
Of the lotus, Inman remarks: "Amongst fourteen kinds of food and
flowers presented to the Sanskrit God Anata, the lotus only is
