In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. Baskets or panniers of this form were traditionally used in western Asia and Europe to hold and carry newly harvested food products. The horn-shaped basket would be worn on the back or slung around the torso, leaving the harvester's hands free for picking.

In Greek/Roman mythology

Mythology offers multiple explanations of the origin of the cornucopia. One of the best-known involves the birth and nurturance of the infant Zeus, who had to be hidden from his devouring father

Cronus In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or , from el, Κρόνος, ''Krónos'') was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans, the divine descendants of the primordial Gaia (Mother Earth) and ...

. In a cave on

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida'' ...

on the island of Crete, baby Zeus was cared for and protected by a number of divine attendants, including the goat Amaltheia ("Nourishing Goddess"), who fed him with her milk. The suckling future king of the gods had unusual abilities and strength, and in playing with his nursemaid accidentally broke off one of her horns, which then had the divine power to provide unending nourishment, as the foster mother had to the god. In another myth, the cornucopia was created when Heracles (Roman Hercules) wrestled with the river god Achelous and ripped off one of his horns; river gods were sometimes depicted as horned. This version is represented in the ''

Achelous and Hercules ''Achelous and Hercules'' is a 1947 mural painting by Thomas Hart Benton. It depicts a bluejeans-wearing Heracles (Roman Hercules) wrestling with the horns of a bull, a shape the protean river god Achelous was able to assume. The myth was one o ...

mural painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...

by the American Regionalist artist Thomas Hart Benton. The cornucopia became the attribute of several Greek and Roman deities, particularly those associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance, such as personifications of Earth (

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenog ...

or Terra); the child Plutus, god of riches and son of the grain goddess

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

; the nymph Maia; and Fortuna, the goddess of luck, who had the power to grant prosperity. In Roman Imperial cult, abstract Roman deities who fostered peace ''( pax Romana)'' and prosperity were also depicted with a cornucopia, including Abundantia, "Abundance" personified, and

Annona ''Annona'' (from Taíno ''annon'') is a genus of flowering plants in the pawpaw/sugar apple family, Annonaceae. It is the second largest genus in the family after ''Guatteria'', containing approximately 166

, goddess of the grain supply to the city of Rome.

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, the classical ruler of the underworld in the mystery religions, was a giver of agricultural, mineral and spiritual wealth, and in art often holds a cornucopia.

Modern depictions

In modern depictions, the cornucopia is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. In most of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, the cornucopia has come to be associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest. Cornucopia is also the name of the annual November Food and Wine celebration in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Two cornucopias are seen in the

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

and state seal of Idaho. The Great Seal of North Carolina depicts Liberty standing and Plenty holding a cornucopia. The coat of arms of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, and the Coat of Arms of the State of Victoria, Australia, also feature the cornucopia, symbolizing prosperity. In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels, the witch Tiffany Aching was briefly in possession of the Cornucopia which is badge of office of Summer, when she contracted avatarism as well as ped fecundis during the events of '' Wintersmith''. This causes problems by spurting out food and animals, including a massive flock of chickens. The motif of the cornucopia is used in the book series '' The Hunger Games''. In the eponymous gladiatorial games described in the series, a large horn-like cache filled with weapons and equipment is placed at the starting point: this cache serves as the focal point of fighting during the games' first minutes, and is even called the "Cornucopia". In the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

, the national anthem of Panem, the series' primary setting, is called "the Horn of Plenty", which is mentioned several times in the lyrics. The horn of plenty is used for body art and at Thanksgiving, as it is a symbol of fertility, fortune and abundance.

Gallery

Statue of a Ptolemaic Queen, perhaps Cleopatra VII MET 89.2.660 EGDP013679.jpg, Statue of a Ptolemaic queen, perhaps

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

, 200–30 BC, dolomitic limestone Statuette of Harpokrates, the companion of Isis, from the sanctuary of Isis, Archaeological Museum, Dion (6933813772).jpg, 2nd century statuette of the Hellenistic god Harpocrates with a cornucopia, in Dion's Archaeological Museum ( Dion, Greece) Fortuna Statue.jpg, Statue of Fortuna, Roman copy after a Greek original from the 4th century BC Allegory of Peace MET DP-1228-001.jpg, Allegory of Peace, by

Girolamo Campagna Girolamo Campagna (1549–1625) was a Northern Italian sculptor. Born in Verona, he went to Venice in 1572 and studied under both Jacopo Sansovino and Danese Cattaneo, and completed many of the latter's works. He was responsible for the fig ...

, late 16th–early 17th century, after models from circa 1585–86, bronze A sculpture at the palace of Versailles.jpg, L’Abondance par Coysevox, by Antoine Coysevox, a sculpture at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

File:The Four Continents (America), Johann Joachim Kaendler and assistants, Meissen Porcelain Factory, c. 1760, hard-paste porcelain - Wadsworth Atheneum - Hartford, CT - DSC05373.jpg,

Personification of the Americas Early European personifications of America, meaning the Americas, typically come from sets of the Four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. These were all that were then known in Europe. The addition of America made these an even more ...

with an alligator, a parrot, and a cornucopia, all symbols of the New World File:PosagFloryWSzczecinie.jpg, Cornucopia in the

Statue of Flora in Szczecin The Statue of Flora in Szczecin is a baroque monument to Flora, a goddess of flowers and spring, located at White Eagle Square (Polish: Plac Orła Białego) in Szczecin ( the Old Town). The statue was made of sandstone around 1730 by German sculp ...

, Poland Fauteuil Georges Jacob Cabinet dore Reine Versailles.jpg, Louis XVI style armchair with a pair of cornucopia, in the Cabinet Doré de la Reine of the

Nancy opéra national de Lorraine armoiries de Nancy.jpg, Pair of cornucopia in the Opéra national de Lorraine from Nancy Interior of the BCR Headquarters Building 31.jpg,

Stuccos Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

with pairs of cornucopia, in the

BCR Headquarters Building BCR may refer to: Companies *Brockmore Classic Replicas, British manufacturer Organisations *Banca Comercială Română, a Romanian Commercial Bank * Banque Commerciale du Rwanda, former name of the Commercial Bank of Rwanda *Belarusian Central Ra ...

from Bucharest, Romania File:Coat of arms of Colombia.svg, The Coat of arms of Colombia File:Escudo de Copiapó.svg, Coat of arms of
Copiapó, Chile File:Cagayan de Oro Seal 1950-1976.svg, Seal of

Cagayan de Oro City Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

, Philippines File:Seal of North Carolina.svg, Seal of North Carolina File:Hunts CoA.png, Coat of arms of
Huntingdonshire, England File:Escudo_nacional_del_Per%C3%BA.svg, Coat of arms of Peru File:Coat of arms of Kharkiv.svg, Coat of arms of Kharkiv, Ukraine File:RathausSaarlouisL1070887 (2).jpg, Europe, forcing the wild bull on its knees and pouring out the cornucopia with the blessings of prosperity,

Saarlouis Saarlouis (; french: link=no, Sarrelouis, ; formerly Sarre-Libre and Saarlautern) is a town in Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2020, the town had a population of 34,409. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located on t ...

, Town Hall

References

External links

* {{portalbar, Arts, Food Containers Food storage containers Greek mythology Heraldic charges Roman mythology Symbols Thanksgiving Mythological objects Visual motifs Ornaments Ornaments (architecture) Magic items

In Greek/Roman mythology

Modern depictions

Gallery

See also

References

External links