classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

, 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 Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

offers multiple explanations of the origin of the cornucopia. One of the best-known involves the birth and nurturance of the infant

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

, 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 Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, baby

was cared for and protected by a number of divine attendants, including the goat

Amaltheia In Greek mythology, Amalthea or Amaltheia (Ancient Greek: Ἀμάλθεια) is the most-frequently mentioned foster-mother of Zeus. Etymology The name ''Amalthea'', in Greek "tender goddess", is clearly an epithet, signifying the presence of a ...

("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

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

s, 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 Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

(Roman

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

) 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 The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see ''interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek myths, iconography, and sometimes religious practices into Roman culture, including Latin literat ...

, 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 A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; la, Maia), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daugh ...

; 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 The Pax Romana (Latin for 'Roman peace') is a roughly 200-year-long timespan of Roman history which is periodization, identified as a period and as a golden age (metaphor), golden age of increased as well as sustained Imperial cult of ancient Rome ...

)'' and prosperity were also depicted with a cornucopia, including

Abundantia In ancient Roman religion, Abundantia (), also called Abundita or Copia, was a divine personification of abundance and prosperity. The name Abundantia means plenty or riches. This name is fitting as Abundantia was a goddess of abundance, money-flo ...

, "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 Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries, were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiates ''(mystai)''. The main characterization of this religion is the secrecy ass ...

, 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 In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and vegetables. In most of North America, 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, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Two cornucopias are seen in the flag of Idaho, flag and seal of Idaho, state seal of Idaho. The Great Seal of North Carolina depicts Liberty standing and Plenty holding a cornucopia. The coat of arms of Colombia, 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 Fictional world of The Hunger Games#The Hunger Games, 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 The Hunger Games (film), film adaptation, 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 Kingdom, Ptolemaic queen, perhaps Cleopatra VII, 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, Archaeological Museum, Dion's Archaeological Museum (Dion, Pieria, Dion, Greece) Fortuna Statue.jpg, Statue of Fortuna, Roman art, Roman copy after a Ancient Greek art, Greek original from the 4th century BC Allegory of Peace MET DP-1228-001.jpg, Allegory of Peace, by Girolamo Campagna, 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 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 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, 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 Palace of Versailles Nancy opéra national de Lorraine armoiries de Nancy.jpg, Pair of cornucopia in the Opéra national de Lorraine from Nancy, France, Nancy Interior of the BCR Headquarters Building 31.jpg, Stucco, Stuccos with pairs of cornucopia, in the BCR Headquarters Building 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, 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, 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