In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nutrition, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Ancient Greek, it was called the "horn of Amalthea" (),[Pearson, p. 60.] after Amalthea, a nurse of Zeus, who is often part of stories of the horn's origin.
or of this form were traditionally used in West Asia and Europe to hold and carry newly 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
aition 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 a cave on
Mount Ida on the island of
Crete, baby Zeus was cared for and protected by a number of divine attendants, including the goat Amalthea ("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.
[David Leeming, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 13; Robert Parker, Polytheism and Society at Athens (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 422.]
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.[Ovid, Metamorphoses 9.87–88, as cited by J. Rufus Fears, "The Cult of Virtues and Roman Imperial Ideology," Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt II.17.2 (1981), p. 821.] This version is represented in the Achelous and Hercules mural painting 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 of Earth (Gaia or Terra); the child Plutus, god of riches and son of the grain goddess Demeter; 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, goddess of the grain supply to the city of Rome. Hades, 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, 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 and state seal of
Idaho. The Great Seal of North Carolina depicts Liberty standing and Plenty holding a cornucopia. The coats of arms of
Colombia,
Panama,
Peru,
Venezuela, Victoria, Australia and
Kharkiv, also feature the cornucopia, symbolizing prosperity.
Cornucopia motifs appear in some modern literature, such as Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith and Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.
The horn of plenty is used for body art and at Thanksgiving, as it is a symbol of fertility, fortune and abundance.
Gallery
File:NAMA 16346 Cornucopia.JPG|Greek vase of Plouton with a cornucopia and Demeter with a sceptre and plough, by the Orestes Painter, 440-430 BC, ceramic, National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece
File:Fortuna Statue.jpg|Roman art statue of Fortuna, copy after a Greek original from the 4th century BC, marble, Vatican Museums, Rome
File:Gold oktadrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator MET DP139890.jpg|Ancient Greek octodrachm of Ptolemy IV Philopator with a cornucopia, 221–204 BC, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
File:Peter Paul Rubens - Abundance (Abundantia) - Google Art Project.jpg|Allegory depiction of the Roman goddess Abundantia with a cornucopia, by Rubens (c. 1630).
File:Commodo vestito da Ercole ai Musei Capitolini.jpg|Roman cornucopia of Commodus as Hercules, 192, marble, Capitoline Museums, Rome
See also
Notes
External links
