Idunn was married to Bragi, god of poetry, and she was sweet and gentle and kind. She carried a box with her, made of ash wood, which contained golden apples. When the gods felt age beginning to touch them, to frost their hair or ache their joints, then they would go to Idunn. She would open her box and allow the god or goddess to eat a single apple. As they ate it, their youth and power would return to them. Without Idunn’s apples, the gods would scarcely be gods …
~ Neil Gaiman
(Norse Mythology)
Iduna (Iðunn, Idun, Idunn, Ithun, Idunna) is my favorite Norse goddess, mostly because of the apples, my favorite fruit. It’s been my experience that an apple a day does keep the doctor away. And now, during apple picking season, my thoughts turn to Iduna and the art depicting her I’ve posted to my blog in the past.
Nine years ago I posted this story about my father, who was still alive at the time:
When my father was a boy growing up on a New England farm during the Great Depression, his family picked as many apples as they could and stored some of them in a barrel in the root cellar. Of course he ate as many as he could while picking them, but his parents had a rule about the ones in the barrel he found exasperating. If anyone wanted an apple later in the fall or winter, he was required to take one that was the least fresh. By the time they got to the fresher ones they had also become much less fresh! So all winter he was having to make do with eating not-so-great apples. If only he had known he might have called on Iduna to keep the apples fresher longer!
Dad’s favorite variety was the McCoun. After six years, I still miss him. Will be stopping by the orchard again soon. ♡
I love this mythology and I think I’m going to start eating more apples! We have them in the fruit bowl always, but I’m a bit allergic to apples, so I usually only take a bite or two of my guy’s apple. Maybe it will be worth the allergic reaction if my hair stops turning gray and my joints more spry! 🙂 Sweet story about your dad. My favorite apple variety right now is the Honey Crisp.
How interesting, apples don’t agree much with my daughter, either. I’ve been through a bag of Honey Crisp and then one of McIntosh from our local orchard so far this autumn. Yesterday the McCouns were finally in and I’ve started in on those. Hmmm… At 62 I have very few gray hairs ~ maybe it is the apples! 🙂 Dad was well into his 80s before he went gray… Enjoy your shared bites of apple this season!