A suggestive network of symbolic parallels drawn from Biblical, mystical, and functional perspectives engirdle the pomegranate. Poignant allusions in ancient texts converge to lift the veil cast over the grandeur of its true significance, revealing one explicit revelation: humanity views pomegranates as unanimous symbols of life and fertility.
In Exodus 28:33-34, God specifies that many-colored pomegranates should embellish the hem of priestly robes. These holy garments were to be worn by the Levitical priest Aaron, upon whose shoulders rested the spiritual health and livelihood of Israel. Outfitting himself in the word of God and a life of ceaseless prayer ensured preservation from spiritual death.
The Eleusinian Mysteries and myth of mother and daughter goddesses Demeter and Persephone, as told in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, also relied on the pomegranate as apt allegory to express the cyclical nature of birth, life, and death. Initiation rites ushered cult adherents through the stages of separation, anguish, and reunification faced by Demeter following Hades’ abduction of Persephone. Participation yielded the reward of illumination and conscious awakening; mysticism liberated the ancient Greeks from their gnawing fear of death and spared them eternal stagnation in the underworld.
Analysis of the bioactivity exhibited by pomegranates provides intriguing context for their symbolic significance. They are anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitumorgenic, and immunomodulating and a rich source of phytoestrogenic compounds that bind to estrogen receptors within the body and invoke targeted estrogenic and antiestrogenic responses.
The therapeutic potential of pomegranate further reflects their intimate connection to the cycle of birth, life, and death. Studies exploring their application in female reproductive medicine demonstrate an ability to enhance reproductive health and function, as well as encourage fertility. Pomegranate compounds may improve implantation rate, inhibit gynecologic cancers, regulate polycystic ovarian syndrome, decrease uterine fibroid size, and reduce reproductive canal inflammation, among other effects.
