sophalicious

A seemingly uninteresting fruit, however pomegranates hold significant symbolism in today’s media.

The symbolism that this fruit holds truly depends on who you ask. Tiktok users across the globe have described them as “beautiful and therefore worth the mess”, forcing themselves to look inward and conclude that maybe they, as people, are also beautiful and worth the mess that may come. In Greek mythology, Persephone consumed the pomegranate, binding her to Hades for part of the year and creating the seasons.

However, the symbolism that always struck me as the most interesting was the symbolism of cannibalism being a metaphor for true love.

First truly coined in the TV series Hannibal, this symbolism touches on the human desire (or dare I say, need) to merge with another being. It has since, in the natural way of things, been popularised by Tiktok. And the thought struck me on a random Monday in November when my very friendly colleague offered me some of her pomegranate seeds.

I was aware of the symbolism long before this day, but a new thought occurred to me as I ate my colleague’s carefully picked pomegranate seeds- what if this is a metaphor for love all on it’s own? That maybe, to force a pomegranate open leaves your hands stained, but to be given the seeds freely allows you to enjoy them stain free. In other words, to force someone to love you is to bleed them dry whereas to be offered that love leaves both of you fulfilled.

I am in no way an artist, a mythologist or a poet. And at the end of the day, it was just a pomegranate. But maybe the romanticism of forcing someone to love you is overdone. And maybe we should just wait to be offered the seeds instead.