The Hebrew word for the pomegranate is rimmon.
rimmon also seems to be the title of a Middle-Eastern deity, as pointed out by Gerald Massey.
The pomegranate is evidently a symbol of the uterus or the womb – the Mother & the Goddess – though, as I’ve written earlier – there was no real split in the Ancient mind between the liṅga & the yoni in terms of importance, & sometimes, even in terms of symbolism.
In other words, the pomegranate could be a male sexual symbol also.
It is more evidently a feminine symbol, as, being a brilliant, intense red in itself, it is full of juicy red seeds.
“O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother!
When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.
I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother’s house, who would instruct me:
I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.”
So says the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon (8.1-2).
There could be very abstract & spiritually uplifting interpretations of these lines, but at the level of the occult sexual mysteries, it can mean only one thing, and the words are very loud & clear.
Solomon says, in the same Canticle (6.7): “As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks {or: “behind thy veil”}”.
Interestingly, in India, the pomegranate is known as “kuca-phala”: “having fruits shaped like the female breast”.
That is, the pomegranate fruit is compared to the female breasts.
In the Song of Solomon though, they’re compared to the temples of the head, which is not a very evident similarity, but not too surprising, because either the poet is referring to the roundedness of the upper part of the head, or to the temples which may jut out in a rounded form.
It also likely, though, that the word doesn’t really refer to the temple, but the cheek, or the side of the face {cheeks & temples included}.
The rounded, plump cheek could be compared to the roundish, spherical fruit.
Be that as it may, the uterus-symbolism is reinforced in Sanskrit – albeit indirectly – in which the pomegranate is also known as
· rakta-bīja” i.e. “blood seed” {as in, whose blood is the seed, i.e. the source from which the foetus’s body develops, like a plant from a seed, since the mother-blood is said to form the flesh of the child} and
· “rakta-puṣpa” – which is not only “that which has blood-red flowers”, but also “the menstrual-flow of blood”.
It is evidently the symbol of the fertile, prolific mother, or genitrix, whose womb gives birth to a “century” of sons & heroes.
Generally then, like the milch-cow, the pomegranate would be a symbol of abundance & fertility.
The Greek traveler & geographer, Pausanias, in his seminal Description of Greece, describes a statue of Hera {2.17.4}:
“The statue of Hera is seated on a throne; it is huge, made of gold and ivory, and is a work of Polycleitus.
She is wearing a crown with Graces and Seasons worked upon it, and in one hand she carries a pomegranate & in the other a sceptre.
About the pomegranate I must say nothing, for its story is somewhat of a holy mystery.”
One wonders what could possibly be so mysterious about a woman holding a pomegranate.
Anyway, the fruit was, thus, definitely associated with the Mother-Goddess, and there was something mysterious & special about it.
In Pausanius’s description, it seems to be akin to the orb – the globus cruciger – of so many European monarchs, who held the orb & the scepter together.
The orb & scepter seem to be nothing but the ring & the rod: reminiscent of the pāśa & the aṅkuśa of Indian deities.
The pāśa, ring, & orb would all be intrinsically feminine symbols.
Pomegranates were also incorporated into the design of the pillars of Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem, as well as into the robes of the Jewish High Priest, and the fruit is generally affirmed, in Judaism.
The Jewish-Roman historian Josephus wrote in the 3rd Book of his “Antiquities of the Jews” {late 1st Century CE}:
“The High Priest is indeed adorned with the same garments that we have described without abating one.
But over these he puts on a vestment of a blue colour.
This also is a long robe, reaching to his feet.
In our language it is called Meeir, and is tied round with a girdle, embroidered with the same colours and flowers as the former, with a mixture of gold interwoven.
To the bottom of which garment are hung fringes, in colour like pomegranates, with golden bells, by a curious and beautiful contrivance: so that between two bells hangs a pomegranate, and between two pomegranates a bell.”
He then gives a curious but fascinating explanation of the symbolism:
“The blue is fit to signify the air; and
the scarlet will naturally be an indication of fire.
Now the vestment of the High Priest being made of linen, signified the earth;
the blue denoted the sky; being like lightning in its pomegranates, and in the noise of the bells resembling thunder.”
The bells apparently symbolize thunder – and the pomegranates symbolize lightning.
We have seen that the pomegranate was rimmon, and this was the name of a Semitic god who was also called “Ramanu”, the “Thunderer”.
Thunder is not the same as Lightning, but they are inextricably interrelated phenomena, and there seems to be some sort of connection here, though quite unfathomable to the modern mind.
In Sanskrit, stanayitnu means both “thunder” & “lightning”, but the word specifically denotes Thunder as the offspring of Lightning.
Probably because Lightning is followed by Thunder.
Indeed, there is a curious relation between the Sanskrit words
· stan, “to resound, reverberate, roar, thunder” {the root of stanayitnu} – and
· stana, “the female breast, udder”.
According to Wilson’s dictionary, stana means both
· “to sound, to thunder” as well as
· “the female breast”.
We see that the pomegranate was associated with the female breast {“kuca-phala”} – and the breast {“stana = kuca”} is associated with “thunder” – and perhaps “lightning”.
Thus, there is at least an indirect connection between pomegranates & thunder {as in the Middle-Eastern Rimmon} – and possibly between pomegranates & lightning {as referenced by Josephus}.
Indeed, the word
§ “kuc/kuca” in Sanskrit means “to sound high, utter a shrill cry (as a bird)”
which seems related to
§ “stan”, “to sound, to resound, to roar”.
To say that pomegranates are somehow related to thunder seems ridiculous, but not more incomprehensible than pomegranates being related to lightning.
While there might be a relation between the chest/breast & the sound or cry that emanates from it, the relation between pomegranates & lightning is less evident.
Here I would make reference again to the statue of Hera-Juno, described by Pausanias, holding the pomegranate & sceptre.
A clue may be found in trying to understand the nature of Hera, who is the same as the Latin Juno.
Hera-Juno was associated with Air.
I take this to be akin to the Ṛg-Vedic Antarikṣa, rather than Vāyu, but Vāyu is the “Lord” of Antarikṣa, so she might represent both: that would make Jove/Jupiter Heaven or Dyu, but strictly speaking, no deity in the Ancient world can be limited to one sphere or function.
If Hera-Juno is Air or “Ether”, it’s very much possible that the pomegranate & scepter she bears, symbolize the cloud & thunder-bolt – or lightning & thunder {the sceptre being a reference to the thunder-bolt} – since these are features/properties of Air-&-Wind {Vāyu-Rudra-Indra-M
The Orphic Hymn to Juno {= Hera} is as follows:
“O Royal Juno of majestic mien,
Aerial-form’d, divine, Jove’s blessed queen,
Thron’d in the bosom of cærulean air,
The race of mortals is thy constant care.
The cooling gales thy pow’r alone inspires,
Which nourish life, which ev’ry life desires.
Mother of clouds and winds, from thee alone
Producing all things, mortal life is known:
All natures share thy temp’rament divine,
And universal sway alone is thine.
With founding blasts of wind, the swelling sea
And rolling rivers roar, when shook by thee.
Come, blessed Goddess, fam’d almighty queen,
With aspect kind, rejoicing and serene.”
From this, one may infer that maybe the pomegranate of Hera-Juno is the cloud.
The importance of clouds is usually ignored by the Mother-worshipping cult raving about the Earth – and the Father-worshipping cult raving about Heaven.
Both ignore the realm called Antarikṣa in India – the realm between Heaven & Earth.
It is also ignored by the ones harping on the Sun & the Moon, and in case of Gerald Massey, the Great Bear or the Pole-Star or the Nile-Flood.
This is the great, wide sea of the ancient world – and as important, if not more, than Heaven & Earth, in the Ṛg Veda.
It is often translated “atmosphere”, but also “firmament”, and often “sky”.
This is the sphere of clouds, thunder, & lightning – whence tempests & storms arise – whence rain originates.
And all rain comes from clouds.
And the life of the whole wide world, indeed, depends on the cloud.
The Orphic Hymn to the Clouds is pertinent:
“Ærial clouds, thro’ heav’n’s resplendent plains
Who wander, parents of prolific rains;
Who nourish fruits, whose water’y frames are hurl’d,
By winds impetuous, round the mighty world;
All-thundring, lion-roaring, flashing fire,
In Air’s wide bosom, bearing thunders dire
Impell’d by ev’ry stormy, sounding gale,
With rapid course, along the skies ye fail.
With blowing winds your wat’ry frames I call,
On mother Earth with fruitful show’rs to fall.”
The clouds are Parjanya, the clouds are Indra – who infuse the Earth with life with the rains.
As the containers, and givers, of Waters which enliven, revive & fructify, the whole wide world, they are indeed, the ultimate symbol of fertility & abundance, of the vivifying force of the universe – of the seed-containers.
Everything is – all the germs of life are – contained in the cloud, which is/are then released for manifestation & growth on Earth through the rain-shower.
Here the connection with the feminine breast, the teat, the udder, is also comprehensible.
The world drinks water {i.e. as rain} from the cloud & is nourished by it, like the child drinks milk from the mother’s paps.
We see this in the Sanskrit word ūdhas, which means both:
· “the udder of any female, breast, bosom” as well as
· “cloud (applied figuratively)”.
Playing upon the meaning of “payas” as both “milk” & “water”, the word “payoda” means both “female breast” & “cloud”.
Thus, we see a consistent relation between the female, milk-giving breast or the female udder – and the Cloud – and both are comparable to the pomegranate, rich in juice & seed, i.e. in the seed of further life & nutrition & vigour.
The pomegranate held by Hera-Juno as Air or Ether may represent the Cloud, and by Hera-Juno as World-Mother, the All-Nourishing World-Teat.
Here we may note that the Romans had a goddess, Rumina, who presided over breastfeeding.
In his fulminations against the chaotic state into which the Roman beliefs had fallen, Augustine wrote, in The City of God:
One, against the multifarious functions & names of Jupiter, the Consort & Male counterpart of Juno{Chapter 11, Book 4}:
“...let him preside over fortuitous events, and be called Fortuna:
in the goddess Rumina, let him milk out the breast to the little one, because the ancients termed the breast ruma:
in the goddess Potina, let him administer drink:
in the goddess Educa, let him supply food...”
And then {Chapter 11, Book 7}:
“They have called him Victor, Invictus, Opitulus,
Impulsor, Stator, Centumpeda, Supinalis, Tigillus, Almus, Ruminus, and other names which it were long to enumerate.
But these surnames they have given to one god on account of diverse causes & powers, but yet have not compelled him to be, on account of so many things, as many gods.
They gave him these surnames
because he conquered all things;
because he was conquered by none;
because he brought help to the needy;
because he had the power of impelling, stopping, stablishing, throwing on the back;
because as a beam he held together and sustained the world;
because he nourished all things;
because, like the pap, he nourished animals.”
{The word Juno itself may be derived from the Sanskrit word for Heaven, Dyu, though I think it derives from the word Yoni, the Womb.
The same Yoni seems to be the original of the words or names Yona, Yoni, Jonah, John,
The Latin Venus itself comes from the Sanskrit vanas, vena, vana, etc.
The dove was also intimately associated with the sensual Queen-Goddess figure Semiramis.
In my humble opinion, this Sanskrit Yoni is the true origin of the word John.
That is why the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a Dove, when John the Baptist baptizes Jesus.
There has always been a theory that the Holy Spirit was initially the Mother of the World along with the Father & the Son, the Goddess.
Hence, the symbol of the Dove.
John the Baptist is also the pourer of water, like the Cloud.
Juno, the Yoni of the Universe, holding a symbol of the Womb, the Pomegranate, makes only too much sense.}
In other words, not only was there a distinct goddess Rumina, but Jupiter
himself was also called Ruminus
{“...we say it is incredible that Jupiter should have condescended to give the pap not only to children, but also to beasts—from which he has been surnamed Ruminus” —Ch.14, Bk.7},
he was likened to the goddess Rumina, and
was said to himself nourish animals like the paps of the mother nourish the baby.
If Jupiter, who is the Latin Zeus, can be said to nourish the world with his paps, the same could be said of his wife, Juno or Hera.
Here the link between ruma {“the teat”} & the city of Rome, on the one hand, and ruma and the mountain, should not be ignored.
Mountains were often compared to female breasts.
I have linked Rome to the great Mountain of the World-Centre, Meru, in India.
The words maru & meru mean mountain, in Sanskrit & Egyptian.
In Tamil, malai & māl, both mean Mountain, and mulai means the female breast.
In Kannada, the mountain is male, which also means “to be raised, to be elevated”, and the breast.
In Telugu, mala means mountain.
{Remember, r interchanges with l.}
In Sanskrit, māla means rising ground.
In Dravidian Gadba languages, māre or mare means hill.
Also, in Dravidian languages, the root mār means breast or chest.
These are variations within the fundamental consonantal-cluster mr, the inverted, mirror-word of rm.
There is also a probable connection to the Hebraic-Semitic word(s) “rum”, “ram” etc. which mean “high, elevated, lofty” – a component of the name “Abraham”.
There appears to be a connection of these concepts, with that of the breast or pap {“ruma”}, from which Rome is actually said to have derived its name.
The important point being, that the “breast” actually refers to mountain, hill, summit, or a “high place”, i.e. Rome.
Plutarch tells us, in his Life of Romulus, about the place where the twin-babies Romulus & Remus were abandoned in a basket:
“Now there was a wild fig-tree hard by, which they called Ruminalis, either from Romulus, as is generally thought, or because cud-chewing, or ruminating, animals spent the noon-tide there for the sake of the shade, or best of all, from the suckling of the babes there; for the ancient Romans called the teat “ruma,” and a certain goddess, who is thought to preside over the rearing of young children, is still called Rumilia, in sacrificing to whom no wine is used, and libations of milk are poured over her victims.”
Plutarch indicates some sort of curious connection between the Fig-Tree and ruminating animals resting under it, or suckling their young.
In India, the Fig-Tree is perhaps the most important of all trees – the Aśvattha.
One interpretation of the word aśvattha is that “under which horses stand” – from “aśva”, horses, and “stha”, stand.
It is also known as the “Milk-giving Tree” – kṣīra-vṛkṣa, kṣīra-druma, & kṣīra-kāṣṭhā – where “kṣīra” is mostly understood as “Milk”, but “kṣīra” also means “water”.
As we’ve seen the Cloud is also the “water/milk” giver/container, like the female paps.
It may be relevant that words for Tree & Mountain tend to be similar, as are words for Mountain & Cloud.
In the account of Plutarch, the Fig-tree is linked to suckling animals, to breastfeeding, and the Roman gods & goddesses of breastfeeding, and we see a peculiar connection between milk & the Fig-tree in India too.
The Hebrew “rimmon” or the Arabic “rummān”, which is Pomegranate {in the Middle East}, may be related to ruma, the Teat, in Latin, just as in Sanskrit the pomegranate is likened to the female breasts.
Rimmon/rummān are unmistakably a variation of Rumina or Ruminus, a name of Jupiter who suckles both humans & animals, which is a permutation of Rumilia.
A chain of connections emerges here.
Pomegranates ≈ Breasts ≈ Clouds ≈ Mountains
Mountains & Clouds are considered in India to be akin, the sources of water, which give life to the entire world.
The breasts are source of milk, which nourishes & strengthens the child.
Without milk, the child perishes, just as without rain-water, the seed perishes {and the land remains barren & infertile}.
Hence, the importance of milk: it is life.
Pomegranates, by their shape, are likened to breasts & clouds, and indirectly, to hills, mountains, & “high places”.
Hence, the pomegranate might well symbolize clouds, breasts, mountains, & “high places”, and the consonantal-clusters can be similar {“rm”; for instance in Ugaritic “rm” means “lofty, height, elevated” etc., concepts best applied to mountains}.
To extend the logic, in a certain sense, the cloud may also be compared to the womb.
It may be said that just as the crops, plants, herbs, & trees, all physically grow – their bodies receive nourishment & nutrition – from the {rain-} cloud, the child’s body grows through the nutrition supplied by the womb.
Hence, the womb may be compared to the cloud, and both, to the pomegranate, the container & supplier of numerous seeds.
{It may be recollected that at the very beginning of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, there’s a description of the Cosmic Horse, of which it is said:
“The head of the sacrificial horse is the dawn,
its eye the sun,
its vital force the air,
its open mouth the fire called Vaiśvānara,
and the body of the sacrificial horse is the year.
Its back is heaven,
its belly {udara} the sky {antarikṣa},
its hoof the earth,
its sides the four quarters,
its ribs the intermediate quarters,
its members the seasons,
its joints the months and fortnights,
its feet the days and nights,
its bones the stars and
its flesh {māṁsa} the clouds {nabhas}.
{At this point, Shankarāchārya says in his Commentary, as translated by Madhavananda:
“The word used in the text means the sky {i.e. nabhas}, but since this has been spoken of as the belly, here it denotes the clouds which float in it. They are flesh, because they shed water as the flesh sheds blood.”}
Its half-digested food is the sand,
its blood-vessels the rivers,
its liver & spleen the mountains,
its hairs the herbs & trees.
... its yawning is lightning,
its shaking the body is thundering,
its making water is raining, and
its neighing is voice.}
We see that the clouds are compared to the flesh of the symbolical Universal, Sacrificial Horse – which, infact, represents Prajāpati – and antarikṣa, the realm of Air, to its belly.
“udara” {here the Firmament = Juno-Hera} also means womb.
What is perhaps more relevant is that the Clouds represent the Sky, or are interchangeable with it.
The same word – “nabhas” – is used for both.
Rain is likened to the Urination of the Prajāpati-Aśvamedha Horse.
At the same time, the shedding of rain by clouds is compared to the shedding of blood by the flesh.
The analogy between the womb which menstruates, and the cloud which sheds blood/rain, can be detected here.}
Since Thunder is associated with Clouds {& Rain & Storms}, “Rimmon” may at once be associated with the pomegranate, and with thunder.
The blue color of the robe of the Jewish High Priest described by Josephus also refers to the Air or Sky – Antarikṣa or
It is possible that the blue-colour signifies not just the sky, but also the cloud – or perhaps only the cloud.
As we see, the words used for both can be synonymous, or interrelated.
In Sanskrit, words which mean both cloud & sky include:
§ nabhas;
§ abhra;
§ aśman; &
§ pṛśni.
The cloud, in India, is often described as something blue or bluish.
It should be remembered though, that there’s a curious paradox in all this: the God who sends rain is often compared to the Cloud, but is as often the destroyer of the cloud.
The Cloud is dismembered with the thunderbolt or lightning – in order to release the rain-waters.
The difference is between the Cloud conceived as that which gives rain, and as that which withholds rain.
It must also be borne in mind that the water-giving cloud is by no means an exclusively feminine symbol – it is equally masculine.
Both Parjanya & Indra are compared to clouds {indeed, vice versa}, but both are emphatically masculine gods.
After all this, the association of the pomegranate with lightning, though a knotty point, is not altogether
Maybe the words are cryptic codes: it seems to mean one thing, but actually means something else.
In other words, the word for “pomegranate” also means “lightning” – hence, the symbolism.
For example, the Sanskrit word “pavi” means “thunderbolt” as well as “speech” – but the thunderbolt either depicted in the hands of an image, or used in a hymn, actually refers to Speech.
Thus, “pavitra”, interpreted as “pavi + tra” would mean “Protector, Guardian, Keeper {“tra”} or Lord of Speech {“pavi”}”, not just “pure”.
Words conceal & reveal various meanings depending on how you divide or re-arrange the word & its alphabets, and what do component-words mean.
A word which apparently signifies one thing, actually refers to something else entirely.
Or the association is via clouds, because lightning is either associated with clouds {i.e. is generated from them}, or is said to split them to give rain.
Because, clearly, lightning looks nothing like blue-scarlet-purple pomegranates.
On the other hand, Lightning is a form of Illumination or Light or Fire.
So it is, in Vedic parlance.
In the Vedas, Agni is
« Agni on Earth,
« Vidyut or Lightning in Antarikṣa, and
« Sūrya in Dyu-Loka or Heaven.
Hence, the pomegranates with their rich, bright colour are made to represent Fire, or the Fiery element in “Aether”, or the manifestation of the fiery-element in Air, i.e. Lightning.
As Josephus says, the colour scarlet refers to Fire, and the deep reddish of pomegranates may convey the same idea.
At a more abstract, general level, in my humble opinion, Lightning would be a symbol of Illumination, or the Great Illuminator {Heaven, i.e. the Mind/the Intellect – or God} – by Sight or Vision, and Thunder, the Illuminator – by Sound.
One is symbolic of direct revelation, inspired within the heart of man in a flash of great realization, immediate & internal – the other is symbolic of wisdom & knowledge that is heard, i.e. which is taught, & transmitted.
One is wordless, the other is the Word.
One is Light, the other is Speech.
Thunder is the Voice of God, or of Heaven itself, so to speak.
{Thunder & Lightning are also unique properties of the Cloud.}
We read of the Maruts in the Ṛg Veda {1.64.6-8}:
“The munificent Maruts scatter the nutritious waters,
as priests at sacrifices the clarified butter;
as grooms lead forth a horse, they bring forth the rain from the fleeting-cloud, and milk it,
thundering, and unexhausted.
Vast, possessed of knowledge, bright-shining,
like mountains in stability & quick in motion,
you, like elephants, break down the forests when you put vigour into your ruddy (mares) {i.e. flames}.
The most wise {pracetas} Maruts roar like lions;
the all-knowing {viśvavedas} are graceful as the spotted deer,
destroying (their foes), delighting (their worshippers)...”
{The word translated “cloud” above is “utsa” – i.e. fountain or spring.
Do note the intellectual aspect of the Maruts, constantly highlighted in these verses.}
Also {1.23.11}:
“Fierce comes the Maruts’ thundering voice, like that of conquerors, when ye go
Forward to victory, O Men.”
St. John says, in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 10:
“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.
He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head;
his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand.
He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and
he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.
When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.
And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write...”
We read about the voice & speech of the Buddha in Lalita Vistāra {Chapter 19}:
“He spoke with the strength of the lion’s roar,
the neighing of a horse, the trumpeting of an elephant, and
with a voice resounding like that of a nāga.
His voice was like the clapping of a thundercloud,
pervading all buddha realms in the ten directions.
It roused all sentient beings in need of guidance.
It was unconfused, harmless, and without hesitation.”
The Sky {or “Ether”} representing the Divine Mind – communicates Divine Wisdom through Direct Vision {Lightning}, and the Revealed Word {Thunder}.
Hera-Juno being the Goddess & Mother of the world – similarly Shows & Teaches – is the source of Revelation & Scripture – symbolized by Lightning & Thunder.
The pomegranates & bells on the meer or meil of the Jewish High Priest also probably convey the same meaning.
There are 2 points, more.
One is that “Aether” or “Air” {mind you, these are not identical, but are inseparable} may represent the Mind.
Another is that the Cloud itself may represent the Mind – in India, called the Manas tattva.
{But it will complicate everything a lot, to dwell upon these subtleties & complexities.
Assigning specific meanings to specific symbols taken from the world around us, change, as you change the structure of the symbol-scheme.
Sometimes the Sky/Heaven will represent the Divine Mind;
sometimes the Sun;
sometimes the Moon;
sometimes Air/“Aether”;
sometimes, the Cloud.
Also, the same object or entity or symbol will represent different concepts in different contexts.
Thus, the Sun, according to context, can refer to the Manas, to the Buddhi, to Prāṇa, or to the Ātman.
Same applies to Wind, Cloud, Air, “Aether”, Earth, etc.}
So all sorts of symbolisms become possible, as we read in the incomparable Buddhist text Lalita Vistāra {Chapter 1}:
“Courageous One, like a great bank of clouds,
You cover this world that blazes with the fire of afflictions.
Please send down a shower of nectar
And soothe the afflictions of gods and humans.”
It is also likely that the pomegranate is the symbol of Prakṛti which contains within itself the seeds of all things, but Pausanias’s reticence seems to indicate the sexual mysteries, or the invitation of the Shulamite to Solomon in the Song of Songs.
“I would cause you to drink of spiced wine ... Of the juice of my pomegranate...”
And we thus return to my original point: that “rimmon” as the pomegranate is simply the Semitic rm/rhm/rmn as the womb or uterus, and this is reinforced in Indian language & symbolism.
To wind up, finally, the discussion amounts to this.
The starting point was that we see a distinct link between the fundamental consonantal-cluster rm, which in Middle-Eastern, Semitic languages, refers to the womb – and the word “rimmon” which means pomegranate, and is also the name of a Semitic deity.
The fact that the same/similar word is used for the womb, as well as the pomegranate, compels us to think that the pomegranate symbolized the Mother-Womb & Mother-Blood.
We see that in the beautiful Song of Solomon from the Old Testament in the Bible, the Shulamite invites Solomon to drink the “juice” of her “pomegranate”.
This points to an ancient, sexual rite of the now-lost mysteries.
The point is that the pomegranate here refers to her womb.
We see that according to Pausanius, there was a depiction of the Goddess Hera-Juno holding a pomegranate, about which he is somehow very mysterious & reticent.
When we look to India, we see that different words used for the pomegranate have a hidden connection to the Mother-Womb & Menstrual-blood, and that it is also linked to the female breasts.
Then we see that the female breasts are also likened to, or associated with:
· clouds {words like “udhas”, “payoda”},
· thunder
{words like “stana” & “stanayitnu” from “stan”; “kuca” from “kuc”}, &
· mountains
{the Latin word “ruma”, which is comparable to the Semitic “ram/rum”, and the Indian inverted, mirror-words, mer, mar, mal etc.}.
We also notice that words used for the female breasts {like “ruma” } are related to the word used for the female womb {like the Aramaic rḥm or Hebrew raḥam}.
We come back to the Semitic world, where
§ the god called Rimmon {which word means pomegranate} is also known as Ramanu, “The Thunderer” – and to
§ the Jewish High Priest’s robes, in which pomegranates are associated with Lightning.
Thus, we see a direct link between Pomegranates, & Thunder, & Lightning.
That the pomegranate may symbolize the Cloud is reinforced by these associations.
There emerges a chain of relations, between the female teat, thunder, lightning, the cloud, and mountains – and the Pomegranate.
The pomegranate
{Hebrew “rimmon,
Arabic “rummān”,
Ethiopian “romān”},
especially as held by Juno-Hera, could symbolize:
ª the womb/uterus with its mother-blood
{for e.g., “rēmu, rīmu” in Akkadian; “raḥim, riḥm” in Arabic, “rimay” in Somali;
in Latin “rumen” meaning first stomach of a ruminating animaLs},
ª the life-nourishing female teat
{“kuca-phala” in Sanskrit; “rḥm” in Phoenician; “ruma” in Latin; “rum” in Etruscan},
ª the cloud,
{since Juno-Hera most probably represents Air or “Aether”, i.e. in India, Antarikṣa, the realm of rain-giving clouds, thunder, & lightning, of Indra, Vāyu, & Parjanya, and the cloud being the vivifying, invigorating, life-giving source of water upon which all living beings depend for their continued existence; and since the cloud maybe compared to the bleeding flesh, to the female teat, to the nourishing womb, to the menstruating womb, and to the mountain as the source of water (rivers, springs, cascades etc.)}
ª thunder and/or lightning
{primarily from the association with the cloud, which is symbolized by the pomegranate, but also because the color of the pomegranate is a rich, intense red, like that of fire; also take for e.g., in Hebrew “ram” is said to be mean “he cries”, “he rages”, “he roars”}.
At the higher, abstract levels, of course, all these are symbols themselves, and are capable of exalted, metaphysical, cosmological & spiritual interpretations.
