In
classical antiquity, the cornucopia (/ˌkɔːrnjəˈkoʊpiə,ˌkɔːrnə-,ˌkɔːrnu-,ˌkɔːrnju-/), from Latin cornu (horn) and copia (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts.
Baskets or
panniers of this form were traditionally used in western Asia and Europe to hold and carry newly harvested 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
explanations of the origin 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
Amaltheia ("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.[1]
The cornucopia became the attribute of several
Greek and
Roman deities, particularly those associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance, such as personifications of Earth (
Gaia or
Terra); the child
Plutus, god of riches and son of the grain goddess
Demeter; the
nymphMaia; 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.[3]
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 and
Venezuela, and the coat of arms of the state of
Victoria, Australia, also feature the cornucopia, symbolizing prosperity.
Neoclassical cornucopia on a vase, by the Sèvres Porcelain Factory, 1814, hard-paste porcelain with platinum background and gilt bronze mounts, Louvre[9]
Stalinist cornucopias on the administration building of the "Kryvbasshahtoprohidka" and "Pivdenruda" associations,
Kryvyi Rih,
Ukraine, unknown architect, 1950s
Modernist relief of Europe, forcing the wild bull on its knees and pouring out the cornucopia with the blessings of prosperity, in the
Saarlouis Town Hall, Germany, by
Nikolaus Simon, 1953-1955
^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.
^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.
^Clinton, Kevin (1992). Myth and Cult: The Iconography of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Stockholm. pp. 105–107.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)