The Mythology Book

122

P

omona was a wood nymph

who became the goddess

of fruit trees, orchards,

and gardens. She was a nurturing

goddess, representing abundance,

and was one of very few deities

who had no counterpart in Greek

mythology. Her name was taken

from the Latin word pomum,

or orchard fruit.

Pomona always carried her

curved pruning knife with her, and

used it to cut back unruly growth

or encourage growth in the desired

direction. She would direct water

from the streams for her trees

to drink. She feared no one

and nothing, except that some

malevolent god or satyr would

rape her. To prevent this, she

fenced herself inside her orchards,

and allowed no man inside.

Despite her precautions, many

of the young gods tried to seduce

her; so did drunken old Silenus,

the companion of Bacchus, and

Priapus. Without exception, she

shunned them all.

Hard to persuade

When Vertumnus, god of the

changing seasons, saw Pomona, he

fell deeply in love—but no matter

what gifts he offered, she told him

to go away. So he tried to trick

her into marrying him. He could

change his shape into anything

he wanted, but no matter how he

disguised himself, Pomona would

not let him in. Every day he found

some fresh disguise in which

to approach his love. Finally, in

IN BRIEF

THEME

Love and fertility

SOURCE

Metamorphoses, Ovid, 8 ce.

SETTING

Roman countryside.

KEY FIGURES

Pomona Nurturing goddess

of fruit trees, orchards, and

gardens.

Silenus Old and lecherous

god, often helplessly drunk.

Priapus God of fertility,

a very small man with an

oversized phallus.

Vertumnus God of the

changing seasons, able to

change his appearance

however he wanted.

Vertumnus and Pomona (1807)

lounge in an abundant orchard in this

painting by British artist Richard

Westall, commissioned by wealthy

classics scholar Richard Payne Knight.

NO WOOD NYMPH

COULD TEND A

GARDEN MORE

SKILLFULLY THAN SHE

POMONA AND VERTUMNUS

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123

See also: The abduction of Persephone 50–51 ■ Cupid and Psyche 112–13 ■ Carna and Janus 121 ■

Pyramus and Thisbe 124 ■ Blodeuwedd 170–71

ANCIENT ROME

desperation, he let his hair grow

gray and arrived disguised as an

old woman. The scheme worked;

Pomona let in the old woman—and

was startled to find herself being

kissed in a passionate embrace.

Sinking to the ground, withered

and bent, Vertumnus gestured

to an elm tree around which a

grapevine was twined. He tried to

persuade Pomona of the advantages

of marriage, and the perils of

rejecting a suitor. “If this tree stood

alone,” he said, “and was not

married to the vine, it would be of

little interest. You shun marriage,

when really you should follow the

example of the tree. If you will take

the advice of an old woman, you

should reject all others and choose

Vertumnus to share your bed. He

loves the fruits you grow, though

not as much as he loves you.”

Eventual love

Pomona would not listen to the old

woman’s reasoning and so, finally,

Vertumnus shed his disguise to

reveal himself to her in the full

glory of his divine youth. When

she saw his true shape, Pomona fell

for Vertumnus as deeply as he had

for her, and told him that she

never wanted him to take any

shape again but his own.

Pomona and Vertumnus were

a good match. Together they held

sway over fruits, orchards, growth,

and the changing seasons. The

annual Vertumnalias, their joint

festival, occurred on August 13 and

marked an opportunity for Roman

citizens to give their thanks for the

year’s bountiful harvest. It was

celebrated by the flamen Pomonalis

(“priest of Pomona”) in the Pomonal,

a sacred grove near Ostia, the

principal port of Rome. ■

Ovid The myth of Pomona and

Vertumnus comes down to

us from the Metamorphoses

of the Roman poet Ovid. The

Metamorphoses is a long narrative

poem comprising 15 books and

more than 250 myths. One of the

most influential texts in literature,

it has inspired masterpieces by

writers, artists, and composers

from Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare,

and Kafka to Titian, Richard

Strauss, and many more.

Publius Ovidius Naso was born

into an important family in Sulmo

(modern Sulmona, east of Rome) in

43 bce. By the age of 18, he was

already a poet. Ovid’s

fascination with both Greek

and Roman mythology found

expression in the Heroides,

letters from mythological

heroines to their lovers. This

was followed by Metamorphoses,

and his long poem on the Roman

ritual calendar, Fasti.

In 8 ce, Ovid was exiled by

the Emperor Augustus to Tomis,

on the Black Sea, where he died

in 17 ce, unreprieved. Exactly

why Ovid was exiled in this

manner is not known. Ovid

himself said it was due to

“a poem and a mistake.”

Oxherd

He pretended

to be an oxherd,

holding a goad

to drive cattle.

Soldier

He disguised

himself as a

soldier in full

armor.

Vine-dresser

He posed as a

vine-dresser

carrying a

pruning knife.

Fisherman

He turned up

with a rod and

line; still she

sent him away.

Old woman

Pomona spoke

to Vertumnus

when he wore

this disguise.

Harvester

Vertumnus

dressed as a

reaper with a

basket of corn.

Fruit-picker

He also arrived

to pick fruit, a

ladder over his

shoulder.

Vertumnus’s disguises were many and varied.

When one did not persuade Pomona to talk to him,

he moved on to another.

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