Since a victory signals an end to a conflict or competition, the palm developed into a symbol of peace, a meaning it can have in Islam,[1] where it is often associated with Paradise.
The palm appears on several flags or seals representing countries or other places, with the coconut palm associated with the tropics.
In Assyrian religion, the palm is one of the trees identified as the Sacred Tree[2] connecting heaven, represented by the crown of the tree, and earth, the base of the trunk. Reliefs from the 9th century BC show winged genii holding palm fronds in the presence of the Sacred Tree.[3] It is associated with the goddess Ishtar and is found on the Ishtar Gate. In ancient Mesopotamia, the date palm may have represented fertility in humans. The Mesopotamian goddess Inanna, who had a part in the sacred marriage ritual, was believed to make the dates abundant.[4] Palm stems represented long life to the Ancient Egyptians, and the god Huh was often shown holding a palm stem in one or both hands. The palm was carried in Egyptian funeral processions to represent eternal life.[5] The Kingdom of Nri (Igbo) used the omu, a tender palm frond, to sacralize and restrain.[6] Some argue the palm in the Parthian poem Drakht-e Asurig serves as a reference to the Babylonian faith.[7]
The palm was a symbol of Phoenicia and appeared on Punic coins. In ancient Greek, the word for palm, phoinix, was thought to be related to the ethnonym.
In Archaic Greece, the palm tree was a sacred sign of Apollo, who had been born under a palm on the island of Delos.[8] The palm thus became an icon of the Delian League. In recognition of the alliance, Cimon of Athens erected a bronze statue of a palm tree at Delphi as part of a victory monument commemorating the Battle of the Eurymedon (469/466 BC).[9] In addition to representing the victorious League, the bronze palm (phoinix) was a visual pun on the defeated Phoenician fleet.[10] From 400 BC onward, a palm branch was awarded to the victor in athletic contests, and the practice was brought to Rome around 293 BC.[11]
The palm became so closely associated with victory in ancient Roman culture that the Latin word palma could be used as a metonym for "victory", and was a sign of any kind of victory.[12] A lawyer who won his case in the forum would decorate his front door with palm leaves.[13] The palm branch or tree became a regular attribute of the goddess Victory, and when Julius Caesar secured his rise to sole power with a victory at Pharsalus, a palm tree was supposed to have sprung up miraculously at the Temple of Nike, the Greek counterpart of Victory, in Tralles, later known as Caesarea, in Asia Minor.[14][15] The toga palmata was a toga ornamented with a palm motif; it was worn to celebrate a military triumph only by those who had a previous triumph. The toga itself was the garment of the civilian at peace, and was worn by the triumphator to mark his laying down of arms and the cessation of war. The use of the palm in this setting indicates how the original meaning of "victory" shaded into "peace" as the aftermath of victory.[16]
Coins issued under Constantine I, the first Christian emperor, and his successors continue to display the traditional iconography of Victory, but often combined with Christian symbolism such as christograms. The Roman senator Symmachus, who tried to preserve Rome's religious traditions under Christian domination, is pictured on an ivory diptych bearing a palm branch in an allegorical triumph over death.
Palms on an Achaemenid seal impression, 5th century BC. The iconography of palm was commonly used by ancient Babylonians.
Apollo holding a laurel branch and libation bowl, next to a palm that represents his birth on Delos (Comacchio Painter, c.450 BC)
Monkey next to a palm, symbolizing the sun god's daily rising, on an Egyptian amuletic bead (ca. 1300 BC)
In Judaism, the date palm (Lulav) is one of the Four Species used in the daily prayers on the feast of Sukkot. It is bound together with the hadass (myrtle), and aravah (willow). The Midrash[17] explains that the lulav symbolises the victory of the Jewish people when they came before God in judgement on Rosh Hashanah. Additionally, the Midrash[18] notes that the binding of the Four Species symbolizes the desire to unite the four "types" of Jews in service of God.
During the Roman Empire, the date palm represented Judaea and its fecundity to both Romans and Jews. Roman sources praise the date as the produce of the province. The date palm was a frequent image for Judaea on Imperial coinage, most notably on the Iudaea Capta series, when the typical military trophy is replaced by the palm. The palm appears also on at least one Hasmonean coin and on coinage issued in 38–39 AD by Herod Antipas. Palm ornaments are found also on Jewish ossuaries.[19]
In Christianity, the palm branches distributed during Palm Sunday services originate in the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Early Christians used the palm branch to symbolize the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul, as in the Palm Sunday festival celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Many churches of mainstream Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, Moravian and Reformed traditions, distribute palm branches to their congregations during their Palm Sunday services. Christians take these palms, which are often blessed by clergy, to their homes where they hang them alongside Christian art (especially crosses and crucifixes) or keep them in their Bibles or devotionals.[21] In the period preceding next year's Lent, known as Shrovetide, churches often place a basket in their narthex to collect these palms, which are then ritually burned on Shrove Tuesday to make the ashes to be used on the following day, Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent.[22][23]
In Western Christian art, martyrs were often shown holding a palm frond as an attribute, representing the victory of spirit over flesh, and it was widely believed that a picture of a palm on a tomb meant that a martyr was buried there.[24]
Origen calls the palm (In Joan, XXXI) the symbol of victory in that war waged by the spirit against the flesh. In this sense it was especially applicable to martyrs, the victors par excellence over the spiritual foes of mankind; hence the frequent occurrence in the Acts of the Martyrs of such expressions as "he received the palm of martyrdom." On 10 April 1688 it was decided by the Congregation of Rites that the palm when found depicted on catacomb tombs was to be regarded as a proof that a martyr had been interred there. Subsequently, this opinion was acknowledged by Mabillon, Muratori, Benedict XIV and others to be untenable; further investigation showed that the palm was represented not only on tombs of the post-persecution era, but even on tombs of those who did not practice Christianity.
The general significance of the palm on early Christian monuments is slightly modified according to its association with other symbols (e.g., with the monogram of Christ, the Ichthus (Fish), or the Good Shepherd). On some later monuments the palm was represented merely as an ornament separating two scenes. Palms also represented heaven, evidenced by ancient art often depicting Jesus in heaven among palms.
A Palm Tree (1717) by the Ottoman illustrator Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani
The palm is richly significant in Islamic culture, and the palm symbolizes rest and hospitality in many cultures of the Middle East. The presence of palm trees around an oasis showed that water was the gift of Allah. [26] In the Quran, the palm appears in the paradisical imagery of the Garden (Jannah).[27] In one prophetic tradition, the Dome of the Rock will stand on a palm tree issuing from one of the rivers of Paradise.[28]Muhammad is said to have built his home out of palm,[29] to have leaned against a palm while speaking,[30] and to have raised the first mosque as a roofed place with palm trees.[31]:566
The first muezzin climbed palm trees to call the faithful to prayer,[29] from which the minaret developed.[28] In the Quran, Mary is said to have given birth to Jesus under a date palm.[32][33]
The Latin motto of Lord Nelson is Palmam qui meruit ferat, "Let him bear the palm who has deserved it".[37] The motto has been adopted by numerous other organizations, including the University of Southern California.[38]
The palm branch symbol is included in MUFI: ⸙ (2E19, 'Palm Branch' in Unicode).
In Arabic, the term Fog al-Nakhal (فوق النخل), which literally translates to "above the palm trees", is an idiom used to indicate euphoria, satisfaction or strong happiness.[40]
Allegory of Victory (ca. 1635), by Mathieu Le Nain: the "strangely grave and chastely immodest" Victory[43] holds a palm branch and tramples a figure variously identified as Deceit, Intrigue or Rebellion[44]
Bust of George Washington flanked by allegories of Peace holding a palm branch and Fame blowing a trumpet, marble relief (1959–60) by G. Gianetti, based on the 1827 sandstone original by Antonio Capellano, at the U.S. Capitol
Rustomji, Nerina (2009). The Garden and the Fire: Heaven and Hell in Islamic Culture. Columbia University Press. ISBN978-0231140850.
Vioque, Guillermo Galán (2002). Martial, Book VII: A Commentary. Translated by J.J. Zoltowski. Brill. ISBN978-90-04-12338-0. Livy 10.47.3
Related Research Articles
The menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible and in later ancient sources as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.
Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Its name originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd to greet and honor Jesus as he entered the city. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week; in Western Christianity, this is the beginning of the last week of the solemn season of Lent, preceding Eastertide, while in Eastern Christianity, Holy Week commences after the conclusion of Great Lent.
Sukkot is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which those Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally a harvest festival celebrating the autumn harvest, Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by festive meals in a wood-covered hut, a Sukkah, celebrating the the Exodus from Egypt.
The 110s was a decade that ran from January 1, AD 110, to December 31, AD 119.
Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. P. dactylifera is the type species of genus Phoenix, which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms.
In ancient Roman religion Victoria was the deified personification of victory. She first appears during the first Punic War, seemingly as a Romanised re-naming of Nike, the goddess of victory associated with Rome's Greek allies in the Greek mainland and in Magna Graecia. Thereafter she comes to symbolise Rome's eventual hegemony and right to rule. She is a deified abstraction, entitled to cult but unlike Nike, she has virtually no mythology of her own.
Lulav is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the hadass (myrtle), aravah (willow), and etrog (citron). When bound together, the lulav, hadass, and aravah are commonly referred to as "the lulav".
A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a Dove lithograph by Pablo Picasso after World War II. In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed by Gerald Holtom as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), a group at the forefront of the peace movement in the UK, and adopted by anti-war and counterculture activists in the US and elsewhere. The symbol is a superposition of the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D", taken to stand for "nuclear disarmament", while simultaneously acting as a reference to Goya's The Third of May 1808 (1814).
A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the large leaves of cycads, as well as palms (Arecaceae) and various other flowering plants, such as mimosa or sumac. "Frond" is commonly used to identify a large, compound leaf, but if the term is used botanically to refer to the leaves of ferns and algae it may be applied to smaller and undivided leaves.
In Christianity, a martyr is a person who was or is killed for their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake, or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word martyr comes from the Koine word μάρτυς, mártys, which means "witness" or "testimony".
Sacred dance is the use of dance in religious ceremonies and rituals, present in most religions throughout history and prehistory. Its connection with the human body and fertility has caused it to be forbidden by some religions; for example, some branches of Christianity and Islam have prohibited dancing. Dance has formed a major element of worship in Hindu temples, with strictly formalized styles such as Bharatanatyam, which require skilled dancers and temple musicians. In the 20th century, sacred dance has been revived by choreographers such as Bernhard Wosien as a means of developing community spirit.
The four species are four plants—the etrog, lulav, hadass, and aravah—mentioned in the Torah as being relevant to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Observant Jews tie together three types of branches and one type of fruit and wave them in a special ceremony each day of the Sukkot holiday, excluding Shabbat. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the waving of the four plants is a mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and it contains symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God.
The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear relatively little resemblance to the original. In ancient Greek and Roman uses it is also known as the anthemion. It is found in most artistic media, but especially as an architectural ornament, whether carved or painted, and painted on ceramics. It is very often a component of the design of a frieze or border. The complex evolution of the palmette was first traced by Alois Riegl in his Stilfragen of 1893. The half-palmette, bisected vertically, is also a very common motif, found in many mutated and vestigial forms, and especially important in the development of plant-based scroll ornament.
The Judean date palm is a date palm grown in Judea. It is not clear whether there was ever a single distinct Judean cultivar, but dates grown in the region have had distinctive reputations for thousands of years, and the date palm was anciently regarded as a symbol of the region and its fertility. Cultivation of dates in the region almost disappeared after the 14th century AD from a combination of climate change and infrastructure decay but has been revived in modern times.
Hadass is a branch of the myrtle tree that forms part of the lulav used on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Aravah is a leafy branch of the willow tree. It is one of the Four Species used in a special waving ceremony during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other species are the lulav, hadass (myrtle), and etrog (citron).
The Emblem of Iraq since the rule of Baathism features a golden black eagle looking towards the viewer's left dexter. The eagle is the Eagle of Saladin associated with 20th-century pan-Arabism, bearing a shield of the Iraqi flag, and holding a scroll below with the Arabic words جمهورية العراق.
Sukkah is a tractate of the Mishnah and Talmud. Its laws are discussed as well in the Tosefta and both the Babylonian Talmud and Jerusalem Talmud. In most editions it is the sixth volume of twelve in the Order of Moed. Sukkah deals primarily with laws relating to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It has five chapters.
Doves, typically domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love. Doves appear in the symbolism of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and paganism, and of both military and pacifist groups.
The Investiture of Zimri-Lim is a large colorful mural discovered at the Royal Palace of the ancient city-state of Mari in eastern Syria. The fresco, which dates back to the 18th century BC, depicts Zimri-Lim, king of Mari, receiving the rod-and-ring symbol from the goddess Ishtar. The painting was discovered in situ on its original wall located opposite the grand doorway to the podium which leads to the throne room of the palace. It was discovered by French archaeologist André Parrot during excavations at Mari in 1935–1936. The painting is now displayed at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France.
References
↑ Nigosian, Solomon A. (2004). Islam: Its History, Teaching, and Practices. Indiana University Press. p.124. ISBN978-0253216274.
↑ Giovino, Mariana (2007). The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History of Interpretations. Academic Press Fribourg Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht Göttingen. ISBN978-3525530283. 'passim'
↑ Lanzi, Fernando; Lanzi, Gioia (2004). Saints and Their Symbols: Recognizing Saints in Art and in Popular Images. Translated by Matthew J. O'Connell. Liturgical Press. p.25. ISBN978-0814629703.
↑ Nyang, Sulayman; Olupona, Jacob K. (1995). Religious Plurality in Africa: Essays in Honour of John S. Mbiti. Mouton de Gruyter. p.130. ASINB07G4R2J49.
↑ Rosenberger, Veit (2007). "Republican Nobiles: Controlling the Res Publica". In Jörg Rüpke (ed.). A Companion to Roman Religion. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World. Wiley Blackwell. pp.292–303. ISBN978-1405129435. p.302: Caesar, Bellum Civile 3.105
↑ Fine, Steven (2005). "Between Rome and Jerusalem: The Date Palm as 'Jewish Symbol'". Art And Judaism in the Greco-Roman World: Toward A New Jewish Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. pp.140–145. ISBN978-0521145671.
↑ Rose, Deborah Bird (2011). "On the Spot: In the Red Center". In SueEllen Campbell (ed.). The Face of the Earth: Natural Landscapes, Science, and Culture. University of California Press. p.209. ISBN978-0520269262.
↑ Bürgel, Johann Christoph (2010). "Islam Reflected in the Contemporary Literature of Muslim Peoples". In Werner Ende; Udo Steinbach (eds.). Islam in the World Today: A Handbook of Politics, Religion, Culture, and Society. Cornell University Press. pp.800–829. ISBN9780801464898.
↑ Domanig, Karl (1896). Porträtmedaillen des Erzhauses Österreich von Kaiser Friedrich III. bis Kaiser Franz II. Vienna. p.xix. Created by Alessandro Abondio. The motto in Latin is from Catullus 62.16, and reads Amat Victoria Curam, "Victory loves Prudence"{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ Atkins, Stuart (2002). "Renaissance and Baroque Elements in Goethe's Faust: Illustrative Analogues". Goethe Yearbook. Goethe Society of North America. 11: 1–26. doi:10.1353/gyr.2011.0014. S2CID170265105. p.7: on the translation of cura as "prudence" rather than the more usual "care, concern"
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