Banana @ Eden(PART 2 OF 3)
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ADAM AND EVE by Tintoretto (1518-1594)
The Fall of Man, c. 1550
Canvas, 150×220 cm
Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice
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ADAM AND EVE by Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1617)
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ADAM AND EVE by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
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ADAM AND EVE by Hans Thoma (1839-1924)
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ADAM AND EVE by Maurice Denis (1870-1943)
For more than four centuries, the painters have drawn apples in the picture of Adam and Eve.
Then who the heck started to tell the world that Adam and Eve ate a banana, not an apple?
The man in the following picture did.
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Who on earth is this man?
You might've heard of his name, Diane. His name is Carl Linne, the naturalist who was born in 1707 and died in 1778. He is world-famous called the "father of modern taxonomy."
I think I heard his name in my biology class at high school. He started to tell the world that Adam and Eve ate a banana, not an apple, didn't he?
I do not know whether or not he educated the Pope. In any case, Linne was a devouted Christian, and believed that it was God's calling for him to make a perfect inventory on the creation of God. Moreover, Linne believed the existence of Eden as well as that of bananas. You can find the following interesting passage in the book.
The yellow sweet banana was gaven the scientific name of "Musa sapentium" from the Latin word which means "knowledge" after the tree of wisdom that knows good and evil.
In addition, the green banana (a.k.a "plantain" used as a cooking) was named "Musa paradisiaca," that is, "banana paradise."
Genus "Musa" that Linne named comes from the Arabic word "mauz," which means the banana.
It is understandable because bananas appear in the holy garden depicted in the Koran---the holy scriptures of Islam written in Arabic.
In the Koran, the tree in the forbidden Eden is called "talh," which is usually translated as "tree in a paradise," or more directly "banana tree."
The scriptures of Islam indicates, "The fruit grows abundantly in the shade of luxuriant foliage... and you can see the fruit in all the year round."
This depiction certainly matches the way bananas grow in the tree.
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(translated by Kato)
SOURCE: ２４-２６ページ 『バナナの世界史』
著者： ダン・コッペル 訳者： 黒川由美
２０１２年６月３日 第１版第２刷発行
発行所： 株式会社 太田出版
"Banana" by Dan Koeppel
I see... Bananas appear in the Koran, don't they?
That's right. The scriptures of both Islam and Christianity come from the Old Testament. Diane, look at the following picture of "Adam and Eve" again.
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Adam and Eve are hiding their private parts with the fig leaf.
Yes, I can see that. So what?
Why the fig leaf? Diane, have you ever wondered how come both of them had to hide with the fig leaf---among all other leves?
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Well ... I suppose there was a fig tree nearby, so they happened to pick its leaves.
Take a close look at the fig leaf. There are some slits in the leaf. You can see the private parts through the open gaps, can't you?
That is because you're so keen to take a close look at those parts.
I'm not so keen, Diane. Look! The private parts are visible through the open gaps. You see... both ate an apple from the tree, so it is narural for them to pick up leaves from the apple tree. Don't you think so? Yet, they hide their parts with the fig leaf. It is unnatural, isn't it?
I see... it would be more natural for them to pick up some leaves from the apple tree---not from the fig tree.
Yes, that's what I'm talking about.
Maybe, a fig tree happened to grow by the apple tree.
It sounds too contrived. People wouldn't believe that, I guess.
Kato, you don't like fig trees, do you?
Yes, I like those, but as a matter of fact, in the ancient days, a banana was called "fig."
No kidding!
I'm dead serious. The above book says that Alexander the Great sent a letter to Aristotle about the discovery of "fig" when he saw bananas in India.
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When the Spanish explorers came across bananas in the New World, they recorded those bananas as "the fig."
But, I can't still believe that "fig" in old days means "banana."
Believe me, Diane. They say, "Those who believe are saved."
Only the Japanese believe it, I guess.
To tell you the truth, in the ancient Hebrew, a banana was called the "fig." Besides, the forbidden fruit is written as the "fig of Eve"---that is, banana of Eve.
I still can't believe this.
Diane, look at the following picture!
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This is a conclusive evidence because a banana leaf is much better than a fig leaf when you hide your private parts. A fig leaf is not big enough to hide your pussy.
【Himiko's Monologue】
What an amazing story it is!
Yes, a fig leaf is too small to hide my pussy.
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In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.
Have a nice day!
Bye bye ...
(To be followed)