ACORN

:This article is about the seed; for other meanings of the word, see acorn (disambiguation).

Cultural aspects

Acorns take about 6 or 24 months (depending on the species) to mature and appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of patience and the fruition of long, hard labor. For example, an English proverb states that Great oaks from little acorns grow, urging the listener to wait for maturation of a project or idea. A German folktale has a farmer outwit Satan, to whom he has promised his soul, by asking for a reprieve until his first crop is harvested; he plants acorns and has many years to enjoy first. In Britain, one old tradition has it that if a woman carries an acorn on her person it will delay the ageing process and keep her forever young.

Related Topics:
Patience - German - Folktale - Satan - Soul - Britain

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The Norse legend that Thor sheltered from a thunderstorm under an oak tree has led to the belief that having an acorn on a windowsill will prevent a house from being struck by lightning, hence the popularity of window blind pulls decorated as acorns.

Related Topics:
Norse - Thor - Lightning

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Young lovers may place two acorns, representing themselves and the object of their affection, in a bowl of water in order to predict whether they have a future together: if the acorns drift towards each other they are certain to marry. (They will, if placed closer to each other than to the edge of the bowl.)

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In the 1600s, a juice extracted from acorns was administered to habitual drunkards to cure them of their condition or else to give them the strength to resist another bout of drinking.

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In ancient Japan (Jomon period) acorn was important food. They soaked harvested and peeled acorn in natural or artificial ponds for several days to remove tannins. Then they processed it to acorn cakes.

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Acorns were a traditional food of most indigenous peoples of North America.

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