An ancient legend tells how the pomegranate became a symbol of selfless and
devoted love.

Once upon a time a young boy and girl loved each other very much, and their parents approved their choice. The betrothal took place, and the young couple went to the holy place. But the evil spirit did not approve of this, caused a hurricane which picked up the enamoured couple and carried them away from
their homes. They found themselves in a deserted place far away, where there
were no animals, no bird songs, no herbs, and no streams. They walked for a long time, trying to find the way back home, but to no avail.

The exhausted girl fell asleep, and the boy closed his eyes and had a vision – someone appeared before him and said: “Together you cannot be saved; kill her, and I will lead you out of this enchanted place.” But the young man decided that if one of them was destined to survive, then let his beloved live, and so he pierced his chest with a dagger and, dying, whispered: “Be happy, get married and give birth to many children.”

But the young man did not die; he turned into a pomegranate tree. And as soon as the girl, sobbing, plucked a pomegranate fruit, the spell dissipated and she found her way home. She got married and gave birth to many children, as her beloved asked. And she lived for a long time, so long that she waited for her great-great-grandchildren and ordered everyone to grow pomegranate trees. Her descendants dispersed throughout the world, and with them the pomegranate trees…