AKA 'Cornucopica'...a symbol of food and abundance
In Greek mythology, Amalthea was a goat who raised Zeus on her breast milk, in a cave, on Mount Ida of Crete. Her horn was accidentally broken off by Zeus while playing together. The god Zeus, in remorse, gave her back her horn with supernatural powers, which would give whoever possessed it whatever they wished for. The original depictions were of the goat's horn filled with fruits and flowers: deities, especially Fortuna, were depicted with the horn of plenty.
The cornucopia was also a symbol for a woman's fertility. The story is said to be a predecessor of the Unicorn and the Holy Grail stories.
In modern depictions, the cornucopia is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. In North America, the cornucopia has come to be associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest.
There, I have fulfilled my Alphabe~Thursday Lesson on the known history of the
Horn of Plenty and it's association with Thanksgiving.
So, are Ya'll ready for the TEXAS version?
While the rest of America has accepted the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock as the original Thanksgiving celebrants, certain Texas historians have long maintained that the first Thanksgiving took place, not at Plymouth Rock, but in Palo Duro Canyon.
Yep, Thanksgiving takes on a whole new Texas perspective with Palo Duro Canyon instead of Plymouth Rock, and the Texas Indians eating buffalo instead of turkey every year. If you think leftover turkey is hard to finish, leftover buffalo could last families until the next Thanksgiving .
Spanish explorer, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was the noted participant of that first Thanksgiving, Texas-style, and it can be argued that Coronado had more to be thankful for than the Pilgrims. Coronado's expedition had left Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola, but instead of a mythical city of gold, Coronado and his men found the Llano Estacado, where there were no cities, no trees and very little water.
Ya'll can imagine just how thankful Coronado and his men must have been to leave behind those miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles, and how downright ecstatic he must have been to find Palo Duro Canyon and the friendly Teyas Indians who lived there.
Coronado's records show that he celebrated Thanksgiving with the Indians on Ascension Thursday, May 23, 1541. Friar Juan de Padilla performed a Thanksgiving Mass witnessed by the Indians.
Some 300 years later, in 1848, not long after Texas had become a state, Gov. George T. Wood established the first Texas State Thanksgiving. Texas was the first state in the South to call for a day of Thanksgiving.
Coronado might have termed his expedition a failure, but he succeeded in giving Texas (which wouldn't be a state for three more centuries) something to add to its list of bragging rights -- the country's first Thanksgiving....
.....and this Girl Raised In Texas a chance to show off my Horn of Plenty!
Now, I know that sounds like a bunch of Texas Horn Tootin', but I swear Ya'll, I Did Not make that up. If you don't believe me, just ask any Texan! Or verify my story
HERE.
In fact, ask Jenny, I'm bettin' she's run across this same story in her research for some of her stories.
Just Click
HERE to ask Jenny and while you are there be sure and check out Everyone's Letter H Posts!
