| The Cornucopia: horn of plenty |
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The Cornucopia symbolizes abundance, usually seen as a curved goat's horn,
filled to overflowing with fruit and grain but which could be filled with
whatever the owner wished.
The oldest account of the origin of the Cornucopia. Zeus (Jupiter) was
committed by his mother Rhea to the care of the daughters of Melisseus,
a Cretan king. The horn of plenty was regarded as the symbol of inexhaustible riches and plenty and became the attribute of several immortals and of rivers as fertilizers of the land.
An other story is about the fifth labor of Hercules. In which Augean
Stables- cleaned in 1 day by diverting a river. Hercules fought the
river-god Achelous, while they were delayed on their journey by the
overflow of his waters. Abundantia was the Roman goddess of abundance, prosperity and good fortune. The cornucopia ("horn of plenty") was used by Abundantia to distributes grain and money. After the Roman occupation of France, Abundantia remained in French folklore as Lady Hobunde.
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