Cornucopia
The horn of plenty, a symbol of endless abundance derived from the myth of the goat Amaltheia who nursed the infant Zeus, whose broken horn produced unlimited food and drink
The Meaning of Cornucopia
The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, traces its origin to the myth of Zeus's infancy on the island of Crete. When Rhea hid her infant son from the child-devouring Kronos, the baby Zeus was nursed by the she-goat Amaltheia in a cave on Mount Ida. In one version, the young Zeus accidentally broke off one of Amaltheia's horns while playing, and the horn was granted the magical power to produce unlimited food and drink for its possessor. In an alternative tradition, Heracles broke off the horn of the river god Achelous during their wrestling match and gave it to the Naiads, who filled it with flowers and fruit. The Latin word cornucopia — from cornu (horn) and copia (plenty) — became the standard term for this symbol. The cornucopia has appeared continuously in Western art from antiquity to the present as an emblem of abundance and prosperity. It features prominently in Thanksgiving imagery in North America, appears on the state seals and flags of several US states, and remains a living decorative motif in architecture and graphic design worldwide.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
The cornucopia appears on the official seals of multiple US states and the coat of arms of several nations, making it one of the most enduring symbols from Greek myth
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Cornucopia
💭 conceptabundance, symbol
The horn of plenty, originally the horn of the goat Amaltheia who nursed the infant Zeus on Crete, symbolising inexhaustible abundance and nourishment.
Amalthea
🌿 nymphnurture, abundance
A nymph (or goat) who nursed the infant Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete.
Ops
⚡ godAbundance, harvest, earth
Roman goddess of abundance and the harvest, wife of Saturn, equivalent to the Greek Rhea
Plutus
🏔 titanagricultural wealth, abundance
The god of agricultural wealth and abundance, son of Demeter and Iasion, made blind by Zeus.
Euporie
⚡ godAbundance, passage
One of the lesser-known Horae whose name means good passage or abundance, associated with prosperity and ease of travel
Creation of Man
💭 conceptNarrative
The mythological accounts of how humanity was fashioned from clay and endowed with life by the gods
Koros
💭 conceptethics, mythology
Satiety or excess — the dangerous state of having too much, which leads to hybris and then to ate and destruction in the Greek moral cycle.
Fauna
💭 conceptLanguage and zoology
An English scientific term for the animal life of a region, derived from Faunus, the Roman god of the wild and forests who was identified with the Greek god Pan
Minoan Culture
💭 conceptHistory
The Bronze Age civilisation of Crete that preceded and profoundly influenced Greek mythology and religion
Io
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Io, the priestess of Hera whom Zeus transformed into a white cow, now known as the most volcanically active body in the solar system
Abduction of Persephone
💭 conceptNarrative
The seizing of Persephone by Hades and its consequences, which explain the origin of the seasons
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus