Pomegranates in tarot
The pomegranate is one of the oldest symbolic fruits of the Mediterranean world. In Greek myth Persephone eats its seeds in the underworld and must return there for part of every year; in the Hebrew Bible pomegranates decorate the pillars of Solomon's Temple and the hem of the high priest's robe; in Christian art the fruit, packed with seeds, stands for fertility, the Church and resurrection. Smith embroiders the veil behind the High Priestess with pomegranates and palms, and the Empress's gown is patterned with fruit usually read the same way. In tarot it suggests hidden abundance and knowledge that is ripe but sealed.
Cards that show pomegranates
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The High Priestess
The High Priestess: The veil of palms and pomegranates
A veil stretched between the pillars is patterned with green palm leaves and red-seeded pomegranates. It screens whatever lies beyond. The pomegranate, crowded with seeds and tied to the myth of Persephone, carries ideas of fertility and of the underworld.
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The Empress
The Empress: The patterned gown
Her loose white gown is scattered with red fruit, usually read as pomegranates. The fruit's many seeds make it an old emblem of fertility, and it links her with the High Priestess, whose veil carries the same fruit.