In this world, there are many tools one may use to direct magic. One of the most well known of these is the wand. Of course it is a common saying that "The wand chooses the wizard", with all wands having a degree of awareness with which they select...
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The pomegranate is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between 5 and 10 m tall. The fruit is typically in season in the Northern Hemisphere from September to February, and in the Southern Hemisphere from March to May. As intact arils or juice, pomegranates are used in baking, cooking, juice blends, meal garnishes, smoothies, and alcoholic beverages, such as cocktails and wine.
Organic pomegranate seeds or refreshing pomegranate juice is a delicious, refreshing snack! This slightly peculiar fruit has been thought to hold legendary powers for centuries. Persians believe Eve actually ate a pomegranate when she plucked from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden, not an apple. Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with pomegranates because they believed it offered eternal life. This fruit is also featured in mythology and tradition as a symbol of good tidings. Greeks break open a pomegranate at wedding celebrations and the Chinese eat candied pomegranate seeds for good luck.
Health Benefits
With its sweetness tempered by a pleasantly bitter, slightly tannic astringency, in my book, no drink is more restorative than fresh pomegranate juice. Extracting that precious garnet-colored juice from the jewel-like seeds of this orb-shaped fruit can be fiddly, so don't wear white, but it rewards you with a concentrated flavor that sweetened, watered down, pasteurized pomegranate "juice drinks" can never rival. And of course, sparkling pomegranate seeds bring flashes of vivid color and a crunchy texture that brightens up everything from grain-based dishes through to salads.
The small, pink cosmetically pretty pomegranates with smooth, shiny skins usually have relatively insipid, pale juice. For ripeness and copious amounts of deeper-colored juice, choose larger, maturer fruits with darker, drier, more matt skin that is beginning to sink in slightly at the sides. Studies suggest pomegranate juice is anti-inflammatory, and a substantial body of research now supports the idea that it can help prevent heart disease. It seems to cleanse the circulatory system by helping to unclog the arteries, prevent blood clotting, increase oxygen flow to the heart, and lower blood pressure. This action may be down to the ellagitannin compounds (granatin B and punicalagin) that pomegranate juice contains in abundance – these are thought to reduce heart disease risks – but the presence of vitamins C and E may also play a part.
Research also suggests that drinking fresh pomegranate juice can also inhibit viral infections, and pomegranate extracts have been shown to have antibacterial effects against dental plaque.
Wandlore
A pale yellow wood, pomegranate has prestige going back a couple of thousand years. This was a favorite wand wood of the Ancient Greeks. Though many find this wood desirable, only a few can wield this wand. Its wielders are those willing to compromise and seek balance and fairness in all aspects of their lives. The ideal owner of this wand will appreciate beauty for beauty's sake, and many artists have had pomegranate wands. Another reason for its desirability is the myth that it indicates individuals with prosperous fates (including many children or descendants); however, the reality is that the pomegranate seeks those with great ambition and thirst for a life beyond the usual grind (which if it results in financial gains could perhaps support many many babies). If not, then they may act as a maternal or paternal figure throughout their career or their role in their community.
Of course, there are the death and rebirth associations with this wand, and there's a historical precedent for pomegranate wand owners to have a knack for performing seances, and communicating with the dead and undead in general (this includes ghosts, as they have a sense of how to talk to spirits to achieve the wanted results or ask the right answers the right way). They may also have friends among vampires and ghosts. Common traits among possessors of pomegranate wands include a somewhat covetous nature and over-devotion or misplaced devotion to people or causes, to the point of self-martyrdom or subconscious intolerance of others. This wand is gifted at earth-based magics, as well as any form of magic to do with beautification or magic to do with the dead or with sleep. There may be some talent with blood magic as well. Pomegranate is the fruit wand that finds dark magic the easiest to perform and does not sacrifice its ability to heal in doing so either. Pomegranate wands like to be kept cold. If unusually warm, place in a dark and cool space. This wand may emit deep maroon sparks when enthusiastic and may splash red juice to mark people or creatures it finds untrustworthy. It takes a special potion to wash off the mark from a pomegranate wand
