DescriptionIt is one of those few crops that have driven away hunger; it has been the symbol of prosperity and blessing since the beginning of human civilizations.“When it comes to symbolism, wheat has much in common with similar staple crops, such barley, rice, and maize: A symbol of abundance, life, and fertility, wheat has also served as an emblem for deities associated with these notions, such as the Greek goddess of agriculture, Demeter. The name of her Roman counterpart, Ceres, gives us the word “cereal”, which in its original usage referred to grains.Wheat is associated with rebirth and resurrection, something also shared by the above-mentioned staple crops. This is due to a fairly straight forward aspect of the grain’s nature; when wheat sprouts from the soil after the barren season and grows into the mass of stalks that will feed the people throughout the year, it’s easy to see the phenomenon as new life emerging from the throes of death. This was particularly true in Egypt- considered the “breadbasket” of the ancient Mediterranean due to the sheervolume of wheat and other crops that it produced. Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, was even given small bundles made of linen and stuffed with the sprouting grain as a form of religious offerings. In Christianity, the resurrection aspect of wheat is also on display, albeit more subtly. The Eucharist, the bread that becomes the body of Christ during communion, is sometimes represented as wheat, or paired artistically with grapes, symbolizing the wine of communion (i.e. the blood of Christ).”Ch“Wheat.” Symbols.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2022. Web. 4 Jan. 2022. <https://www.symbols.com/symbol/wheat>.These wheat stalks were grown by the witch in her garden and are believed to be descended from the Ukrainian Halychanka Wheat variety. Red Fife wheat was first grown in Canada by Dave Fife and his family on their farm in Otonabee, Ontario near Peterborough in 1842. By the 1860’s it was distributed and grown across Canada.
