The Pinecone - The history of a religious nut

my studies often take me on many strange adventures, so I thought Id share one of my recent binges. So, pinecones may seem a strange choice for religious affiliation, but turns out a very common one, here are a few examples. This picture shows the Pope whose staff has a small pinecone inculcated into it's decor

This mexican God holds pinecones in his hand

Hindu Gods are also in on the act

This is the staff of the Egyptian god Osiris, oh look! more pinecones!

Here is an Assyrian Winged God, thought to be linked back to the Babylonian god Tammuz, who also appears to be partial to a pinecone or two

onto Rome, where Bacchus the Greco-Roman god of drunkenesss and revelry also appears to wield the pinecone staff

and Dionysus, the Greek Counterpart to Bacchus, seems to have put on a few pounds

and of course the largest known pine cone resides in the court of the pine cone in the Vatican.


So through history the pinecone is a common thread through a number of major religions, It interests me as to the origin, the first guy who thought, "you know what, my god likes pinecones, I am going to collect pinecones."