According to the Torah, Noah — said to have lived for 950 years — took cuttings from two plants onto his ark during the 120 years he spent preparing for the great flood: the vine and the fig tree. As one legend goes, after the waters receded and Noah began planting vineyards, the Devil appeared beside him and claimed ownership of the vines. In fact, versions of this story — told with different angels, plants, and ways of dividing the spoils — can be found in various traditions. In some, the archangel Gabriel intervenes and burns a portion of the cuttings; in others, the Devil agrees to take two-thirds of the harvest as his share.

If you’re ever boiling grape juice, tradition warns to make sure no more than one-third evaporates — otherwise, what remains might be considered the Devil’s portion. Interestingly, in some cultures, the alcohol that evaporates into the air is poetically referred to as “the angels’ share.”

It’s hardly surprising that grapes have long been caught in the tug of war between good and evil. From artistic depictions of mighty Roman emperors feasting on grapes to the story of Hamza Baba — a holy figure said to have harvested hundreds of kilos of grapes from a modest 5 to 10 square meter vineyard in defiance of Sultan Murad’s ban — grapes appear everywhere.

In Roman mythology, Bacchus, the god of wine, harvest, revelry, madness, and inspiration, finds his counterpart in the Greek god Dionysus. The great artist Michelangelo brought Bacchus to life in marble in 1496, portraying him with vine leaves in his hair, holding a bunch of grapes, with a panther lurking behind him. About a century later, the Italian painter Caravaggio also captured Bacchus in one of his works, filling the scene with grapes, vine leaves, and wine.

In Rumi’s Masnavi, the vine symbolizes spiritual transformation: the sour unripe grape represents immaturity, the ripened grape maturity, and wine signifies the burning away of the self.

In short, from prophetic traditions and Turkish legends to Greek mythology and countless folktales, grapes have woven themselves into nearly every chapter of human history.