MAGICAL AND MYTHICAL PLANTS
by
Marlene Houghton
MANDRAGORAS
The Mandrake has, from ancient times, been closely associated with
magic, and valued for its aphrodisiac qualities. Treated with the greatest of
reverence by the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, the mandrake root was
used as a talisman, and these ancient civilizations attributed many remarkable
properties to it.
In Ancient Greece, anyone who was going to dig up a mandrake had to
perform a sacred ritual. Firstly, they would have to draw three circles around
the plant with a sword, face west and dance around it chanting about love!
Because of its human shape, legend had it that the mandrake would emit a
Magicians and wizards in the Middle Ages used powdered mandrake root as an incense for summoning up demons, and this helped it to
gain the reputation of working in league with the Devil. It does contain a
group of chemicals known as tropane alkaloids that
are known to have hallucinogenic effects, and the deadly poison atropine, named
after Atropos, one of the Three Moires
or Gods of Destiny in Greek mythology. This would account for the potent effect
this highly-prized plant had in magic working. Highly poisonous and narcotic,
the mandrake was associated with medieval witchcraft, spell-casting and sorcery
believing, as they did at the time, that this was the most magical of all
plants and herbs.
Astrologically, the mandrake root is under the rulership
of Venus, the Goddess of love and beauty, and this would explain its formidable
reputation in all forms of enchantment in Homer’s Odyssey. The enchantress
Circe was said to have used a magical potion made from the juice of the
mandrake root in order to seduce Odysseus’ men and then turn them into swine!
This dangerous seductress also used a powerful magical concoction on the fair
water-nymph Scylla, thus transforming her into the grotesque six-headed sea
monster who brought destruction on anything that came
within her reach. No doubt Circe did not want any rivals when it came to
seducing Odysseus’ men!”
Medieval herbalists used the term ‘mandragora’
for the narcotic preparations that they processed from the mandrake root. In
folklore, the mandragora was also a type of demon
said to take the form of a tiny little man who roamed secretly amongst the
human population causing mischief and mayhem. These mandragoras
were the familiars who were summoned by sorcerers to help them in the practice
of the black arts.
During the European witch-hunts, a mandrake root in one’s possession was
positive proof that the owner was a witch and guilty of sorcery.
Today, the mandrake is one of the traditional ritual herbs of Halloween,
and is sacred to the Goddesses Aphrodite [Venus], Diana and Hecate.
For a bit of garden magic, you could try planting a witch’s mandrake
near a sunny location in your back yard or in a plant pot. Make sure, when
planting the seeds, that this takes place in early Spring,
when the Moon is Full and is in an astrologically fertile sign, either water or
earth. This will maximize your chance of growing a mandrake plant, whose blooms
are greenish-yellow with a bell shape. This mystical plant will add an
interesting dimension to an existing herb garden and, although it was in
medicinal use by witches and folk-healers to help ease paid or to sedate, it should
not be used under any circumstances as anything other than for
ornamental purposes, as all parts of the plant are highly toxic.
The plant can be used for religious rituals, or magical purposes,
provided you can stand the scream when you uproot one!
Marlene has recently written an extremely interesting and informative book entitled “An Astrological Apothecary”.