#Mandrake roots series

Some claimed to have used the mandrake plant to put their patients in a sedated state for surgeries or to relieve pain. In ancient Middle East, this magical plant was used for medicinal and magical purposes. The mandrake root is viewed as dangerous and potentially evil in the modern Middle East. Modern Arabs know the mandrake root as Beid el Jinn, which means Eggs of the Jinn (the Jinn are dangerous spirits in Islamic mythology). The mandrake is mentioned in the Bible: three times in Genesis and once in Songs of Solomon.

#Mandrake roots series

The Mandrake’s cry is fatal to anyone who hears it.” ~ Hermione quote from the Harry Potter Series The Mandrake Root’s Ancient History “ Mandrake or Mandragora is used to return those who have been petrified to their original state. If ingested, the mandrake causes one to stop breathing and die at worst, at best it causes profuse vomiting and diarrhea.

This magical plant is found in Southern European countries like Italy and Spain but is also in North African countries like Morocco and Tunisia. The mandrake root’s toxicity is due to the chemicals inherent in the entire plant, mostly the stem and leaves: anticholinergics, hallucinogenics, and psychotic alkaloids. The root of the plant itself takes on strange human-like characteristics, hence the name man-drake. The mandrake root produces berries yellow to reddish and look similar to tomatoes. The leaves resemble a cabbage or edible green, but they are not edible! The flowers range in color from white to purple and have a similarity to Belladonna blooms. Mandrake is a perennial with a long stem and short trunk. Its scientific name is Mandragora officinarum, and it grows mainly in countries near the Mediterranean Sea. The mandrake root is a plant in the nightshade family rich in folklore and history. We examine the mandrake root’s magical uses, it’s intriguing history and folklore from around the world. Sándor is a devoted Catholic Satanist.In this article, we take a look at one of world’s most famous magical plants – the mandrake root. His current research focuses on ritual magic, early modern European magicians, and their magic books. He studied English Language and Literature at Leiden University and became a philologist and university lecturer in medieval English at Radboud University. About László Sándor ChardonnensĪfter a short-lived career as a biology student – and presumably prompted by some psychedelic visits to the Hortus botanicus Leiden – László Sándor Chardonnens’ attention shifted to medieval and early modern prognostics and dream divination. Arjan works with a variety of sources and theories: from Indo-European comparative mythology to structuralism, and from cognitive theory to Gnostic and Chinese sources. His research focuses on the ambiguities of supernatural beings, as well as the process of Othering, in Indian and Germanic mythology and folklore. What were the stories told about this potent plant, which is so animated and un-plantlike that its history reads like a biography? How were (and are) its human-resembling roots used in magic rituals? And what meaning does Mandragora officinarum hold for us today? About Arjan Sterkenīesides being a folklorist preoccupied with Saxon sagas, Arjan Sterken is a lecturer and PhD candidate in comparative religious sciences at Radboud University. In this series we wander through the cultural and botanical history surrounding the plant that shrieks when torn out of the earth – making living mortals run mad by doing so, if we were to believe Shakespeare. Many plants are rich in mythology and cultural meaning, but few find themselves so immersed in magic, folklore, and anchored in the human imagination as the mandrake.

About series ‘The Image of Plants: The Mandrake’