Why have a mandrake on the mantle?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
December 15, 2003
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The earliest record of mandrake is in the book of Genesis. Jacob worked for Laban, his maternal uncle, long enough to have both Laban's daughters, Leah and Rachel, as wives. Sibling rivalry ensued as to who would give Jacob the most sons. The rivalry became 'sible war' and Jacob ended up with his wives' maids also. But of the four women, only Rachel
did not bear any sons.
Leah's oldest son, Reuben, "went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah: 'Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.' (Genesis 30:14, Masoretic Text) In exchange, Leah got an evening with Jacob and pregnant with a fifth son. Finally, Rachel got pregnant. The Biblical text says nothing of the women using or taking mandrake, simply possessing the plant.
Solomon, in his Song of Songs, wrote, "The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved." (Song of Songs 7:14, Masoretic Text)
By the Middle Ages, mandrake (Mandragora officinarum Linnaeus) had the reputation of an aphrodisiac with the magical ability to make barren women conceive. But the plant was considered dangerous; it was said to grow beneath gallows from the matter that dropped from dead bodies.
The collection of the mandrake was believed lethal or in the very least, to cause insanity. Legend said the human-shaped root had to be dragged out and would shriek as it was ripped from the earth. Dogs were tied to mandrake roots to suffer any auditory consequences.
But once in a family's possession, the grateful root became a 'familiar spirit' and was enshrined on the mantle over the fireplace. If properly addressed, the root would speak "in oracles" and bring good luck to the members of the household. (Origins of English History, Charles I. Elton, 1882, cited by the Century Unabridged Dictionary, 1889)
The Bernard Becker Medical Library with the Washington University, School of Medicine in St. Louis has a digital exhibit, "Powerful Grace Lies in Herbs and Plants", a collection of illustrations from old herbals. To view the mandrake, click on the link:
http://beckerexhibits.wustl.edu/Herbal/1/7.html
Series: | 1 | | 2 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5
Suggested Reading:
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Dragon tree legend and lore Herbal Folklore - November 10, 2003
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