In search of traces of the mandrake myth: the historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names.

Autor: Dafni A; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. amots.dafni@gmail.com., Blanché C; GREB-BioC, Botany Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII S/N, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain., Khatib SA; 20128, Mghar, Israel., Petanidou T; Laboratory of Biogeography and Ecology, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, 81100, Mytilene, Greece., Aytaç B; Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages, History and Geography, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey., Pacini E; Department of Life Sciences, Università degli Studi di Siena, Siena, Italy., Kozuharova E; Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Medical University of Sofia, Dunav 2 sr., 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria., Geva-Kleinberger A; Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel., Shahvar S; Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, The Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies, The University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel., Dajic Z; Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Applied Botany, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia., Klug HW; Centre for Information Modelling, University of Graz, Graz, Austria., Benítez G; Department of Botany, University of Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18071, Granada, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine [J Ethnobiol Ethnomed] 2021 Dec 04; Vol. 17 (1), pp. 68. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Dec 04.
DOI: 10.1186/s13002-021-00494-5
Abstrakt: Background: Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Biblical times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic effect (especially when mandrake contains narcotic compounds) in addition to the pharmacological influence, as occurs with other narcotic magical plants. Due to its unique properties and related myths, it is not surprising that this plant has many names in many languages.
Methods: This paper presents an attempt to reconstruct the historical, ethnobotanical, and folkloristic roots of 292 vernacular names of Mandragora spp. in forty-one languages. We used the plant's morphological data, philology, myths and legends, medicinal properties and uses, as well as historical evidence and folkloric data, to explain meaning, origin, migration, and history of the plant's names.
Results: The names were classified into the following main categories: Derivatives of mandragora (19 languages), alraun (7) and of yabroukh (5). The salient groups of the plant's vernacular names are related to: Anthropomorphism (33 names in 13 languages); Similarity to other plants (28/9); Supernatural agents (28/9); Narcotic effects (21/8); Leaves, fruits, and seeds (21/8); Aphrodisiac properties (17/10); Use of a dog (15/9); Gallows (14/5); Black magic, sorcery, witchcraft (13/8), and Medicinal use (11/7).
Conclusions: This frequency distribution of the mandrake's vernacular names reflects its widespread reputation as related to the doctrine of signatures, beliefs in its supernatural, natural, and mythic powers, and to a lesser extent, its uses in magic and medicine. A spatiotemporal analysis of the mandrake's names supports the old idea that the pulling ceremonies for this plant originated in the Near East and that various other myths related to this plant may have originated in different places and periods.
(© 2021. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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