| Mandrake | |
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Real Name |
Mandrake |
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First Appearance |
Medieval Folklore |
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Created by |
Medieval Folklore |
Origin[]
Mandragora, from Tacuinum Sanitatis (1474).
A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus Mandragora (in the family Solanaceae) found in the Mediterranean region, or from other species, such as Bryonia alba (the English mandrake, in the family Cucurbitaceae) or the American mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum in the family Berberidaceae) which have similar properties. The plants from which the root is obtained are also called "mandrakes".
According to the legend, when the root is dug up, it screams and kills all who hear it. Literature includes complex directions for harvesting a mandrake root in relative safety. For example, Josephus (circa 37–100 AD) of Jerusalem gives the following directions for pulling it up:
A furrow must be dug around the root until its lower part is exposed, then a dog is tied to it, after which the person tying the dog must get away. The dog then endeavours to follow him, and so easily pulls up the root, but dies suddenly instead of his master. After this, the root can be handled without fear.
In Medieval times, mandrake was considered a key ingredient in a multitude of witches' flying ointment recipes as well as a primary component of magical potions and brews. These were entheogenic preparations used in European witchcraft for their mind-altering and hallucinogenic effects. Starting in the Late Middle Ages and thereafter, some believed that witches applied these ointments or ingested these potions to help them fly to gatherings with other witches, meet with the Devil, or to experience bacchanalian carousal.
In Middle Ages in Germany, The humanoid-shaped mandrake root or Mandragora officinarum was widely believed to be produced by the semen or blood of hanged men under the gallows. The root itself was used in love philtres and potions while its fruit was supposed to facilitate pregnancy. Witches who "made love" to the mandrake root were said to produce offspring that had no feelings of real love and had no soul. This is the basis of the story of Alraune.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of mandrakes from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Bible
- Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual
- The History and Practice of Magic
- Tacuinum Sanitatis (1474)
- Alraune (1911)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne (1918)
- Alraune (1928)
Notes[]
- Two references to love plants occur in the Bible. A number of later translations into different languages follow Septuagint (and Vulgate) and use mandrake as the plant as the proper meaning in both the Book of Genesis 30:14–16 and Song of Songs 7:12-13.
- Comic strip hero Mandrake the Magician was named after the mythical plant.