In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names

Background: Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Bibli‑ cal times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic efect (especially when mandrake contains na...

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Autores: Dafni, Amots, Blanché i Vergés, Cèsar, Khatib, Salekh Aqil, Petanidou, Theodora, Aytaç, Bedrettin, Pacini, Ettore, Kohazurova, Ekaterina, Geva-Kleinberger, Aharon, Shahvar, Soli, Dajic, Zora, Klug, Helmut W., Benítez, Guillermo
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Recursos:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/186196
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/186196
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Etnobotànica
Plantes medicinals
Ethnobotany
Medicinal plants
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spelling In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular namesDafni, AmotsBlanché i Vergés, CèsarKhatib, Salekh AqilPetanidou, TheodoraAytaç, BedrettinPacini, EttoreKohazurova, EkaterinaGeva-Kleinberger, AharonShahvar, SoliDajic, ZoraKlug, Helmut W.Benítez, GuillermoEtnobotànicaPlantes medicinalsEthnobotanyMedicinal plantsBackground: Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Bibli‑ cal times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic efect (especially when mandrake contains narcotic compounds) in addition to the pharma‑ cological infuence, 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 mean‑ ing, origin, migration, and history of the plant's names. Results: The names were classifed 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 efects (21/8); Leaves, fruits, and seeds (21/8); Aphrodisiac properties (17/10); Use of a dog (15/9); Gallows (14/5); Black magic, sor‑ cery, witchcraft (13/8), and Medicinal use (11/7). Conclusions: This frequency distribution of the mandrake's vernacular names refects 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 pull‑ ing ceremonies for this plant originated in the Near East and that various other myths related to this plant may have originated in diferent places and periods. Keywords: Mandragora spp., Plant names, Etymology, PhytonymyBioMed Central2022202220212022info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion35 p.application/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/186196Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-021-00494-5Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2021, vol. 17, num. 61, p. 1-35https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-021-00494-5cc-by (c) Dafni, Amots et al., 2021https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:2445/1861962026-05-29T05:05:01Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
title In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
spellingShingle In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
Dafni, Amots
Etnobotànica
Plantes medicinals
Ethnobotany
Medicinal plants
title_short In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
title_full In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
title_fullStr In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
title_full_unstemmed In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
title_sort In search of traces of the Mandrake myth - The historical, and ethnobotanical roots of its vernacular names
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Dafni, Amots
Blanché i Vergés, Cèsar
Khatib, Salekh Aqil
Petanidou, Theodora
Aytaç, Bedrettin
Pacini, Ettore
Kohazurova, Ekaterina
Geva-Kleinberger, Aharon
Shahvar, Soli
Dajic, Zora
Klug, Helmut W.
Benítez, Guillermo
author Dafni, Amots
author_facet Dafni, Amots
Blanché i Vergés, Cèsar
Khatib, Salekh Aqil
Petanidou, Theodora
Aytaç, Bedrettin
Pacini, Ettore
Kohazurova, Ekaterina
Geva-Kleinberger, Aharon
Shahvar, Soli
Dajic, Zora
Klug, Helmut W.
Benítez, Guillermo
author_role author
author2 Blanché i Vergés, Cèsar
Khatib, Salekh Aqil
Petanidou, Theodora
Aytaç, Bedrettin
Pacini, Ettore
Kohazurova, Ekaterina
Geva-Kleinberger, Aharon
Shahvar, Soli
Dajic, Zora
Klug, Helmut W.
Benítez, Guillermo
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Etnobotànica
Plantes medicinals
Ethnobotany
Medicinal plants
topic Etnobotànica
Plantes medicinals
Ethnobotany
Medicinal plants
description Background: Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Bibli‑ cal times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic efect (especially when mandrake contains narcotic compounds) in addition to the pharma‑ cological infuence, 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 mean‑ ing, origin, migration, and history of the plant's names. Results: The names were classifed 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 efects (21/8); Leaves, fruits, and seeds (21/8); Aphrodisiac properties (17/10); Use of a dog (15/9); Gallows (14/5); Black magic, sor‑ cery, witchcraft (13/8), and Medicinal use (11/7). Conclusions: This frequency distribution of the mandrake's vernacular names refects 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 pull‑ ing ceremonies for this plant originated in the Near East and that various other myths related to this plant may have originated in diferent places and periods. Keywords: Mandragora spp., Plant names, Etymology, Phytonymy
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
2022
2022
2022
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/186196
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/186196
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-021-00494-5
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2021, vol. 17, num. 61, p. 1-35
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-021-00494-5
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by (c) Dafni, Amots et al., 2021
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by (c) Dafni, Amots et al., 2021
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv 35 p.
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv BioMed Central
publisher.none.fl_str_mv BioMed Central
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia, Sanitat i Medi Ambient)
reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
instname_str Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
reponame_str Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
collection Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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