Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore
THE WORLD-TREES OF THE ANCIENTS. -- The Scandinavian Ash -- The Hindu World-Tree -- The World-Tree of the Buddhists -- The Iranian World-Tree -- The Assyrian Sacred Tree -- The Mother Tree of the Greeks, Romans, and Teutons 1
The association of certain trees and plants with death and its gloomy surroundings dates from a period remote and shadowy in its antiquity. Allusions to it are found in the most...
21. CHAPTER V.After Rome Pagan became Rome Christian, the priests of the Church of Christ recognised the importance of utilising the connexion which existed between plants and the old pagan w...
28. CHAPTER XI.We have seen how, among the ancient races of the earth, traditions existed which connected the origin of man with certain trees. In the _Bundehesh_, man is represented as having...
20. CHAPTER IV.offered up on primitive altars, as incense to the Deity, the choicest and most fragrant woods, the aromatic gums from trees, and the subtle essences he obtained from flowers. In...
29. CHAPTER XII.The association of trees and birds has been the theme of the most ancient writers. The Skalds have sung how an Eagle sat in stately majesty on the topmost branch of Yggdrasill,...
25. CHAPTER IX.Hecate, the Grecian goddess of the infernal regions, presided over magic and enchantment, and may fairly be styled the goddess, queen, and patroness of Witches and sorcerers. Sh...
18. CHAPTER II.Amongst all peoples, and in all ages, there has lingered a belief possessing peculiar powers of fascination, that in some unknown region, remote and unexplored, there existed a...
32. CHAPTER XIV.Two centuries ago there existed a very general belief that every plant was under the direct influence of a particular Planet, and therefore that all the details connected with i...
33. CHAPTER XV.The antiquity of floral emblems probably dates from the time when the human heart first beat with the gentle emotions of affection or throbbed with the wild pulsations of love....
16. CHAPTER XVI.FUNERAL PLANTS. -- The Ancient Death-Gods -- The Elysian Fields -- Death Trees -- Funereal Trees -- Aloe, Yew, Cypress, Bay, Arbor-Vitæ, Walnut, Mountain Ash, Tamarisk -- The De...
31. CHAPTER XIII.William Coles, in his ‘Art of Simpling’ (a work published in the year 1656), abandoning for awhile practical instruction, moralises thus:--“Though sin and Sathan have plunged ma...
22. CHAPTER VI.Centuries before Milton wrote that “Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep,” our Saxon ancestors, whilst yet they inhabited...
24. CHAPTER VIII.We have seen, in a former chapter, how intimate has been the association between flowers and the Fairies, Pixies, or Elves, and, therefore, it is not surprising to find that the...
23. CHAPTER VII.Closely allied to the Fairy family, the Well Fays, and the Naiades, are the Sylvans of the Græco-Roman mythology, which everywhere depicts groves and forests as the dwelling-pla...
17. CHAPTER I.It is a proof of the solemnity with which, from the very earliest times, man has invested trees, and of the reverence with which he has ever regarded them, that they are found f...
27. Part II., under the head of FERN, and can be there studied by all whoThe Clover, if it has four leaves, is a magical plant, enabling him who carries it on his person to be successful at play, and have the power of detecting the approach of malign...
26. CHAPTER X.In remote ages, the poisonous or medicinal properties of plants were secrets learnt by the most intelligent and observant members of pastoral and nomadic tribes and clans; and t...
30. Part II.).Numerous indeed are the plants named after the Horse, either on account of the use they are put to, the shape of their foliage, &c., their large size, or the coarseness of their...
19. CHAPTER III.All the nations of antiquity entertained for certain trees and plants a special reverence, which in many cases degenerated into a superstitious worship. The myths of all countri...
10. CHAPTER X.MAGICAL PLANTS. -- Plants producing Ecstasies and Visions -- Soma -- Laurel -- The Druids and Mistletoe -- Prophetic Oaks -- Dream Plants -- Plants producing Love and Sympathy -...
5. CHAPTER V.PLANTS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. -- The Virgin Mary and her Flowers -- Joseph’s Plants -- The Plants of Bethlehem -- Flora of the Flight into Egypt -- The Herb of the Madonna --...
8. CHAPTER VIII.PLANTS OF THE DEVIL. -- Puck’s Plant -- Pixie-stools -- Loki’s Plants -- The Trolls and the Globe-flower -- Accursed and Unlucky Plants -- Plants connected with the Black Art --...
2. CHAPTER II.THE TREES OF PARADISE AND THE TREE OF ADAM. -- The Terrestrial Paradise -- The Paradise of the Persians, Arabians, Hindus, Scandinavians, and Celts -- The Mosaic Paradise -- Ede...
11. CHAPTER XI.FABULOUS, WONDROUS, AND MIRACULOUS PLANTS. -- Human Trees -- Man-bearing Trees -- The Wak-Wak, or Tree bearing Human Heads -- Chinese and Indian Bird-bearing Tree -- Duck-bearin...
12. CHAPTER XII.PLANTS CONNECTED WITH BIRDS AND ANIMALS. -- Seed-sowing Birds -- Birds as Almanacks -- The Cuckoo and the Cherry Tree -- Augury by Cock and Barley -- The Nightingale and the Ros...
6. CHAPTER VI.PLANTS OF THE FAIRIES AND NAIADES. -- The Elves and the Oak -- Elves of the Forest -- The Elf of the Fir-tree -- The Rose Elf -- Moss or Wood Folk -- The Black Dwarfs -- The Sti...
3. CHAPTER III.SACRED PLANTS OF THE ANCIENTS. -- The Parsis and the Cypress -- The Oak -- Sacred Plants and Trees of the Brahmans and Buddhists -- Plants Revered by the Burmans -- The Cedar, E...
4. CHAPTER IV.FLORAL CEREMONIES, GARLANDS, AND WREATHS. -- The Altars of the Gods -- Flowers, Fragrant Woods, and Aromatics -- Incense -- Perfumes -- Ceremonies of the Assyrians, Egyptians, G...
9. CHAPTER IX.PLANTS OF THE WITCHES. -- The Herbs of Hecate, Circe, and Medea -- Witch Powder -- Witches and Elders -- Sylvan Haunts of Witches -- Witches’ Plant-steeds -- Witches’ Soporifics...
13. CHAPTER XIII.THE DOCTRINE OF PLANT SIGNATURES. -- Illustrations and Examples of the Signatures and Characterisms of Plants -- The Diseases Cured by Herbs -- General Rules of the System of Pl...
7. CHAPTER VII.SYLVANS, WOOD NYMPHS, AND TREE SPIRITS. -- Fauns, Satyrs, Dryads, and Hamadryads -- The Laurel Maiden -- The Willow Nymph -- The Sister of the Flowers -- Sacred Groves and their...
14. CHAPTER XIV.PLANTS AND THE PLANETS. -- When to Pluck Herbs -- The Plants of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and the Moon -- Sun Flowers -- The Influence of the Moon on Plant...
15. CHAPTER XV.PLANT SYMBOLISM AND LANGUAGE. -- Plant Emblems of the Ancients -- The Science of Plant Symbolism -- Floral Symbols of the Scriptures -- The Passion Flower, or Flower of the Five...
1. CHAPTER I.THE WORLD-TREES OF THE ANCIENTS. -- The Scandinavian Ash -- The Hindu World-Tree -- The World-Tree of the Buddhists -- The Iranian World-Tree -- The Assyrian Sacred Tree -- The...