XII. A Mandrake.

Tʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

Here is a quite famous and quite singular root, called Mandrake, which has more imposture than truth. We show them of both sexes, and we almost give them children; but all this is discovered and done at pleasure. It is only true that there are roots that Naturalists call Mandrakes, that they put of two species, male and female; but to believe that they have the shape of a man, that they are formed under the gallows from the urine of a hanged man; that the one who digs them and pulls them out of the ground dies, and finally that they have the virtues attributed to them, all this is fabulous. The one we have in our Cabinet, and all the others that I have seen, are artificial; these are forked roots which separate in two, giving rise to legs; we then make their arms as they are with a knife, adding hands with ankles, and other parts that may be missing, to make a thing that has some human figure; & to make them grow hair in the places where we want, we put grains of millet inside, & then we bury this root in the ground, where these small grains germinate and grow large filaments which are like hair . This is all the artifice and imposture of these Mandrakes.

Le Cabinet de la Bibliotheque de Ste. Genevieve, Claude Du Molinet, 1692.

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Mirror, Mirror

Because of the once universal belief that one’s reflection is a vital part of one’s soul, mirrors and other reflective surfaces were long regarded as soul-catchers or doorways to the other world of spirits. Egyptians used the same word for “mirror” and “life.” Celtic women were buried with their personal mirrors, which were supposed to be their soul-carriers.

In India, the Great Goddess was called the Mirror of the Abyss, in which the Great God (Shiva Mahadeva) constantly reflects himself. Buddhists said that all existence is like a reflection in a mirror, anticipating the New Testament writer by some five hundred years in the claim that life on earth is like seeing “through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Later, the truth is to be revealed “face to face.”

Beginning with the myths of Dionysus, whose soul was caught in a mirror by the Titans, and of Narcissus, whose soul was trapped in his water reflection, Europe abounded with fairy tales about magic mirrors and their dangers. Witches were said to be adept at scrying with magic mirrors. The rather muddled theory behind this form of divination seemed to be that is all existence was but a reflection of a hidden truth, then looking through the “doorway” of the mirror would reverse the process and reveal reality instead.

Medieval scribes sometimes claimed that the spiritual power inherent in a mirror could strengthen the eyes tired by excessive study. They set mirrors before them when writing, to gaze into occasionally, “so that their sight may not be dimmed.”

𖢻 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚊 𝙶. 𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛

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Of the Stonie wood, or woode made stones

Among the wonders of England, this is one of great admiration. Contrary to man’s reason and capacity, there is a kind of wood that is alterable into the hardness of a stone, called Stonie wood. Or rather a kind of water which hardens wood and other things into the nature and matter of stone.
…
In the north part of England, there is a well near Knaesborough which will change anything into stone, whether it be wood, timber, leaves of trees, moss, leather gloves and the like.
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I brought some to London, and when I had broken it into pieces it was seen that the pith and all the rest of it was turned into stones. Many buds and flowerings of the tree falling into said water were also turned into hard stones, still retaining the same shape and fashion as they were before falling into the water.

The Herball, or General Historie of Plantes, gathered by John Gerarde, 1597

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'Mythical' Creatures Published in Old Zoology Textbooks

These images were found in zoology textbooks from the 1600s and 1700s. Sources are provided below.

In these texts we find images of creatures resembling mermaids, two-headed snakes, winged dragons, a basilisk, and various sea serpents.

Bibliography:
• Owen, Charles. An essay towards a natural history of serpents. London: Printed for the author, 1742. Call number: QL666.O6 Ow2e
• Redi, Francesco. Opuscula… Amsterdam: Apud Henricum Wetstenium, 1685-86. Call number: QH41 R248o
• Redi, Francesco. Osservazioni di Francesco Redi … intorno agli animali viventi che si trovano negli animali viventi. Florence: P. Matini, 1684. Call number: QL757 .R248o

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