Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe
Marcel De Cleene, Marie Claire Lejeune, "Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe"
English | 2003 | ISBN: 9077135049 | PDF | pages: 751 | 88.1 mb
English | 2003 | ISBN: 9077135049 | PDF | pages: 751 | 88.1 mb
As far as the authors are able to ascertain, there is no modem survey of ritual plants and their role in religion and mythology and the symbolism deriving from them. It is either that this sort of information is found only in highly fragmentary fonn in international literature, or else that only one particular group of plants is dealt with, such as biblical plants, hallucinogenic plants', or plants with some folklore signific.mce (often local). In addition to this, the botanJcal aspect is olttn not sufficiently critical - what plant is it exactly? For this reason the authors started on an extensive study of the literature on the basis of numerous tips from historians, ethnologists, archaeologists, anthropologists and librarians. The yield was so OYerwhelming that selection was essential. The choice was for plants that are native (such as the Lime Tree) or well es1ablished (such as the Orienta! Plane Tree) in Europe. and also non-native plants (such as the Incense Tree and Rice) which are yet in one way or another used in rituals in the Old World.