Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-12-05
Satan and Flowers
Diabolical Action Of
certain Plants
IL Mythology


can scarcely be contended that ii Is
In any way due to this association
that We find his Satanic Majesty fig.
uring so frequently in the folk nomen-
clature Of flowers and shrubs. But
such cases are by no means com.
mon; by far the greater number Of
diabolic appellat!ons refer to some
physical PECULIARLY in the plant which
Is either attributed to Monsieur le
Diable, or suggests its employment
by or effect on that potentate. And
when we come TO consider the names
In question we realize that II Is by
no means the Miltonic devil that Is
referred to but rather the malevolent
and sometimes rather contemplate
buffoon Of the old miracle plays. And
what is still more remarkable in some
cases we find plants the subjects, SO
to speak, Of a joint or disputed own.
ership. one claimant to which is the
devil. while the other is often a canon.
lied saint named in the Christian cal.
endar. II Is not easy for us Of the
present age to conceive the mental
phase which names. for example, a
hand shaped flower after a saint or
devil indiRerently. as is the case with
one Of the orchid family. which by
some Ia styled "Mary's Hand" anil
by others "Satan's Hand" There does
not seem the same violence OF
absurdity In the custom Of associat.
Ing flowers or plants with elves or
fairies as their originators or employ.
erS.
II would be. impossible within rea.
sonable limits to give all the. instances
OF the devil among the flowers. but
enough may be cited to show that.
as has been said. It is the grotesque,
medieval devil rather than the awe.
some fiend OF theology or poetry. The
familiar scabious. owing. to the shape
OF It's root. suggestive of a mouthful
having been taken out Of It. Is called
the devils bite. Explanations are by
no means wanting. The bite" was
taken In Jealous rage. because the
root In question was thought to be
Of great medicinal value. and the
arch enemy naturally begrudged man.
kind every fraction Of It. One OF
Its therapeutic uses Is as a sudorific
and the atmosphere OF his abode rem
dering such an agent quite unneces
sary the devil bit OF piece In a
dog In the manger spirit. Another
tradition has It that with this root
the Evil One was wont to perform
all sorts OF marvcls till Our Lady
deprived It Of the power. whereupon
In impOtent rage he bit II. Some OF
the devil titles doubtless date from
the time when, as Shakespeare tells
US, to many plants with a decorous
appallation liberal shepherds give
grosser name" and these can be
found In plenty in old fashioned
herbals.
Some plants owe their dlabOlic pre-
TX to the same moral Idea that has
been noticed In the case Of the
devils apples" Of the mandrake. The
berries OF the brlony. for instance
are the DEVILS cherries, and those
Of the deadly nightshade devils Der
ries par excellence. But It is not
quite easy to understand why the
pretty campion should be the devil'i
flower, nor the ox.cyed daisy his
daisy; still more puzzling Is It t.
account for the garlic being hi
"posy." when We call to. mind tn
universal attribute to the garlic o
hostility to the powers of evil--espe
cially when manifested In the YAM
pire form. But this apparent con
tradiction Is noticeable also In the
case OF the mystic vervain. which
according to some. Is emincntly anti
venefic. but which old Gerarde tell!
us "thc devil did reveal as a secret
and divine medicine" This assocla
ton OF the vervain with diabolic &C
ton reminds us that there are numer
Gus plants with which though 1t b
not written down" In their names
the devil Is connected The devi
IL said to exercise the Strlrtest guar
dianship over the magical fernseet
(Which gives the pGwcr OF being In
visible), and the only tine Il can ~
obtained from his custody Is on at
Johns Eve. Another legend has FOL
It's subject the favOrlte sweetbriar. OF
eglantine, always associated with tho
we'll known references to II of Shakes
peare and Milton and Tennyson. The
thorns point downward, and the raa
so given IA that after his fall ;h'
devil essaycd to Chamber up to Heav
en- by means of II, the eglantine thsr
being a stately tree. But when H.
proportions were reduced to a bush
'out OF spite he placed its thorn'
In their present eccentric position,
Still stranger Is the countryside.
legend that associates "our gentleman
In black" with the blackberry. Afte
Michaelmas Day-and the folklore
records include both Old and New
Styles-it Is wrong, or at least i'm
prudent, to pick blackberries, for OF
that day the Notwithstanding to 10
cality-spits on them, treads OF
them, casts his cloak over them q
throws his club at them--the last In
Jury being one OF the very few occa
siops on which the foul hend Is as
signed a weapon other. perhaps. thai
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