[Herbalist] Re: Tussie-Mussies- Poesys, etc.

[Jenne Heise]

> He was very interested in the 19th century "Language of Flowers"--I didn't
> read that chapter very carefully. Before that period, he doesn't think there
> was much concensus on meanings to flowers--beyond very obvious ones like red
> roses for passion and lilies for purity. While it is certain that Shakespeare
> gives meaning to flowers (eg in Hamlet) Goody cites a number of different
> Shakespearean commentaries that discuss and don't agree on the meanings.

Well, actually, many of the Victorian ones don't completely agree either.
The 'language of flowers' doesn't seem to have been completely
standardized...

>    One of the things I find the most interesting is Goody's argument that
> Christianity rejected flowers in much of the first half of Period because it
> was trying to distance itself from pagan customs.

But flower gardens, etc. were cultivated in monasteries (for use in
church) by the time of Walafrid of Strabo 809-849.

>   I have long wanted to find the preChristian names for flowers.  There was a
> lot of "political correctness" applied by the Church.

Try the anglo-saxon herbals for some alternative common names.

Does Goody give evidence that the 'our lady' common names were imposed on
the populace by churchmen, rather than being added to the selection of
common names that plants were known by?

> And sometimes you can find names like "Jupiter's beard" or "Thor's beard"
> (alternate names of hensand chickens), which makes you think that the same
> set of plants' names probably rang with Freya and Thor once.

Actually, those names might have been Renaissance inventions, rather than
genuine pagan ones.

--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"There's a power av vartue in keepin' things sep'rate..." -- Kipling