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

[Corwyn and Carowyn]

Greetings!  Throwing in my 2p again.

>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.

Oh, now that sparks an interesting tangent!  Probably lots of herb /
flower "meanings" were regional, and *may* have depended on who taught
you, your "base religion" (what were the people in your area
religion-wise before the Christians moved in?), and / or your gender.  Or
whether the local boy charmer had a silver tongue, and could charm five
different ladies with five different stories about the same bloody patch
of flowers!!!

>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.

Hmmm...maybe, maybe not.  Church strictures were sometimes regional and
sometimes rather schizo, depending on the local bishop or which Pope was
ruling at the time.  Look at the whole mess with passion plays - they're
holy, they're damned, players must all be priests, players must never be
priests, plays must only be held on Church grounds so you soak up all the
holiness, plays must be totally wiped out because you'll go to hell if
you so much as see an actor...sheesh.  (I'm glad I'm Protestant - those
ping-pong matches would have driven me mad in no time.)

Also, things have a habit of "going undergound" within the Church when a
local priest thinks there's no harm and maybe a lot of good in local
"pagan" customs.  Maybe, perhaps, that's the reason for the switch to
"churchified" names?

-Caro, being a bard, and wondering if she's got the right "that's how the
story goes" idea here


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