Why do they say mandrakes scream?
According to an ancient legend, when the plant was uprooted it would scream, killing anyone who heard it. Therefore the gathering of the mandrake was carried out following elaborate rituals. One of the most famous ceremonies required the help of a hungry dog, who was tied up to the stem of the plant. A Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, was a magical and sentient plant which had a root that looked like a human (like a baby when the plant is young, but maturing as the plant grows). When matured, its cry could be fatal to any person who heard it. The Mandrake was a part of the Solanaceae family of plants.Podophyllum peltatum is also known as American mandrake or mayapple. Known for its own potent medicinal properties, it should not be confused with the European mandrake plant.
Why do people think mandrakes scream?
For centuries mandrake was associated with myths and magic, being one of the ingredients of the witches’ ‘flying ointments’ in the Middle Ages. According to an ancient legend, when the plant was uprooted it would scream, killing anyone who heard it. Mandrakes, or Mandragora, are magical plants (resembling crying babies, initially) which have incredible, restorative powers.CE) De materia medica and Theophrastus’ (371-587 BCE) Enquiry into plants, it is suggested that mandrakes are “good for making love potions”. Dioscorides explains that this is because the female mandrake fruit has a “sweet-smelling” fragrance while the male mandrake fruit is “oppressively fragrant”.