The Mystic Mandrake

The Mystic Mandrake by C.J.S. Thompson
Limited to 350 copies, Foreword by Corinne Boyer

Few plants in the history of botany have inspired as much fascination, fear, and supernatural speculation as the mandrake. In The Mystic Mandrake, C. J. S. Thompson guides the reader through one of the most comprehensive interdisciplinary explorations of this enigmatic plant, at the crossroads of plant lore, medicine, folklore, and occult traditions.

From the earliest civilizations of the Near East to the botanical knowledge of ancient Greece and the folklore of medieval Europe, the mandrake remains one of the most emblematic and enduring witch plants. Revered as a love charm, root fetish, magical talisman, and the Devil’s ally, its human-shaped root and potent psychoactive properties gave rise to some of the most enduring legends in the history of natural magic. The belief that the plant screamed when uprooted, that it could confer fertility or wealth, or that it harboured a spirit within its roots reveals a deep relationship between nature, animistic belief and mythopoetic expressions of the natural world.

Drawing on ancient texts, medieval herbals, spiritual traditions, and early scientific observations, C. J. S. Thompson reconstructs more than three millennia of mandrake lore. At once scholarly and evocative, The Mystic Mandrake is an essential work for anyone interested in the practice of magic, the symbolic language of plants, and the enduring human quest to uncover the secret powers of nature.

The book is introduced with a foreword by Corinne Boyer, folk herbalist, teacher, and author of several books on plant lore and history.

• Full-color Hardcover
• Coloured Headbands and Endpapers.
• Printed on Munken Pure Cream 120gsm paper.
• Including 18 classic illustrations in color.
• Fine Typography and Layout