#poisonlore

Just added this and lots of other new and vintage books to the website linked in bio! Happy summer reading! #poisonhistory #toxicology #thepoisonaffairs #ethnobotany #poisonpath #thepoisonpath #poisonmagic #poisonousplants #poisonlore #deadlyplants #poisonbooks #toxicologybooks #booksonpoison #thepoisonpath #veneficium # https://www.instagram.com/p/ChXhJvOrJZD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Taxus baccata or English Yew is a common sight at old cemeteries. The connection between yew trees and human burial grounds goes back to the ancient world. Yew is the death tree. It is sacred to the goddess Hekate. Under her domain it stands guardian over the cemetery and the dead within. Graveyard yews must always be approached with respect and given offerings prior to any graveyard working. Oftentimes the trees are older or just as old as the graveyard they are growing in. They are also associated with rebirth, spirit contact and necromancy. Yew wood makes a great wand for working with the dead. All parts of the tree are toxic and burning the wood releases toxic fumes. The red aril (berry) is the only part that is not toxic. The seeds have been used in arrow poison recipes by ancient Gaelic tribes in Ireland. Yew wood was used to make bows, and it’s name taxus is connected to this as well as the word toxin through its Greek root taxon. In Norse runology Eihwaz (similar to the death card in the tarot) is also associated with the yew tree. Yew is a powerful plant ally to work with this time of year. It is one of many gatekeepers that will allow access to the realm of the dead and from there many other mysteries can be explored. #poisonousplants #poisonplants #poisonpath #poisonlore #poisonhistory #thepoisonpath #banefulherbs #veneficium #poisonplantallies #plantspiritallies #darkherbalism #toxicology #folklore https://www.instagram.com/p/CVO_d_5Lr5m/?utm_medium=tumblr

New books listed on the website linked in bio. New titles, vintage and antique. This is a really random assortment of Poison Path and occult titles and here are a few ☠️🖤☠️ #poisonhistory #toxicology #thepoisonaffairs #ethnobotany #poisonpath #thepoisonpath #poisonmagic #poisonousplants #poisonlore #deadlyplants #poisonbooks #toxicologybooks #booksonpoison #thepoisonpath #veneficium # https://www.instagram.com/p/ChaSWDmr2Mh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Do you have a root fetish? There is something magically alluring and mysterious to roots. Whether they are dried and preserved in an apothecary, beckoning with their gnarled charm, or fresh roots that make the soil groan as they are pulled up. Roots contain the soul of the plant, it’s vital for and it’s essence. Humanoid roots are even more magical because of their resemblance and correspondence to the human form. They are considered to be something different from the genius of the plant. Roots have slightly different characteristics that are all their own. They make ready vessels for spirits, but often already contain one of their own. These human shaped o she takes whether roots, poppets or dollies are the kind of fetishes we are talking about. They generally house some form of spirit and are worked with in a regular basis to aid in magical workings but also to build a rapport with the spiritus radix r spirit of the root. Many plant focused practitioners will work with plants as familiar spirits and creating root fetishes is one way to do this. This is a henbane root and it’s vessel ready to be consecrated, dressed and awakened. Henbane is one of the classical witching herbs and a quintessential herb of necromancy. #henbane #hyoscyamusniger #necromancy #rootwork #poisonhistory #toxicology #thepoisonaffairs #ethnobotany #poisonpath #thepoisonpath #poisonmagic #poisonousplants #poisonlore #deadlyplants #poisonbooks #toxicologybooks #booksonpoison #thepoisonpath #veneficium (at Saint Petersburg, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CX9R2y0LRjF/?utm_medium=tumblr

In the Middle Ages the toad was a witch's animal, i.e. a demonic helper of a witch. In 1580 a witch was burned in Steiermark, Germany and the watchful executioner noticed an extraordinarily large toad rushing straight towards the water. Needless to say, it was the escaping demon. (Petzoldt 1990: 116.) G. L. Kittredge describes the beliefs about toads in medieval England: "The Devil, who squat like a toad at the ear of Mother Eve in Eden, is always at hand in the churchyard after service, waiting in that guise for some evil-minded communicant to feed him with a bit of the consecrated wafer: whoever thus sacrifices to Satan will straightway become a witch or wizard. The relation of witches to toads (or frogs) is notorious; and, like everything else in this department of superstition, it is founded on fact. Toads are not uncommon in earth-floored huts, and doubtless they were sometimes petted by solitary old women who, esteemed as witches, regarded themselves as such and thought the creatures were really imps or demons. Anyhow, toad-familiars are as commonplace as cats." (Kittredge 1929:181-182.) The toad as well as the snake (serpent) occur among the manifestations of the Devil in the exempla of medieval sermons (IE 1557, 1562, 1563, 2738, 4882). Both creatures have a somewhat devilish status also in Estonian folk religion, which is reflected in the widespread belief that killing those animals is a pious act for which a certain number of sins will be forgiven: He who kills a viper will be forgiven the sins of one day, but he who kills a toad will be forgiven the sins of nine days. HII 20, 716 (10) < Vändra - H. Mett (1889). If you kill a toad, you will be forgiven nine sins. The toad is the animal of the Evil Spirit (kurivaim). ERA II188,191 (43) < Lääne-Nigula < Martna - E. Ennist (1938). The magical toadstone could be procured via an elaborate ritual. The stone was said to be either black or white with different properties to both. They were used to protect from magic and misfortune, as well as neutralize the effects of any surreptitiously placed poison. #toadbone #toadstone #poisonlore #toadwitch #toadbonerite #bufonite #traditionalwitchcraft https://www.instagram.com/p/CRDMDQ1rwXs/?utm_medium=tumblr

Bittersweet Nightshade- Solanum dulcamara is a commonly growing member of the solanaceae family. It is a Saturnian herb with chthonic associations. It lends its power to binding, banishing and hexing. It has been used as a protective talisman to protect children and livestock, ward off lightning and the evil eye. One traditional technique is to put the name of a target on a piece of bittersweet nightshade stem and place it in their doorstep. I like to wrap a name paper around a stem and make a little hexing bundle. The key is to get it close to the person, and it’s even better if they find it. #nightshade #poisonmagic #bittersweetnightshade #woodynightshade #banefulherbs #venericium #maleficia #hexing #hexes #solanaceae #plantlore #poisonlore #poisonpath #plantmagic #esotericherbalism #occultherbalism #witchingherbs https://www.instagram.com/p/CNfWGpJnUjg/?igshid=tzrrgrnv5uw4

It was believed that poisonous flying snakes lived in frankincense trees, guarding them against intruders. Herodotus wrote Of brightly colored winged serpents called Drakontes or Ophies pteretoi. They were described as water snakes with the wings of bats. It was also believed that they would infest the world if it wasn’t for the females killing the males after mating and the young killing the mother in childbirth. The only way to deter these ophidian guardians was to burn styrax or benzoin resin. The sweet smoke would distract these creatures long enough for the frankincense resin to be harvested safely. Strabo also wrote about them, as it was a common belief in Arabian folklore. There are still accounts of these winged serpents in recent history in the Dhofar region of Oman. While the actual existence of these creatures is uncertain there are some species of “flying snake” that can launch themselves many feet in the air! #poisonpath #poisonlore #poisoninhistory #toxicology #folklore #flyingsnakes #frankincense #esotericherbalism #herbmaguc #plantmagic #geniusloci #occult #witchcraft https://www.instagram.com/p/CNN-eQIntb5/?igshid=1c0yed27oswzf

Veratrum viride- false hellebore Not to be confused with European Helleborus, it grows in damp woodland areas in Europe, Asia and North America. Alternate large lance plate leaves on a stem that can grow 2-8 feet. The black rhizome is extremely poisonous. The rootstock has been used in traditional medicine as a violent purgative and was used as such by the ancient Greeks. It is suggested to have been the plant that poisoned Alexander the Great. Purgatives are powerful toxic plants that cause a dramatic reaction when consumed, they are taken to induce vomiting or other kinds of purging. They can be used in ritual for banishing and exorcism, and removing all unwanted influences. Powerful herbs like false hellebore and poke weed are good for removing malicious spirits and deeply rooted attachments. Micro amounts of plants with this effect can be taken to flush the physical and spiritual body of unhealthy patterns and stagnant energy. They can be simmered in a cauldron or strewn around an area to flush out all unwanted influences. This kind of cleaning isn’t always the best option because of its potency it tends to remove the desirable energy from a space leaving it feel sterile. After doing a removal in a space or on your person, it is important to revivify the energy by burning sweet and aromatic incense or bringing fresh flowers into the area or around the person. Make sure you understand the plants you are working with and remember we are not responsible for any harm that results from working with baneful herbs. Photos from Wikipedia. #falsehellebore #veratrumviride #poisonousplants #poisonpath #banefulherbs #veneficium #greenwitchcraft #poisonmagic #poisonmagick #poisonlore #poisonwitch #pharmaka https://www.instagram.com/p/CWE6r1cLlrt/?utm_medium=tumblr