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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
69
Some
plants,
again,
have
been
used
for
exorcism
from
their
reputed
antagonism
to
all
Satanic
influence.
Thus
the
avens
or
herb-bennett,
when
kept
in
a
house,
was
believed
to
render
the
devil
powerless,
and
the
Greeks
of
old
were
in
the
habit
of
placing
a
laurel
bough
over
their
doorways
to
keep
away
evil
spirits.
The
thistle
has
been
long
in
demand
for
counteracting
the
powers
of
darkness,
and
in
Esthonia
it
is
placed
on
the
ripening
corn
to
drive
and
scare
away
malignant
demons.
In
Poland,
the
disease
known
among
the
poorer
classes
as
"elf-lock"
is
supposed
to
be
the
work
of
wicked
spirits,
but
tradition
says
it
will
gradually
disappear
if
one
buries
thistle
seed.[10]
The
aloe,
by
the
Egyptians,
is
reputed
to
resist
any
baleful
influence,
and
the
lunary
or
"honesty"
is
by
our
own
country
people
said
to
put
every
evil
influence
to
flight.
In
Germany
the
juniper
disperses
evil
spirits,
and
in
ancient
times
the
black
hellebore,
peony,
and
mugwort
were
largely
used
for
this
purpose.
According
to
a
Russian
belief
the
elder-tree
drives
away
evil
spirits,
and
hence
this
plant
is
held
in
high
respect.
Among
further
plants
possessing
the
same
quality
are
the
nettle
and
milfoil,
and
then
there
is
the
famous
St.
John's
wort,
popularly
nicknamed
"devil's
flight."
Closely
allied
with
this
part
of
our
subject
are
those
plants
connected
with
serpents,
here
forming
a
very
numerous
class.
Indeed,
it
was
only
natural
that
our
ancestors,
from
their
dread
of
the
serpent
on
account
of
its
poisonous
sting,
as
well
as
from
their
antipathy
to
it
as
the
symbol
of
evil,
should
ascertain
those
plants
which
seemed
either
attractive,
or
antagonistic,
to
this
much-dreaded
reptile.
Accordingly
certain
plants,
from
being
supposed
to
be
distasteful
to
serpents,
were
much
used
as
amulets
to
drive
them
away.
Foremost
among
these
may
be
mentioned
the
ash,
to
escape
contact
with
which
a
serpent,
it
has
been
said,
would
even
creep
into
the
fire,
in
allusion
to
which
Cowley
thus
writes:
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