{"id":1122,"date":"2018-06-10T05:54:33","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T03:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ambogdan.com\/?p=1122"},"modified":"2020-11-03T19:51:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T17:51:26","slug":"garlic-magic-vampires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ambogdan.com\/garlic-magic-vampires\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magical Garlic – Vampire Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Called everything from <\/span>”stinking rose”<\/em>, <\/span>“rustic cure-all”<\/em>, “Russian penicillin”<\/em>, “Bronx vanilla”<\/em> to “Italian perfume<\/em>“, garlic has been loved and despised throughout history for its taste and other mysterious properties. Garlic’s healing properties started a conversation thousands of years ago that still goes on. Though, the most fascinating stories surrounding the garlic have all to do with its magical attributes. This article tries to summarize the most important magical aspects as revealed by the Romanian folklore and traditions, while also taking into account what other cultures across the world have to say about it. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The birth of the garlic\u2019s legend<\/h2>\r\n
\"Garlic\"
Romanian saying about garlic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

The amazing world of folklore and mythology gives us a very different answer regarding garlic\u2019s origin. In the Romanian folklore, garlic is not just a simple aromatic and medicinal plant. According to Elena Niculina Voronca, one of the most respected Romanian folklore experts, it is believed that \u201cgarlic is human; it has a head a cross, and it\u2019s wears clothing\u201d<\/em>, and the garlic leaves are named “c\u0103\u021b<\/em><\/span>ei”<\/em> (\u201cpuppies\u201d<\/em>). Garlic is a Christic plant as \u201cit bears on it the sign of the cross\u201d<\/em>. It\u2019s also a sacred plant:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cGod made garlic and it\u2019s a pity to step on it. When you peel<\/em> the garlic and throw the <\/em><\/span>sheaths<\/span> in the fire, don\u2019t let them fall down.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\r\n

The Indian tradition gives garlic a sacred origin as it is said that it was born from a drop of amrita (divine ambrosia)<\/em> unintentionally left behind by tired Garuda, <\/span>a large bird-like creature, or humanoid bird that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism. <\/span>Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s vehicle<\/span><\/a>, drives away evil spells, black magic influences, negative spirits and removes all poisonous effects in one’s body. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

A Mohammedan legend states that when Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic sprang from the place where his left foot stepped and onion from his right foot. The Bowers Manuscript, a fifth-century Buddhist medical treatise, includes a tale that says the first garlic appeared from the blood of a demon. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

According to Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), garlic and onions were invoked as deities by the ancient Egyptians at the taking of oaths. <\/span>Archaeologists discovered clay garlic bulbs placed in Egyptian tombs with the dearly departed, yet they are unsure whether they were intended as funds for the afterlife or as idols to appease the gods.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Garlic – the vampire repellant<\/h2>\r\n
\"Dracula's
Bran is also known for being Dracula’s castle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

Although Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, had a lot to do with making famous Romania\u2019s belief that garlic wards off the vampires, the truth looks a little bit different from this side of the world. With all due respect for those of you who think that garlic is just Romania\u2019s vampire repellant, allow me to tell you that this is not quite accurate. <\/span>Montague Summers, author of <\/span>Vampires and Vampirism:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\r\n

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\u201cCertain trees and herbs are hateful to him, the whitethorn (or buckthorn) as we have seen, and particularly garlic. Often when the Vampire is decapitated his mouth is stuffed full with garlic; garlic is scattered in and all over the coffin by handfuls; and he can do no harm. In China and among Malays to wet a child\u2019s forehead with garlic is a sure protection against vampires.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Obviously, there are <\/span>numerous vampires, vampire-like creatures and all sorts of evil spirits present in worldwide mythology. Consequently, it\u2019s not surprising that this far-reaching fears of such beings needed an all-mighty resource to ward them off, but \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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\u201cIn truth garlic is not a universal deterrent; other common foods that can be used to thwart a vampire attack are poppy seeds, grains of rice, sesame seeds, iron shavings and peppercorns. Each of these items when thrown or left for a vampire to discover will compel it to stop and count each one. Ideally, this obsessive counting will take the monster all night, stalling it long enough for the sun to rise and destroy it; this is believed to be true of the Sucoyan of the West Indies.\u201d (Theresa Bane)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

Vampires – not a Romanian invention<\/h2>\r\n

It seems that term \u201cvampire\u201d<\/em> appeared for the first time as \u201cupir\u201d<\/em> (in Old Russian, 1047) in an old note written by a priest who transcribed a book of psalms. There he referred to \u201cthe evil upir\u201d<\/em>. It is also assumed that the word \u201cupir\u201d<\/em> comes the Tatar word \u201cubyr\u201d<\/em> which means \u201cwitchcraft\u201d<\/em>. Another mention of the eleventh century goes back to Saint Gregory who talks about the pagan worship of the \u201cupirs\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n

Legendary healer Melampus and <\/span>Theophrastus (c.371- c.287 BC) both suggested in their writings the Greeks\u2019 belief that garlic protects people from witchcraft and vampires. Yet, if you go far much deeper and search the literature, you will realize that the term \u201cvampire\u201d was never actually used in the Antiquity\u2019s texts. <\/span>True, in the ancient texts across the world there are many references to supernatural creatures who feed on blood or human flesh. Vampires were presented as demons or malefic spirits. Here are just a few examples of such creatures that had vampire-like features:<\/span><\/p>\r\n