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Divine thus good, devilish thus bad? Folk linguistic perceptions about plants and their characteristics in Polish folklore

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Divine thus good, devilish thus bad? Folk linguistic perceptions about plants and their characteristics in Polish folklore
Authors: Olga Kielak
Source: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2025)
Publisher Information: BMC, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Other systems of medicine
LCC:Botany
Subject Terms: Ethnolinguistics, Ethnobotany, Local plant names, Devilish plants, Divine plants, Other systems of medicine, RZ201-999, Botany, QK1-989
Description: Abstract Introduction According to folklore, some plants are created by divine beings and holy persons, while others appear on earth through demonic intervention. It is commonly believed that plants of divine origin are “good” plants, useful to humans, while plants of devilish origin are “bad” and not useful. Aim of the study This article analyses folk beliefs regarding the origins of selected plants, identifies which of them are considered to have a divine origin and which a demonic one, and examines whether the perceived divine or demonic origin of a plant influences its usefulness or harmfulness to humans. Methods This article first compares folk beliefs regarding the origins of selected plants, identifies their divine and demonic origins, and then evaluates the characteristics of these plants (edible/inedible, desirable/undesirable in cultivation, used in folk medicine, used in rituals, blessed throughout the year, used in apotropaic practices, associated with the devil/used in black magic). The aim is to determine whether there are any correlations between these characteristics and the plants’ divine or demonic origins. Results and discussion The analyses carried out have shown that a given plant’s divine or devilish provenance does not determine its usefulness or lack thereof, because in popular folkloristic imagery about plants we can find many characteristics that “escape” the sharp division into “good” and “bad” plants. Plants whose origin in folk imagery is associated with the activity of divine agents are edible plants, desirable to man, commonly used in (annual and family) rituals and in folk medicine, while plants associated with the devil are plants that are often poisonous, harmful, dangerous, stinging and prickly, undesirable as crops and classified as weeds, representing a dwelling place for forces hostile to man on the one hand, yet used in an apotropaic capacity on the other. At the same time, “devilish” plants were sometimes eaten as famine food, blessed and used in folk medicine, while “divine” plants, treated as weeds, were considered the abode of demons and used in black magic. Conclusion The study shows that the divine or devilish provenance of plants can be interpreted as information about the source of a plant’s power—either divine or devilish. The article provides new insights for research on the perception of plants in Polish folk culture and also helps to promote Polish ethnolinguistic studies within the international academic discourse.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1746-4269
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/1746-4269
DOI: 10.1186/s13002-025-00787-z
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/12cfe8eade874643a473e31fefce7fae
Accession Number: edsdoj.12cfe8eade874643a473e31fefce7fae
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
Description
Abstract:Abstract Introduction According to folklore, some plants are created by divine beings and holy persons, while others appear on earth through demonic intervention. It is commonly believed that plants of divine origin are “good” plants, useful to humans, while plants of devilish origin are “bad” and not useful. Aim of the study This article analyses folk beliefs regarding the origins of selected plants, identifies which of them are considered to have a divine origin and which a demonic one, and examines whether the perceived divine or demonic origin of a plant influences its usefulness or harmfulness to humans. Methods This article first compares folk beliefs regarding the origins of selected plants, identifies their divine and demonic origins, and then evaluates the characteristics of these plants (edible/inedible, desirable/undesirable in cultivation, used in folk medicine, used in rituals, blessed throughout the year, used in apotropaic practices, associated with the devil/used in black magic). The aim is to determine whether there are any correlations between these characteristics and the plants’ divine or demonic origins. Results and discussion The analyses carried out have shown that a given plant’s divine or devilish provenance does not determine its usefulness or lack thereof, because in popular folkloristic imagery about plants we can find many characteristics that “escape” the sharp division into “good” and “bad” plants. Plants whose origin in folk imagery is associated with the activity of divine agents are edible plants, desirable to man, commonly used in (annual and family) rituals and in folk medicine, while plants associated with the devil are plants that are often poisonous, harmful, dangerous, stinging and prickly, undesirable as crops and classified as weeds, representing a dwelling place for forces hostile to man on the one hand, yet used in an apotropaic capacity on the other. At the same time, “devilish” plants were sometimes eaten as famine food, blessed and used in folk medicine, while “divine” plants, treated as weeds, were considered the abode of demons and used in black magic. Conclusion The study shows that the divine or devilish provenance of plants can be interpreted as information about the source of a plant’s power—either divine or devilish. The article provides new insights for research on the perception of plants in Polish folk culture and also helps to promote Polish ethnolinguistic studies within the international academic discourse.
ISSN:17464269
DOI:10.1186/s13002-025-00787-z