Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 22:04:54 +0100 ***
COMMON NAME (English/German): marjoram
LATIN NAME: origanum majorana
TYPE OF PLANT: "tender" perennial
SYMBOLISM: joy
MYTHS/LEGENDS: Wreaths and garlands of marjoram were used at Greek weddings and funerals. Said to comfort the dead when it grew on their graves. Young Greek couples were crowned with it at their weddings. If you anoint yourself with it before sleeping, you will dream of your future spouse.
MAGICKAL: Sacred to Aphrodite
CULTIVATION
HARVESTING AND STORAGE: Dry away from sunlight to preserve color and flavor. Rub stems on a screen to shred the leaves, then discard the stems. Store in airtight containers.
ETC.: green dye; air freshener; good for potpourri
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 22:21:17 +0100 ***
COMMON NAME (English/German): mint/münze (?)
LATIN NAME: Mentha
TYPE OF PLANT: perennial
SYMBOLISM: refreshment, hospitality
MYTHS/LEGENDS: When Persephone found out that Pluto was in love with the beautiful nymph Minthe, jealousy burned within her, and she changed Minthe into a lowly plant. Pluto couldn't undo Persephone's spell, but he did soften it a little so that the more Minthe was tread upon, the sweeter her smell would be.
The Pharisees paid their tithes with mint. The Roman scholar Pliny wrote: "The very smell of it reanimates the spirit." The Greeks used mint in various herbal treatments and temple rites.
CULTIVATION
HARVESTING AND STORAGE: Fresh is best; dried or frozen is a close second.
ETC.: great for potpourri; repels rodents
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***Excerpted from my original contributions to an online discussion graciously sponsored by Dracona Pagan Web. {back}
http://www.moonchild.ch/Journal/garden/herbM.html