Mandrake
“Love apples”
Summary
The mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) is a plant native to Palestine whose fragrant, tomato-like fruit was believed in antiquity to promote fertility and love.
☩Botanical Description
The mandrake (Hebrew dudaim) belongs to the Solanaceae or potato family, closely related to deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). It is a common plant throughout Palestine, particularly flourishing in spring and ripening around wheat harvest time. The plant has a rosette of large, dark leaves, purple flowers, and produces orange or yellow fruit about the size of a small apple. The root is long, forked, and was anciently associated with superstition—to uproot it was considered unlucky. The fruit, called 'love apples' by the ancients and 'eggs of the jinn' by modern Arabs, has a narcotic smell and sweetish taste but is too poisonous for regular consumption.
☩Biblical Usage
The mandrake appears in Scripture during wheat harvest, when young Reuben found the plants in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel's request for some of Leah's mandrakes and her willingness to trade her conjugal rights for them reflects the ancient belief that mandrakes possessed aphrodisiac properties and could aid conception. In Song of Solomon, the mandrakes' fragrance is associated with love: 'The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits.' The Hebrew name dudaim may be etymologically connected to dodim meaning 'love,' reinforcing the plant's romantic associations.
☩Ancient Beliefs
The mandrake was renowned throughout the ancient world for its supposed powers. Greek writers called the plant's fruit 'love apples,' and Venus herself was sometimes called Mandragorites. Pythagoras named the mandrake 'anthropomorphon' because its forked root sometimes resembled a human form, giving rise to many superstitious practices. Beyond its alleged aphrodisiac qualities, the plant was known for its narcotic and soporific properties, with excessive consumption causing temporary insanity. Modern travelers confirm that Arabs still attribute strengthening virtues to the fruit when used in small quantities.
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Mandrake," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Mandrakes," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.John Kitto, "Mandrake," in A Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, vol. II (Mark H. Newman, 1845).