Mandrakes

Hi guys! I was thinking very hard on what to blog. I wanted it to be different this time. My last posts was always about me and I’m getting tired of it :lol: . So I thought about posting something informative this time. Since I’m a BIG Harry Potter fan, I thought of blogging about those magical creatures that was included on the book and this time it’s all about MANDRAKES!

Mandrakes appeared on the second book “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”. Remember the scene where Harry and the others have to repot a plant seedling while wearing earmuffs? Those earmuffs were actually a protection from the deadly screams of Mandrakes. In the film, when this plant is dug up, it screams and kills all those who hear it. It is also described as wrinkled and ugly babies. But it’s roots produces a powerful potion to cure those who were pertified by the Basilisk (another magical creature on the book). These plants also appeared on the last installment of the Harry Potter series “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” during the battle at Hogwarts.

That was based on the book. Now let’s consult Mr’s. Web and Wiki about this.

Well Mandrake is the common name for the member of the plant genus Mandragora. Becuase the plant contains certain alkaloids causing them to resemble humanfigures, their roots have long been used in magic rituals. Arabs call this plant luffâh, or beid el-jinn (“djinn’s eggs”). Apparently, all parts af the mandrake plant are poisonous and grows natively in southern and central Europe.

And did you guys know that this magical plant was also mentioned on the Bible? In Genesis 30, Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah finds mandrakes in a field. Rachel, Jacob’s infertile second wife and Leah’s sister, is desirous of the mandrakes and barters with Leah for them. The trade offered by Rachel is for Leah to spend the next night in Jacob’s bed in exchange for Leah’s mandrakes. Leah gives away the plant to her barren sister, but soon after this, Leah, who had previously had four sons but had been infertile for a long while, became pregnant once more and in time gave birth to two more sons, Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah. Only years after this episode of her asking for the mandrakes did Rachel manage to get pregnant. There are classical Jewish commentaries which suggest that mandrakes help barren women to conceivea child. In Hebrew this plant is called as “love plant” and according to legend, when this particular plant is dug up it screams and kills anyone who hears it. Exactly the same as what the book (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) described.

Actually at first i did not know that Mandrakes actually existed. I thought JK Rowling made them up. I just knew about this plant when i was reading our encyclopedia and was very surprised to see the word Mandrake there. But that was a long time ago. I was still in highschool back then.

But before i end this post i’m giving you a peek on what a true Mandrake looks like.  Here it is

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images from Wikipedia

Hope this cought the attention of those Harry Potter and wizard/witches fans out there..

I’ll end this post here happy blogging everyone! :giggles:

The Illustration is from Pebblepixie of Deviantart

Filed under: Harry Potter by ~mistress~