MΩΛY

Zergi, Nóra (2009) MΩΛY. Acta Antiqua, 49 (3). pp. 301-305. ISSN 0044-5975

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Abstract

Literature’s probably most famous magical plant is moly . It first appears in the Odyssey where Hermes gives Odysseus an antidote against Circe’s magic — its flower is white, its root is black and it is hard for mortal men to dig. For more than two thousand years it had been referred to in hundreds of works including Galen and Dioscorides, it was discussed in medieval herbaria and collections of prescriptions. Many have tried to identify moly but there is no unequivocal result. In my work I make an attempt to point out the most possible identification of the Homeric plant, its relation to the medieval herba immolum as well as toxic honey.

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