Examines the role of plants in botanical mythology, from Aboriginal Australia to Zoroastrian Persia.Plants have a remarkable mythology dating back thousands of years. From the ancient Greeks to contemporary Indigenous cultures, human beings have told colorful and enriching stories that have presented plants as sensitive, communicative, and intelligent. This book explores the myriad of plant tales from around the world and the groundbreaking ideas that underpin them. Amid the key themes of sentience and kinship, it connects the anemone to the meaning of human life, tree hugging to the sacred basil of India, and plant intelligence with the Finnish epic The Kalevala. Bringing together commentary, original source material, and colorful illustrations, Matthew Hall challenges our perspective on these myths, the plants they feature, and the human beings that narrate them.“Whether or not we believe that any plant actually has an imagination, the rhetorical flourish in Matthew Hall’s title sends us into his book with a serious interest in what he has to say. This is a valuable addition to our knowledge about mythic tale-telling and awareness of those elements of the animate world that science, since the Renaissance, has always placed on the lowest scale of value. Hall wants to redress this imbalance, and he does so by revealing just how essential (to Indigenous cultures) the plant kingdom was to humanity’s place in the universe.” — Ashton Nichols, author of Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism: Toward Urbanatural Roosting
Contents 8
List of Illustrations 10
Acknowledgments 19
Introduction: A Botanical Mythology 22
A Human-Centered World 24
Plants in the Active Voice 26
Against Anthropomorphism 27
The Imagination of Plants 28
1. Roots 34
Kinship: A Mutuality of Being 35
Kinship: Common Origins 36
Kinship: Divine (Common) Origins 39
Kinship: The first gardeners 40
Living with Kin 43
Excerpts: Roots 46
From the Flesh of Ymir 46
Every Plant Yielding Seed 48
Song of Puru?a 49
Sacred Ox 51
Pangu’s Hair Becomes the Plants 53
Pellervoinen Scatters Seeds 54
The Animals Bring the Corn 58
A Present from Tsichtinako 59
Tiger Shark Brings the Cycads 60
Planting in the Dreaming 60
Trees Brought From Heaven 63
Seeds from Heaven 66
2. Gods 68
The World Trees 69
Divine Associations 72
Use of the Sacred 74
Excerpts: Gods 77
In the Garden of Eden 79
The Bodhi Tree 79
Yggdrasil 81
Oak Tree of Jumala 84
Yaxche: The World Tree 86
Tulsi 89
Sacred Lotus 91
The Oaks of Dodona 94
Saka-ki Tree 96
Mistletoe 97
Soma 98
3. Metamorphosis 102
Mortal Men: Sprung from Ash Trees 103
Fine Bark over Smooth Skin 105
Excerpts: Metamorphosis 111
From Trees and Flowers 111
Birth of Adonis 114
Daphne and Apollo 116
Death of Adonis 118
Hyacinthos 119
These Poplars Drip Tears 122
Baucis and Philemon 124
Cyparissus 126
The Soul of Bata 128
Narcissus 132
The Origin of Kava 133
Reborn as Rice 136
The Igas Go Quietly 137
Making Ourselves Plants 138
Red Lily Woman 140
4. Legend 142
Some Part of Truth: The Barnacle and the Wak-Wak 143
Magical Healers 147
Prayers to the Medicinal Plants 149
Excerpts: Legend 153
The Barnacle Tree 153
The Scythian Lamb 155
Wak Wak Tree 157
Marvelous Medicine 159
The Magic Balsam 161
The Tree of Immortality 162
Pregnant by the Lucma Tree 165
Nine Herbs Charm 167
Prayer to the Kushtha-Plant to Destroy Takman (Fever) 170
Hymn to Magic and Medicinal Plants 172
5. Sentience 174
This Nature in a Passive State 174
Transcending the Vegetative Soul 176
Black Blood from the Bark 178
Talk among the Trees 181
Coeval Nymphs 184
Excerpts: Sentience 186
The Trees Seek a King 186
Battle of the Trees 188
Tree, He Watching You 191
Erysichthon Fells the Sacred Grove 192
Pleasure and Pain 196
The Violated Myrtle 198
Search for Lemminkainen 201
The Birch Tree Weeps 204
The Talking Tree 208
The Trees of Sun and Moon 212
The Wind and the Salmali Tree 214
The Nymphs of the Trees 220
6. Violence 222
Using Plants 224
Holding on to Violence 226
Consequence of Senseless Violence 229
Excerpts: Violence 233
Destroying Plants 233
Odysseus’s Raft 236
Tsichtinako Teaches about Corn 238
Stir up the Grains 240
Full of Knots You’ll Find the Pine 242
Sovereign of the Vegetable World 245
Rātā 246
Bhima’s Blows 250
Jungle Trees 252
Humbaba Uprooted 254
Two Great Persea Trees 256
The Thunder Tree 258
Epilogue: Imagination and Beyond 260
A Guide to the Texts 264
Book of Genesis 264
The Eddas 264
The Vedas 265
Bundahisn 266
Pangu 267
The Kalevala 267
Mahābhārata 268
The Puranas 268
Popol Vuh 269
Chilam Balam OF Chumayel 270
Acoma 271
Yanyuwa 271
Warramurrungundji 272
Maori History 273
Nihongi 273
Life of the Buddha 274
Pliny, Natural History 274
Dodona 275
Kojiki 275
Ethnobotany of the Zuni 276
Fables and Rites of the Incas 276
Virgil, Aeneid 277
Hesiod Works and Days and Homeric Hymns 277
Four Branches of the Mabinogi 278
Ovid, Metamorphoses 278
Nonnus, Dioynsiaca 279
LIBRARY of Diodorus Siculus 280
The Upani?ads 280
The Tale Of Two Brothers 281
Flinders Ranges Dreaming 281
The Speaking Land 282
Herbals 282
Travels of John Mandeville 283
Nine Herbs Charm 283
Kakadu Man 284
Shahnama 284
Greek Alexander Romance 285
Acaranga Sutra 285
Epic of Gilgamesh 285
Homer, Odyssey 286
Notes 288
Bibliography 314
Index 328

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Hall, Matthew;

SUNY series on religion and the environment, Albany, New York, 2019

United States, United States of America

PT, 2019

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 11.0 (Windows)

Memory of the World Librarian: Dorothy Porter

Memory of the World Librarian: outernationale

Examines the role of plants in botanical mythology, from Aboriginal Australia to Zoroastrian Persia.
Plants have a remarkable mythology dating back thousands of years. From the ancient Greeks to contemporary Indigenous cultures, human beings have told colorful and enriching stories that have presented plants as sensitive, communicative, and intelligent. This book explores the myriad of plant tales from around the world and the groundbreaking ideas that underpin them. Amid the key themes of sentience and kinship, it connects the anemone to the meaning of human life, tree hugging to the sacred basil of India, and plant intelligence with the Finnish epic The Kalevala . Bringing together commentary, original source material, and colorful illustrations, Matthew Hall challenges our perspective on these myths, the plants they feature, and the human beings that narrate them.
Matthew Hall is Associate Director of Research Services at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. He is the author of Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany , also published by SUNY Press.

Plants Have A Remarkable Mythology. From The Ancient Greeks To Contemporary Indigenous Cultures, Human Beings Have Told Colorful And Enriching Stories About Plants For Thousands Of Years. This Volume Explores The Myriad Of Plant Tales And The Groundbreaking Ideas That Underpin Them. Amid The Key Themes Of Sentience And Kinship, It Connects The Anemone To The Meaning Of Human Life, Tree Hugging To The Sacred Basil Of India, And Plant Intelligence With The Finnish Epic The Kalevala. Bringing Together Commentary, Original Source Material And Illustrations, It Aims To Challenge Your Perspective On The Myths, The Plants That Feature And The Role Of Human Beings That Narrate Them-- A Bontanical Mythology -- Roots -- Gods -- Metamorphosis -- Legend -- Sentience -- Violence -- Imagination And Beyond. Matthew Hall. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.

"Plants have a remarkable mythology. From the ancient Greeks to contemporary Indigenous cultures, human beings have told colorful and enriching stories about plants for thousands of years. This volume explores the myriad of plant tales and the groundbreaking ideas that underpin them. Amid the key themes of sentience and kinship, it connects the anemone to the meaning of human life, tree hugging to the sacred basil of India, and plant intelligence with the Finnish epic The Kalevala. Bringing together commentary, original source material and illustrations, it aims to challenge your perspective on the myths, the plants that feature and the role of human beings that narrate them"-- Provided by publisher

2025-10-27