The Rosemary Herb for Remembrance – Folklore and History
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The well known rosemary bush which we see in many gardens is valued for its medicinal and culinary uses among other things. It has a long and fascinating history of facts, beliefs, legends and stories. Those stories are part of our history. Here are some of them. Enjoy!
Rosemary is for remembrance. From ancient times, rosemary was was associated with death and was thought to assist with the entrance of the deceased into the land of the dead. Often a sprig of rosemary would be placed in the hands of the deceased at a funeral or thrown into the grave. This tradition of rosemary as a funeral flower signifying remembrance was used in England until the 19th century. However, from a practical perspective, rosemary might also have been one of a number of aromatic herbs used at funerals to diminish the stench from the dead body.
Both Shakespeare and Thomas More wrote about the herb referring to its association with remembrance and therefore friendship, and as a plant to be used at funerals as a remembrance of the dead.
Carrying on with the remembrance theme, rosemary had many associations with weddings and love. Several centuries ago both bride and groom would carry rosemary to the wedding ceremony. It would be woven into the bride’s bouquet or head-wreath. The plant was there as a reminder to the groom and bride of their vows and as a symbol of loyalty, love and happiness. The guests too would wear a sprig of rosemary. From this idea rosemary became a love charm. Newly married couples would plant a rosemary branch on their wedding day. If the plant prospered it was a good omen for the marriage.
Rosemary was associated with falling in love. If one person tapped another with a rosemary sprig which contained an open flower, the couple would fall in love. If a person was confused as to a choice of suitor they could plant several different plants in pots and name each one for a potential lover. The plant that grew fastest and strongest signified who would become that person’s lover.
About a thousand years ago in England the custom was to stuff rosemary inside a doll called a poppet. The poppet became a surrogate for the person and whatever intentions were transferred to the poppet would be effective on the person it represented. It was used to attract a lover, to attract healthy vibrations and also to cure illness.
Rosemary has long been associated with the Virgin Mary. It is said that the plant had white flowers until one day, on her flight to Eqypt she placed her cloak on a rosemary bush and the flowers turned blue. The name rosemary was supposed to have associations with the name of Mary. However this is not true. Rosemary grows in dry rocky areas of the Mediterranean and the sailors name it ros and marinus which translated into dew of the sea.
Another explanation of the name comes from the legend It was thought that the rosy “dew” was the blood and semen of Poseidon /Neptune who was apparently castrated, his parts being thrown into the sea impregnating the waves and from which Aphrodite emerged. Alternatively, the testicles of Uranus who as castrated by his son were thrown into the sea and Aphrodite arose out of the sea from the testicles. Aphrodite became the the mythical goddess of love, beauty and raw sexuality. When she emerged from the sea, the local nymphs or naiads covered her body with the myrtle plant however pictures portray rosemary being used as well. The associations with the castration led to the belief that rosemary is also a symbol of virility and fertility making it even more appropriate at a wedding ceremony.
One ancient story is that the balm that was used for the corpse of Jesus has miraculous healing powers for whoever drank it. The “hero” of Miguel de Cervantes’ book, Don Quixote de la Mancha, told his sidekick, Sancho Panza, that he had found the recipe. The ingredients were oil, wine, salt and rosemary. The mad knight made the concoction and while boiling the ingredients intones the Our Father 80 times plus the Hail Mary and the Creed. On drinking the potion both men became very ill but recovered.
As so often in folklore, witches come into the picture. Placed outside a home, rosemary would discourage witches and placed under a pillow, warded off evil spirits and allowed the sleeper a peaceful night’s sleep without the horrors of nightmares. Apparently for this to work, the person must not be a “sinner”. This tradition became common in Spain.
In the 14th century people’s belief in the powers of rosemary to ward of bad things was so great that they placed on the door of a house, to prevent them from catching the black plague
The legend later was extended to the belief that in households where rosemary grew well, the woman obvious ruled the household. Men in the 16th century used to remove rosemary bushes thus indicating that their wives were not dominating the roost!
I suppose the wedding associations of loyalty were extended to honesty. In the 14th century, rosemary could be used to cure a thief from his evil ways by washing his feet in a basin of water and rosemary.
In England, garlands of rosemary were wound around Church pillars, sprigs were strewn on floors and branches were placed on altars.
Rosemary also has associations with ancient Jewish folklore.
Apparently Charlemagne, called the father of Europe, was a keen herb enthusiast and grew the rosemary herb in his royal gardens.
Rosemary became a cologne used by Napoleon Bonaparte
The association of rosemary with memory led to Greek scholars wearing head garlands of the plant to assist them in their studies and in examinations. .
These are just some of the stories surrounding the rosemary plant which has been used by people for thousands of years. Today we still regard it as a basic herb for flavoring food, use it in potpourris and, well, it might help us to remember things too.
It is a simple and easy plant to grow and has many uses medicinally and in the kitchen. Definitely a plant worth growing in your home herb garden.
Good herbs gardening!
