The Scream of the Mandrake
A root shaped like a little person was said to scream when pulled from the earth, and anyone who heard it would die. So people tied it to a dog.
What was reported
The mandrake is a plant whose thick, forked roots can look like a small human figure. Since ancient times it was prized for medicine and magic, and surrounded by warnings. Medieval herbals said that when pulled from the ground, it let out a scream that killed anyone who heard it.
The safe method, they said, was to loosen the earth, tie the root to a dog, block your ears and call the dog, which pulled it out and died in your place. The first-century historian Josephus described a similar dangerous root, gathered this way in a valley near the fortress of Machaerus, in today's Jordan.
Explanations offered
Mandrake contains powerful chemicals that can cause hallucinations, delirium and death, so its dangers were real. Historians think the scream legend may have been spread by herb sellers, to explain the high price of the root and keep others from gathering it.
- When
- Told since ancient times
- Where
- Machaerus, Madaba, Jordan
- Witnesses
- Ancient and medieval writers
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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