Aglaophotis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aglaophotis is a herb mentioned occasionally in works on occultism. References to aglaophotis and to olieribos (both of which are said to be magical herbs) are made in the Simon Necronomicon.

Historic uses[edit]

The Greek doctor Dioscorides named aglaophotis as a member of the peony family, Paeoniaceae.[1] It has been speculated that the species Paeonia officinalis, or the European peony,[2] is the source of aglaophotis, but there is too little evidence for this theory to be proven.

According to Dioscorides, peony is used for warding off demons, witchcraft, and fever.[citation needed] This is at odds with the presentation in the Simon Necronomicon released twenty centuries later, in which it is used to call upon dark forces.[3]

In popular culture[edit]

Aglaophotis is portrayed throughout the Silent Hill video game series as a fluid or tablet which can expel monstrous parasites from characters' bodies.

The herb appears as a species of sentient, hostile plant monsters in Final Fantasy XI.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Frazer, Sir James George (1919). Folk-lore in the Old Testament: Studies in Comparative Religion, Legend and Law, Volume 2. Macmillan and Company. p. 389.
  2. ^ Rahner, Hugo (1963). Greek Myths and Christian Mystery. London: Burns & Oates. p. 243.
  3. ^ Simon Necronomicon (PDF). Vol. I. Avon Books. March 1980. p. 131. ISBN 978-0380751921.