Mushrooms have a unique and fascinating connection with humans, encompassing various aspects such as witchcraft, folklore, spiritual practices, and culinary enjoyment. This extraordinary relationship has been cherished throughout history.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, mushrooms and fungi were met with suspicion and fear. They were often associated with witchcraft and malevolence, evident in the names attributed to them, such as Devil’s Fingers, Witches’ Butter, or Satan’s Bolete.
Naturally occurring clusters of mushrooms, referred to as fairy rings in English and witches’ rings in German, were regarded as dangerous and ominous places where witches gathered to dance on Walpurgis Night. People would avoid stepping into these rings and prevent their livestock from grazing in such areas, believing it could affect the quality of their milk. Today, we understand that these rings are formed by the interconnected growth of individual fungi, creating a circular pattern.
Mushrooms in fairy tales and folklore often served as the enchanting abodes of dwarfs or fairies in later centuries.
One of the oldest and most well-known German fairy tales featuring mushrooms, “Das Märchen von den Pilzen,” dates back to 1870. It imparts important advice to young readers, urging them to think carefully and refrain from destroying the beautiful mushrooms they encounter in the forest, as they too are living beings granted life by a higher power.
In the context of Viking culture, renowned for their fearsome warriors, the Berserkers stood out as particularly savage fighters. They would become frenzied and bloodthirsty during battle, posing a threat to both friend and foe alike. According to the Great Norwegian Encyclopedia, accounts described them as being “mad as hounds or wolves, biting their shields…slaughtering men while remaining impervious to fire and iron.”
It was once believed that consuming fly agaric mushrooms induced this state in the Berserkers. However, medieval chronicles suggest that they actually turned to another psychoactive mushroom, commonly known as the liberty cap, before engaging in combat. If they had consumed large quantities of fly agaric, they likely would have been incapacitated rather than fearsome opponents.
Nonetheless, the fly agaric held significance for the Norsemen. According to Germanic traditions, the Vikings would enhance their mead, a honey wine, with fly agaric as a part of their cultural practices.
Some other examples of the cultural significance of mushrooms:
- In Slavic cultures, mushrooms are often associated with wealth and abundance.
- In Celtic cultures, mushrooms are seen as symbols of the earth and the underworld.
- In Native American cultures, mushrooms are often used in vision quests and other spiritual ceremonies.
- In Chinese culture, mushrooms are seen as symbols of longevity and good health.
- In Japanese culture, mushrooms are seen as symbols of fertility and growth.
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Mushroom tourism in Mexico underwent a resurgence starting in the late 1950s, despite the bans enforced by the conquistadors. The descendants of the Aztecs and Maya managed to preserve the mushroom cult.
In 1955, an American mushroom researcher named R. Gordon Wasson became the first outsider to participate in a sacred ceremony among Mexico’s Mazatec people. Guided by the shaman Maria Sabina, he attended the revered “Velada,” a night-time ritual.
Wasson documented his experiences in an article titled “Seeking the Magic Mushroom,” which was published in Life magazine in 1957. In the article, he vividly described the mystical effects of the “Teonanácatl,” sparking a surge of counter-cultural tourism to Sabina’s hometown of Huautla.
Scientists and hippies flocked to Mexico, with notable figures such as Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Mick Jagger reportedly among them. Their primary interest lay not in the healer’s chants, but in the allure of the “magic mushrooms.”
However, the influx of mushroom tourism brought misfortune to the shaman. Many foreigners exhibited reckless behavior and disrespected the local customs while under the influence of the mushrooms.
Incensed by the transformation of their sacred ritual into a mere tourist attraction, the Indigenous community eventually expelled Maria Sabina and burned down her house. To exacerbate matters, she was also accused of drug trafficking by the authorities and briefly detained. Subsequently, Sabina supported herself by delivering lectures on the mushroom ritual.
In 1969, magic mushrooms were outlawed in the United States, and other countries followed suit, effectively prohibiting their official medical research as well.