Some background information:
Quote:The year is 1241. The Staufer Emperor Frederick II (1194–1250) [Note: The customer for Ms. Plut. 73.16] issued a medical ordinance, thereby sealing the birth of the pharmacy profession. In it, he prescribed the separation of the medical and pharmaceutical professions and the use of a pharmacopoeia with recognized pharmaceutical rules on the quality, testing, storage, and labeling of medicines. In addition, the prices for medicines were set by law and the establishment of pharmacies was restricted to certain locations. Frederick II thus eliminated the rather unclear separation between the two health professions. In the centuries before, both professions had their roots in healing, priesthood, and shamanism. Another impetus for pharmacy came from alchemy. At that time, alchemists were trying to find the “great elixir,” a universal medicine that would have a healing, strengthening, and rejuvenating effect on the human body. Chemical apparatus and processes were used in this endeavor, which greatly enriched pharmacy. The fact that pharmacists surrounded themselves with such “mysterious” substances and devices gave them a certain aura of the inexplicable.
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A connection to apothecary can also be assumed with regard to the pharmaceutical section in the VMS
(23-10-2025, 07:31 AM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Basilisca herb. One must gather it in this way: whoever gathers this herb, first, let him consider his own health and go forth purified from all things. Let his garments be pure and immaculate; when he goes, let no menstruating woman touch him, nor any man who is defiled. When he begins to gather the herb, before he approaches it, let him have oak leaves in his hand and spring water from three nymphs; and with that same water let him purify or sprinkle himself, at sunset, using a branch of oak with his right hand. Then let him pray: “Holy goddess Earth,” and the rest that is written at the beginning.
I don't know about the three nymphs: could it be the name of a spring?
Mylène Pradel-Baquerre You are not allowed to view links.
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aquam fontanam ex tribus nimfis' as “...de l’eau puisée à trois fontaines” (water drawn from three fountains). More literally it would be “spring water [aquam fontanam] drawn from three fountains”. I think that this interpretation makes sense, though "nymph" as "fountain" is not obvious. This reading is also consistent with the illustration. The passage describes an actual procedure, so the “nymphs” cannot refer to the divinities as such, in their woman-like form, but to their manifestation as physical springs.
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Huius nympha loci, sacri custodia fontis,
Dormio, dum blandae sentio murmur aquae.
Parce meum, quisquis tangis cava marmora, somnum
Rumpere. Sive bibas sive lavere tace (CIL, VI/5, 3*e).
I am the nymph of this place, guardian of the sacred spring.
I sleep, lulled by the gentle murmur of the water.
Do not break my slumber, you who touch the hollowed marble;
be silent, whether you drink or bathe.
(26-10-2025, 06:59 AM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The passage describes an actual procedure, so the “nymphs” cannot refer to the divinities as such, in their woman-like form, but to their manifestation as physical springs.
Thanks, Marco, for clarifying that.
Tolerance toward pagan prayers, as in Ms. Plut. 73.16, was not always and everywhere present. Here is an example:
Footnote in Eva-Maria Wagner's dissertation, "Untersuchungen zu Lesbarkeit und Aussagekraft von Pflanzendarstellungen in mittelalterlichen Kräuterbuchhandschriften am Beispiel des Codex latinus monacensis 28531" Inaugural-Dissertation ( page 112 ):
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Quote:In Cod. vind 93 fol. 9v, numerous passages in the prayer to the goddess Earth “precatio Terrae” have been erased by scraping. The invocation “Dea santa Tellus” was subsequently changed to “Deo sancto.” - When gathering the “Herba Basilisca,” which is endowed with miraculous properties, the prayer to the earth "Domina sancta tellus“ should be repeated (fol. 116v). A later addition notes: ”You are lying, for that is against the Christian faith." ("Tu mentris, est enim contra fidem christian(i)am").
The “corrected” text passages should be here:
ÖNB, Medizinische Sammelhandschrift, Cod. vind 93, First half of the 13th century, fol. 9v
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Comparative illustration
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This is wonderful! Dea sancta "corrected" into Deo sancto Is an impressive illustration of the Christian patriarchy
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Here is a relevant comment( "Tu mentris, est enim contra fidem christian(i)am" > ”You are lying, for that is against the Christian faith.") :
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In this work, starting on page 39, there are a few interesting descriptions of illustrations in Ms. Plut. 73.16.:
Medical Illustrations in Medieval Manuscripts
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Here is an example:
Quote:An Ointment for arthritis
This miniature illustrates an ointment compounded from lily (pictured at the top of the page). Below it is the text of the prescription, reading as follows: For aching joints: Use the herb ieribulbum, beaten and mixed with goat fat and oil, two pounds' worth; it will eliminate the pain wonderfully. In the lower picture the illustrator indicated the animal and herbal ingredients of the prescription by showing a goat nibbling the herb. To the left, the physician (seated) reassures the importunate and apparently worried patient, as he strokes the aching arm.
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