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+--- Thread: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium (/thread-1888.html)
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - Koen G - 15-05-2017
Marco: wonderful! My tentative translation had the cats use it as a means of contraception
These "etymologies" based on a perceived similarity in name do remind one of Isidore, so I guess it is possible that he was meant. It would fit nicely together.
Might the abbreviation be a "D" though?
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - Koen G - 15-05-2017
By the way, there are more of these "etymologies". The first plant on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., filago, is explained through a connection to "filia", though I can't read much of this sentence yet.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - MarcoP - 15-05-2017
(15-05-2017, 01:15 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Marco: wonderful! My tentative translation had the cats use it as a means of contraception
These "etymologies" based on a perceived similarity in name do remind one of Isidore, so I guess it is possible that he was meant. It would fit nicely together.
I think in this case cats might really be attracted by the smell of the plant, so it's possible that the name comes from "cat" and not the other way round. But all kinds of strange word and image interactions occurred: I always find them delightful
(15-05-2017, 01:15 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Might the abbreviation be a "D" though?
Yes, that's certainly a possibility. I checked You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. about Kalaminthe / Nepeta, but its content is strictly scientific.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - ReneZ - 15-05-2017
(15-05-2017, 01:04 PM)MarcoP Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The name of the plant is Nepitella, others call it Neputella | Others herba Attraras[?] Others call it Gatara | It is called "herba Gatara" because iS[?] says that if a female cat is | in love [i.e. in heat] and eats of this plant, without | coitus with a male cat, it is said she will be pregnant. ...
I guess the abbreviation highlighted in blue is the name of the author who discussed this legend. I have been unable to identify him or find another discussion of this legend. If it really reads "is" it could be Isidore of Seville, but I really can't tell.
I wonder if this is not a capital D, in which case Dioscurides would be a good option.
Edit: I see this has already been suggested and tested.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - MarcoP - 15-05-2017
The plant on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. after Filago is also interesting. The plant is called "canussella", related to the very rare "canusella", documented in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. as a synonym of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
The "Canussella" chapter also contains the mysterious "iS" or "D" abbreviation, this time in the form "in the book ???", confirming that the abbreviation stands for an earlier written source. The recipe from the mystery source seems to be against "facimolas" i.e. sorcery / spells. Both quotes from this source are superstitious / unscientific. "Facimola" also is an interesting word: I don't think it was common.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - MarcoP - 15-05-2017
Another occurrence of source X in 73v. This time the monogram is slightly more elaborate.
The name of the plant is You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. | There are 5 types of this plant according to some. | And according to ??? there are 9 types.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - Koen G - 15-05-2017
That abbreviation is so strange. Seeing it here, I would almost read is as "LS". In that case, might the "L" stand for "Liber"?
Here the mystery source provides botanical information, right? I was almost convinced that it had to refer to a version of Isidore de Sevilla's work, but this makes it less likely.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - Koen G - 15-05-2017
There are more on 77v (top two in image). And one glance at 78r and I already saw another one. The one on 78r has a red line in it
Edit: the only other thing I can think of at the moment is that the S somehow refers to (pseudo-) Serapion.
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - MarcoP - 15-05-2017
(15-05-2017, 06:05 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.That abbreviation is so strange. Seeing it here, I would almost read is as "LS". In that case, might the "L" stand for "Liber"?
Here the mystery source provides botanical information, right? I was almost convinced that it had to refer to a version of Isidore de Sevilla's work, but this makes it less likely.
It could be "LS", but at 76v it says "in libro ???", so I guess "LS" or whatever is the name of the author: "libro" is not included in the monogram.
Sometimes the source provides botanical information. The "cat" anecdote seems specific enough, if it could be traced.
In the chapter about Kalendula (78r) the anagram is written in black and red. I can't read the first verb, but I guess the meaning is something like: "but ??? [contradicts] them and calls this plant Amomum Agreste".
Of course, it would be very interesting to identify this mystery source, but that is not the main source of the text (since it is explicitly mentioned and occurs in a limited number of chapters).
RE: [Trinity] Plant identification in Trinity College MS O.2.48 Apuleii Herbarium - Koen G - 15-05-2017
Liber Serapionis (aggregatus in medicinis simplicibus)?
edit: crossed your post, Marco. You may be right, though it might still be worth a look.