10-09-2025, 05:29 PM
I'm no botanist, so I get my information from other investigators. In this case, because the flowers are more "button-like" and lack the petals of the more "daisy-like" T. partenium, I believe that T. balsamita is a closer match. This is costmary as suggested by E. Velinska and possibly others.
The greater problem here is the illustration of the roots which look like a pair of wings. Certain investigators have called these eagle's wings or "eagle roots" and tried to draw a connection to the heraldic double-headed eagle of the HRE. Clearly however, there are no heads, let alone two. There are no legs or tail. It is a pair of wings, similar to a heraldic vol.
Another investigator (@Juan_Sali) has suggested that the wings are angel's wings, specifically the wings of Saint Michael the archangel. This makes for an intereesting interpretation. Costmary is also known as the "herb of the Virgin" - one of many plants named in the "Mary's garden" tradition. Saint Michael, meanwhile, in a secondary role, was seen as a psychopomp, a guide for the souls of the dead. In this capacity, associated with the flowers as representative of the Virgin Mary, the illustration becomes a botanical analogy of the Assumption of the Virgin. This event is depicted in other sources using more traditional forms.
The greater problem here is the illustration of the roots which look like a pair of wings. Certain investigators have called these eagle's wings or "eagle roots" and tried to draw a connection to the heraldic double-headed eagle of the HRE. Clearly however, there are no heads, let alone two. There are no legs or tail. It is a pair of wings, similar to a heraldic vol.
Another investigator (@Juan_Sali) has suggested that the wings are angel's wings, specifically the wings of Saint Michael the archangel. This makes for an intereesting interpretation. Costmary is also known as the "herb of the Virgin" - one of many plants named in the "Mary's garden" tradition. Saint Michael, meanwhile, in a secondary role, was seen as a psychopomp, a guide for the souls of the dead. In this capacity, associated with the flowers as representative of the Virgin Mary, the illustration becomes a botanical analogy of the Assumption of the Virgin. This event is depicted in other sources using more traditional forms.