MS Egerton 747, f.85v - Rosemary

Rosemary.jpg

Title

MS Egerton 747, f.85v - Rosemary

Catalog Entry

Rosemary, an herb native to the Mediterranean, was not always commonly known for its modern culinary uses and presence in perfumes. In medieval times the herb was often used for different medicinal and healing purposes. It was even believed that the herb was good for many (if not all) illnesses. Rosemary’s literary presence dates as far back, and potentially even further back, as mythological stories of the Greek goddess Aphrodite being wrapped in the herb when she first emerged from the sea.

In the Venetian merchant’s book,
Zibaldone da Canal, there is a list of twenty-three of rosemary's believed twenty-five powers. These believed powers made use of all parts of the herb, and included powers such as boiling the flower of rosemary and using the water to remedy illnesses, planting rosemary at the top of a vineyard to aid its growth, boiling the leaves of the herb in white wine and washing your face or hair afterwards to ensure its beauty, and using it to keep away unwanted creatures from your house or your trunk. Rosemary was also believed to have provided protection from both bodily and spiritual harm. It was also thought that rosemary warded off negativity and would often be tucked under pillows to keep evil spirits and nightmares away. It was burned in houses in the hopes of keeping the plague away, occasionally used in the same manner as sage, used to cleanse sacred spaces (“23 Medieval Uses for Rosemary").

In order to ensure the best growth of the herb, Friar Henry Daniel, who was skilled in medical and natural science during his time, advised rosemary be protected from harsh winds. Friar Henry Daniel’s words from his ​Little Book of the Virtues of Rosemary​, “​It is an holy tree and with folk that hath been rightful and just gladly it groweth and thriveth. In growing it passeth not commonly in height the height of our Lord Jesu Christ while he walked as a man on earth, that is man’s height and half, as man is now; nor, after it is 33 years old, it growth not in height but waxeth in breadth and that but little. It never seareth all but if some of the aforesaid four weathers make it.” Friar Henry David describes the ancient reputation of rosemary. A second quotation used to epitomize rosemary’s reputation is one from Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician, ​in De Materia Medica,​ Book III: 89: “Libanotis which the Romans call Rosmarinus & they which plait crowns use it: the shoots are slender, about which are leaves, small, thick, and somewhat long, thin, on the inside white, but on the outside green, of a strong scent. It hath a warming facultie...” (“The Virtues of Rosemary").

Rosemary is also associated with aiding in the enhancement of someone’s recall and memory, their overall mind, and can sometimes be used to symbolize a reunion, referenced in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Greecian scholars also wore wreaths of rosemary around their heads before taking exams, and it has also become a staple in a bride’s bouquet and other aspects of weddings to aid in remembering the occasion. One of the powers rosemary was believed to have was the power to restore sanity through boiling large amounts of the leaves from rosemary and bathing in it afterwards. During medieval times in France, rosemary was also used in the embalming process and was used to “ease the mind” of a lovesick girl or boy (“Rosemary, That's for Remembrance").

The many uses of rosemary over time have included forms such as tea, bathing water, smoke, foods, and medicines. Many still believe in the potential benefits of rosemary today.

Bibliography

“Detailed record for Egerton 747.” The British Library, 25 Aug. 2005, https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=8319&CollID=28&NStart=747.

“Rosemary.” ​Nutritional Geography​, nutritionalgeography.faculty.ucdavis.edu/rosemary/.

“Rosemary, That's for Remembrance.” Monterey Bay Spice Company, www.herbco.com/t-rosemary-article.aspx.

“The Virtues of Rosemary.” ​Met Museum​, 10 Feb. 2012, blog.metmuseum.org/cloistersgardens/2012/02/10/the-virtues-of-rosemary/.

“23 Medieval Uses for Rosemary.” ​Medievalists.net​, 27 Jan. 2019, www.medievalists.net/2016/01/23-medieval-uses-for-rosemary/​.

Artifact Owner

Artifact Material

Manuscript

Catalog Entry Author(s)

Anne Robinson, Student, Fitchburg State University

Collection

Citation

“MS Egerton 747, f.85v - Rosemary,” Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed March 29, 2024, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/136.

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