aglaophotis
{{Short description|Purported magical herb}}
Aglaophotis is a herb mentioned occasionally in works on occultism. References to aglaophotis and to olieribos (both of which are said to be magical herbs) are made in the Simon Necronomicon.
Historic uses
The Greek doctor Dioscorides named aglaophotis as a member of the peony family, Paeoniaceae.{{cite book |last=Frazer |first=Sir James George |date=1919 |title=Folk-lore in the Old Testament: Studies in Comparative Religion, Legend and Law, Volume 2 |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.153001/2015.153001.Folk-lore-In-The-Old-Testament-Studies-In-Comparative-Religion-Legend-And-Law-Vol-Ii#page/n417/mode/2up|publisher=Macmillan and Company |page=389 |author-link=James George Frazer }} It has been speculated that the species Paeonia officinalis, the European peony,{{cite book |last=Rahner |first=Hugo |date=1963 |title=Greek Myths and Christian Mystery |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWzYAAAAMAAJ&q=officinalis |location=London |publisher=Burns & Oates |page=243 |author-link=Hugo Rahner }} is the source of aglaophotis, but there is too little evidence for this theory to be proven.
According to Dioscorides, peony is used for warding off demons, witchcraft, and fever.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}} This is at odds with the presentation in the Simon Necronomicon released twenty centuries later, in which it is used to call upon dark forces.{{cite book |author= |title= Simon Necronomicon|date= March 1980|volume= I|publisher= Avon Books|page= 131|url= https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Simon-Necronomicon.pdf|isbn= 978-0380751921}}
In popular culture
Aglaophotis is portrayed throughout the Silent Hill video game series as a fluid or tablet which can expel monstrous parasites from characters' bodies.
The herb appears as a species of sentient, hostile plant monsters in Final Fantasy XI.
In the Book of Hours video game, the player can gather flowers named Aglaophotis.
See also
- Cortex moutan, use of peony in Chinese medicine