Aglaophotis is a
herb
Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...
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
The ''Simon Necronomicon'' is a grimoire attributed to "Simon", allegedly a pseudonym of writer Peter Levenda. Materials presented in the book are a blend of ancient Middle Eastern elements, with allusions to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and ...
''.
Historic uses
The Greek doctor
Dioscorides
Pedanius Dioscorides (, ; 40–90 AD), "the father of pharmacognosy", was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of (in the original , , both meaning "On Materia medica, Medical Material") , a 5-volume Greek encyclopedic phar ...
named aglaophotis as a member of the
peony
The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...
family, Paeoniaceae. It has been speculated that the species ''
Paeonia officinalis
''Paeonia officinalis'', the common peony, or garden peony, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Paeoniaceae, native plant, native to mainly mountainous areas of Southern Europe and introduced in Central Europe, Centra ...
'', the European peony, 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. 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.
In popular culture
Aglaophotis is portrayed throughout the ''
Silent Hill
is a horror media franchise centered on a series of survival horror games created by Keiichiro Toyama and published by Konami. The first four main games—'' Silent Hill'', '' Silent Hill 2'', '' Silent Hill 3'', and '' Silent Hill 4: The ...
''
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
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
also known as ''Final Fantasy XI Online'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Square (video game company), Square and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installme ...
''.
In the Book of Hours
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
, the player can gather flowers named Aglaophotis.
See also
*
Cortex moutan, use of peony in Chinese medicine
References
Mythological plants
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