Ways to Drive Demons Away
During exorcisms by the Ainu people in Japan, the afflicted were covered in chewed roots of the convolvulus plant, more commonly known as morning glory. To understand the cause of their affliction, they could consult a tusu-guru, a wizard or prophet, who would fall into a trance to identify the disease's origin and the demon responsible. The tusu-guru also offered charms and medicines to banish the demon and protect the afflicted.

From the collection: Rev. John Batchelor, Monographs, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1892.
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A Plant Native to Fiction and Reality
If chewed up roots weren’t enough, another plant used to ward off “devil sickness,” protect against the evil eye, and as a component in medieval potions was the mandrake. This perennial gained recent notoriety due to its imaginative portrayal in the Harry Potter series as a shrieking, and very lively plant. Much of the fiction is rooted in reality, as mandrakes bear a peculiar resemblance to the human figure and were superstitiously believed to have roots that killed anyone who heard their screams.

From the collection: Professor Asa Gray, Dr. W. Trelease, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Miscellaneous Reports Collection, North America, Environmental Science and History, 1 Feb 1866-16 Apr 1895.
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An Age of Magic
Speaking of witchcraft and wizardry, before the age of religion came an age of magic, or so states “The Magic Art, Vol. I.”  The text analyzes the key principles of magic, outlining subjects pertaining to telepathy, the use of haunted objects, the ability of charms, and the power of taboos. It contemplates the connection between physical objects at a distance, an idea that forms the basis of the scientific quantum entanglement theory.

From the collection: Culture, classical studies, economics, family welfare and sexual matters in various societies: notes, drafts and papers, n.d., The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Mapping the Beasts of Superstition
Delving into mythic history, we encounter the Nine Maidens’ Well in Strathmarine, Scotland, a site whose name memorializes the demise of nine daughters to a venomous beast, dubbed both a monster and a dragon. After having been slain by the townspeople, particularly at the hands of Mr. Martin, the dragon’s last words were: “I was temptit at Pittempton, Draiglit at Baldragon, Stricken at Strike Martin, and killed at Martin’s Stone.”

From the collection: Rev. Abraham Hume, Pamphlets, MDCCCLI, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).
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Beasts of History Lost to Time
Further exploring beasts unknown, Sir William R. W. Wilde, father of Irish poet Oscar Wilde, arranged a collection of bones found in caves from Dungarvan, Ireland, including those of the gigantic Irish deer (Cervus megaceros Hibernicus), from the Pleistocene era. Amidst his observations, Wilde references an 8th-century poem that mentions unknown creatures, such as the Geilt, a wild man or woman living in the woods, or possibly a fierce, untamable quadruped or bird.

From the collection: Sir William R. W. Wilde, Pamphlets, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1860.
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