The Cap of Liberty: Roman Slavery, Cultural Memory, and Magic Mushrooms
Folklore September 1, 2016 Adrastos Omissi 1 citation
The Liberty Cap mushroom (Psilocybe semilanceata), the most common psychedelic fungus in Britain, gets its name from an ancient Roman social practice. The article traces the etymology of this name, resolving long-standing speculation in modern literature about how a magic mushroom came to be called after a symbol of Roman freedom.