ISSN 0015-587X
2 papers in the library · 1 citation · publishing 2016-2025
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.
Folklore October 2, 2025 James Andrew Whitaker, Lewis Daly
Pathogenic projectiles called waawî among the Makushi people of Guyana are ambiguous entities that are both objects and beings. Fabricated by shamans as embodiments of spirit-helpers, these magical darts exist beyond conventional distinctions between nature and culture. Similar pathogenic objects are also used by other-than-human owners and masters, as well as certain stars. The article argues that these Makushi shamanic concepts challenge familiar dualisms such as material/immaterial, body/spirit, and subject/object, offering new insights into debates about animism in Amazonia.