mucg-wyrt, f.n: mugwort.
Image: On the left, lentopodion (lady’s mantle) and sclerata (ranunculus scleratus). On the right, butracion staticeum (butterwort) and artemesiae (mugwort). From the Bodleian Library.
Wikipedia: ‘In the European Middle Ages, mugwort was used as a magical protective herb. Mugwort was used to repel insects, especially moths, from gardens. Mugwort has also been used from ancient times as a remedy against fatigue and to protect travelers against evil spirits and wild animals. Roman soldiers put mugwort in their sandals to protect their feet against fatigue. Mugwort is one of the nine herbs invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century in the Lacnunga.’
