2^8 DFant "bofe, "becje^/, anil Tsqeicy, 



appear. If he is deeply attached to her, he will change the position 

 of the water pails; if not, he will glide from the room without 

 touching them. This spell is only effe(flual when performed on 

 All Hallowe'en, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Beltane, or 

 Midsummer Eve. Holly is under the dominion of Saturn. 



HOLY PLANTS. — In England, the Angelica sylvestris, for its 

 "angel-like properties," was, says Parkinson, called Holy Ghost; 

 the Vervain is the Holy Herb, from its use on ancient altars ; the 

 Holly was called by the monks of old Holy-tree; and the Holly- 

 hock, Holy Hoke or Hock (an old name for Mallow) ; the Anastatica 

 Hierochuntina is the Holy Rose of Jericho ; the Lucern {Medicago sativa) 

 is Holy Hay; the Holms odoratus is the Northern Holy Grass; the 

 Hierochloe horealis, the German Holy Grass; the Hemp Agrimony 

 {Eupatoritim amnahinum) is Holy Rope, so called from its Hemp-like 

 leaves betokening the rope with which the Saviour was bound ; the 

 seed of Wormwood is Holy Seed {Semen sanctum) ; and Carduus 

 benedidus is the Holy Thistle. 



HOMA. — Homa, or Haoma, is the sacred Vine of the Zoroas- 

 trians, the first of the trees planted by Ormuzd in the fountain 

 of life, and from which one of their religious ceremonials takes its 

 name. This consists in the extraction of the juice of the Homa- 

 plant by the priest during the recital of prayers ; the formal presen- 

 tation of the liquid extracted to the sacrificial fire ; the consumption 

 of a small portion of it by one of the officiating priests; and the 



division of the remainder among the worshippers. The Iranians 



describe two kinds of Haoma or Homa, the white and the yellow. 

 The former is a fabulous plant, the latter, which is used in religious 

 rites, and is extolled for its yellow colour, grows on mountains, and 



was known to Plutarch. It has been attempted to identify the 



Zoroastrian Homa with the Vedic Soma, but the Parsees deny that 

 their sacred plant is ever found in India, and those dwelling in 

 Bombay use the branch of a particular tree, having a knotted stem 

 and leaves like those of the Jasmine. To obtain supplies of the 

 Homa-plant for sacred purposes, a priest is despatched from time 

 to time to Kirman, in Persia, where he receives it in a dry state. 



HONESTY. — Honesty {Lunaria biennis) has a variety of 

 names. It is called Lunary and Moonwort, from the disk-like form 

 of its great flat seed vessels, or their silvery and transparent bright- 

 ness. This peculiarity accounts for its nicknames of White Satin- 

 flower, Money-flower, and Silver Plate. The Lunaria biennis is 



mentioned by Chaucer as one of the plants used in incantations: — 



" And herbes coude I lell eke many on, 

 As Egremaine, Valerian, and Lunarie, 

 And other swiche, if that me list to tarie. 

 Our lampes brenning bothe night and day, 

 To bring about our craft if that we may, 

 Our fournies eke of calcination, 

 And of wateres albification," 



