Found in the Hermetikon archive

Lily

Lilium candidum

Lily appears in Hermetikon as an archive-backed plant entry, with references across historical medical, magical, symbolic, and ritual contexts where the source texts support them.

Risk: moderate
Books: 112
Contexts: 4
Mentions: 557

Overview Reading Contexts Citations Related Books

Archive Profile

Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.

Herb identity

Common name: lily
Latin name: Lilium candidum(ambiguous)
Identity note: Archive references are often symbolic, biblical, alchemical, or floral.

Safety

moderate

Lily identity varies widely; some species are toxic and cannot be generalized medicinally.

Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.

Kew POWO: Lily identity varies widely; some species are toxic and cannot be generalized medicinally.

Aliases

lilyliliesLilium candidum

Lily in Historical Sources

Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.

Hermetikon's curated reading of Lily (Lilium candidum) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 1 preparation or ritual-use entry. The strongest recurring contexts are ritual uses, symbolism, and identity. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.

Identity

high

The strongest lily evidence often means water-lilies rather than Lilium candidum; Culpeper lists water lilies separately among remedies for reins, bladder, womb, and joints.

Culpeper's Complete Herbal | Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

A CATALOGUE OF SIMPLES IN THE NEW DISPENSATORY.

Ritual

high

Frazer records Midsummer decoration in which doors were shaded with birch, fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, white lilies, garlands, and oil lamps.

The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1913

Â§ 4. The Midsummer Fires.

Symbolism

high

Frazer's Persephone material places lilies among the meadow flowers gathered before her abduction, so the evidence is mythic seasonal symbolism.

The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1890

XLIV. Demeter and Persephone

Preparations and ritual uses

Midsummer decoration

high

Frazer records white lilies among door greenery and garlands used with lamps during Midsummer observances for St. Peter and St. Paul.

The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1913

Â§ 4. The Midsummer Fires.

Lily Archive Contexts

Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.

Medicine

1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: King's American Dispensatory.

Matched as lily; medium confidence.

Astrology

3 passages across 3 books; strongest source: The Equinox Vol. 1 No. 5.

Matched as lilies; high confidence.

Preparation

10 passages across 10 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.

Matched as lilies; high confidence.

Safety

1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: Hastings' Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics.

Matched as lilies; high confidence.

Lily Cited Excerpts

Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.

5 shown

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper

1653

"*Reins and bladder.* Knotgrass, Mallows, Yarrow, Moneywort, Plantain, Endive, Succory, Lettice, Purslain, Water Lilies, Houseleek or Sengreen. *The womb.* Wild Tansy, Arrach, Burdocks, Willow herb, Mirtle leaves, Moneywort, Purslain, Sow Thistles, Endive, Succory, Lettice, Water Lilies, Sengreen. *The joints.* Willow leaves, Vine leaves, Lettice, Henbane, Nightshade, Sengreen or Houseleek. #### *Herbs altering according to property, in operation, some bind, as* Amomus, Agnus Castus, Shepherdâ€™s purse, Cypress, Horsetail, Ivy, Bay leaves, Melilot, Bawm..."

A CATALOGUE OF SIMPLES IN THE NEW DISPENSATORY.Open in Reader

Preparationalias: lilieshigh confidence

The Golden Bough

James George Frazer

1906

"...or about three wet seasons the father and son of the deceased, who placed the log there, are alone allowed to eat water-lilies out of that pool, and no woman is permitted to go near the spot. There the bones of the dead man remain till the log rots and they fall into the water or are carried away by a flood. When the burial rites are all over, the spirit of the deceased returns to its mungai spot, that is, to the place where it dwells in the interval between two successive incarnations. Sooner or later it will be born again.â€‹ [347] These rites seem, therefor..."

Â§ 2. Homeopathic or Imitative MagicOpen in Reader

Preparationalias: lilieshigh confidence

The Golden Bough

James George Frazer

1906

"...#Page_155) *sqq.* - â€”â€” and Fire, kings of, ii. [3](4270233193503605876_60250-h-2.htm.xhtml#Page_3) *sqq.* - â€”â€” -lilies, charms to make water-lilies grow, i. 95, 97, 98 - â€”â€” nymphs, fertilising virtue of, ii. [162](4270233193503605876_60250-h-6.htm.xhtml#Page_162) - â€”â€” -spirits, propitiation of, ii. [76](4270233193503605876_60250-h-4.htm.xhtml#Page_76); * sacrifices to, [155](4270233193503605876_60250-h-6.htm.xhtml#Page_155) *sqq.*; * as beneficent beings, [159](4270233193503605876_60250-h-6.htm.xhtml#Page_159); * bestow offspring on women, [159..."

INDEXOpen in Reader

Preparationalias: lilieshigh confidence

The Golden Bough

James George Frazer

1913

"...ter and Paul the Apostles, every man's door being shadowed with green birch, long fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, white lilies, and such like, garnished upon with garlands of beautiful flowers, had also lamps of glass, with oil burning in them all the night; some hung [pg 197] out branches of iron curiously wrought, containing hundreds of lamps alight at once, which made a goodly show, namely, in New Fish Street, Thames Street, etc.” 496 In the sixteenth century the Eton boys used to kindle a bonfire on the east side of the church both on St. John's Day and on..."

Â§ 4. The Midsummer Fires.Open in Reader

Preparationalias: lilieshigh confidence

The Golden Bough

James George Frazer

1907

"...ound to stay the pangs of hunger. The lean and famished natives are driven to fish in the river for the tubers of water-lilies, to grub in the earth for roots, to boil the leaves of trees, and as a last resource to drink the blood drawn from the necks of their wretched cattle. The gaunt appearance of the people at this season fills the beholder with horror. The herds are decimated by famine, but even more beasts perish by dysentery and other diseases when the first rains cause the fresh grass to sprout. 61 It is no wonder that the rain, on which the Dinka are ..."

Â§ 3. Kings killed at the End of a Fixed Term.Open in Reader

Preparationalias: lilieshigh confidence

Books Mentioning Lily

Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.

112 books

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Nicholas Culpeper | 1653

lilieslily

60 mentionscited

A Book of Myths

Andrew Lang | 1889

lilieslily

31 mentions

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable

E. Cobham Brewer | 1870

lilieslily

31 mentions

Encyclopaedia of Antiquities

Thomas Dudley Fosbroke | 1825

lilieslily

17 mentions

The Secret Doctrine (Vol 1)

H. P. Blavatsky | 1888

lilieslily

14 mentions

The Evolution of the Dragon

G. Elliot Smith | 1919

lilieslily

13 mentions

Anatomy of Melancholy

Robert Burton | 1621

Archive Profile

Herb identity

Safety

Aliases

Lily in Historical Sources

Identity

Ritual

Symbolism

Preparations and ritual uses

Midsummer decoration

Lily Archive Contexts

Medicine

Astrology

Preparation

Safety

Lily Cited Excerpts

Culpeper's Complete Herbal

The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough

The Golden Bough

Related Archive Material

Related herbs

Books Mentioning Lily