Identity
highHill's entry is for wild marjoram, Origanum, and distinguishes it as a roadside plant superior in beauty and virtues to the garden form.
Found in the Hermetikon archive
Marjoram
Origanum majorana
Marjoram 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
- low concern
- Books
- 20
- Contexts
- 4
- Mentions
- 149
Archive Profile
Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.
Herb identity
- Common name
- marjoram
- Latin name
- Origanum majorana(candidate)
- Identity note
- Historical sources distinguish sweet marjoram and wild marjoram.
Safety
low concern
Culinary use is generally low concern; medicinal safety data is limited.
Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.
- EMA HMPC: Culinary use is generally low concern; medicinal safety data is limited.
Aliases
marjoramOriganum majoranasweet marjoramwild marjoram
Marjoram in Historical Sources
Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.
Hermetikon's curated reading of Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 1 preparation or ritual-use entry. The strongest recurring contexts are folk magic, astrology, and identity. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.
Astrology
highAgrippa places marjoram, mugwort, catnip, and mandrake root under the fifteenth lunar mansion, the tail of Capricorn.
Folk magic
highFrazer records marjoram as a Midsummer talisman hung on byre doors with St. John's wort and other protective plants against witches.
The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1913
Chapter VIII. The Magic Flowers of Midsummer Eve.
Preparations and ritual uses
protective hanging
highFrazer records marjoram hung on byre doors with St. John's wort and other talismans to guard cattle spaces from witches at Midsummer.
The Golden Bough | James George Frazer | 1913
Chapter VIII. The Magic Flowers of Midsummer Eve.
Marjoram Archive Contexts
Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.
Astrology
4 passages across 4 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.
Matched as marjoram; high confidence.
Folk magic
3 passages across 3 books; strongest source: The Golden Bough.
Matched as marjoram; high confidence.
Preparation
7 passages across 7 books; strongest source: Anatomy of Melancholy.
Matched as marjoram; high confidence.
Ritual
1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: Liber 777.
Matched as marjoram; high confidence.
Marjoram Cited Excerpts
Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper
1653
"... Marsh-mallows, Dill, Mallows, Arrach, Beets, Chamomel, Mints, Melilot, Pelitory of the Wall, Chickweed, Rue, Stœchas, Marjoram. *Draw.* Pimpernel, Birthwort, Dittany, Leeks, Onions, Garlick, and also take this general rule, as all cold things bind and harden, so all things very hot are drying. *Suppure.* Mallows, Marsh-mallows, White Lily leaves, &c. *Cleanse.* Pimpernel, Southernwood, Sparagus, Cetrach, Arrach, Wormwood, Beet, Pellitory of the Wall, Chamepitis, Dodder, Liverwort, Horehound, Willow leaves, &c. *Glutinate.* Marsh-mallows, Pimpernel, Centaury, C..."
A CATALOGUE OF SIMPLES IN THE NEW DISPENSATORY.Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: marjoramhigh confidence
The Family Herbal
John Hill
1755
"...all obstructions. The dried herb may be given for the same purpose in powder, but it does not succeed so well. ### WILD MARJORAM. *Origanum.* A WILD plant, frequent about way-sides, in many places, but superior to the other in beauty and in virtues. It very well deserves a place, on both accounts, in our gardens. It grows a foot and a half high. The stalk is firm, very upright, a little hairy, and of a purplish brown colour, extremely regular in its growth. The leaves are broad and short, of the bigness of one's thumb-nail, and of a dark green colour; two stand ..."
Page 269Open in Reader
Preparationalias: marjoramhigh confidence
Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim
1533
"...cory and fumitory. The fifteenth is the Taile of Capricorn, under which, amongst stones, is chalcedony; amongst plants, marjoram, mug-wort and catnip, and the root of mandrake. Moreover, this we must know, that every stone or plant or animal, or any other thing, is not governed by one star alone, but many of them receive influence, not separated, but conjoined, from many stars. So amongst stones, the chalcedon is under Saturn and Mercury, together with the Taile of Scorpion, and Capricorn. The sapphire, under Jupiter, Saturn and the star Alhajoth; tutia is under..."
Page 120Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: marjoramhigh confidence
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer
1913
"... before-mentioned days folk made three crosses on the doors of the byres or guarded them by hanging up St. John's wort, marjoram, or other equally powerful talismans. Very often, too, the village youth would carry the war into the enemy's quarters by marching out in a body, cracking whips, firing guns, waving burning besoms, shouting and making an uproar, all for the purpose of frightening and driving away the witches. 245 In Prussia witches and warlocks used regularly to assemble twice a year on Walpurgis Night and the Eve of St. John. The places where they hel..."
Chapter VIII. The Magic Flowers of Midsummer Eve.Open in Reader
Folk magicalias: marjoramhigh confidence
Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Lewis Spence
1920
"...s and hollow glass beads enclosing mercury. Agate was the symbolic jewel ; narcissus, lily, herb mercury, fumitory, and marjoram the flowers ; whilst the perfumes must be benzoin, mace and storax. For operations connected with religious and political matters, the magician must don a robe of scarlet and bind on his brow a brass tablet inscribed with various characters . His ring must be studded with an emerald or sapphire, and he must burn for incense, balm, ambergris, grain of paradise and saffron. For garlands and wreaths, oak, poplar, fig and pomegranate leave..."
Page 315Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: marjoramhigh confidence
Books Mentioning Marjoram
Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper | 1653
marjoramsweet marjoramwild marjoram
72 mentionscited
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter | 1854
marjoramwild marjoram
13 mentions
The Family Herbal
John Hill | 1755
marjoramsweet marjoramwild marjoram
8 mentionscited
Anatomy of Melancholy
Robert Burton | 1621
marjoramsweet marjoram
7 mentions
Manual of Astrology
Raphael (Robert Cross Smith) | 1828
marjoramsweet marjoramwild marjoram
7 mentions
Illustration of the Occult Sciences
Ebenezer Sibly | 1784
marjoramwild marjoram
7 mentions
Three Books of Occult Philosophy
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim | 1533
marjoram
5 mentionscited
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
E. Cobham Brewer | 1870
marjoram
4 mentions
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer | 1913
marjoram
4 mentionscited
Encyclopaedia of Occultism
Lewis Spence | 1920
marjoram
4 mentionscited
Genethlialogia
John Gadbury | 1658
marjoramsweet marjoram
2 mentions
The Influence of the Stars
Rosa Baughan | 1880
marjoram
2 mentions
Balder the Beautiful, Volume I
James George Frazer | 1913
marjoram
2 mentions
Transcendental Magic
Eliphas Levi | 1854
marjoram
2 mentions
Grimorium Verum
Anonymous | 1817
marjoram
2 mentions
Liber 777
Aleister Crowley | 1909
marjoramsweet marjoram
2 mentions
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer | 1913
marjoram
2 mentions
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer | 1913
marjoram
2 mentions
Clavis Astrologiae Elimata
Henry Coley | 1669
marjoram
1 mention
The Authentic Red Dragon and Black Hen
Anonymous | 1800
marjoram
1 mention