ravenbread

The ravenbread

One of the many names of the fly-agaric is ravenbread. The fly agaric is a mushroom, which has been used for thousand of years in shamanic practices through the northern hemisphere. The name fly agaric was linked to the ability of this mushroom to kill flies. In many stables in europe one could find fly agarics soaking in milk and flies scattered around obviously dead. But if you take time you will see the flies awaken again and fly around having survived their hangover. fliegenpilz.gif (45328 Byte)

So the name may also be linked to the shamanic flight which you get after digesting a certain number ( multiples of 7) of this species.

There is also a widespread believe that after ingesting the fly agaric one turn into raven and fly away.

Herodot the Greec historian descibes such a transformation in his Vol IV,p 14-15,of his Historiae. He describes the Shaman and priest ARISTEAS turning into a raven . Aristeas soul could leave the body as raven and fly to other realms.

In the Siberian story telling circles there are many stories about fly agaric and raven. The Koriaks of Eastern Siberia have a deity which is called GREAT RAVEN and is considered the builder of earth and ancestor to men.
One time GREAT RAVEN caught a whale and tried to haul his prey home. But the whale was too big for him and so GREAT RAVEN praied to Vahiyinin . Vahiyinin helped GREAT RAVEN by showing him a spot where he spat on the earth and the most beautiful fly agarics showed up. After having eaten the fly agaric GREAT RAVEN felt very strong and it was easy for him to bring the whale to his home . At home he thanked Vahiyinin and prayed :

Let this mushroom stay on earth and let my people see what this mushroom has to tell them.

After linking the ravenbread to the fly agaric one can look into the vitae of the St.Paulus of Theben. He was a famous Hermit and St.Hieronymous wrote his life story. A key element of his life story was that he lived in the desert of Egypt without food for many years. Only a raven visited him daily and brought him every day a piece of bread .(ravenbread). St.Paulus had a ascension to heaven in full ornate in the story . But at every flight story I again have to think of the fly agaric.

In the Germanic culture there is the highest deity ODIN which is always accompanied by the two famous ravens HUGIN and MUMIN , they fly to earthe every day and tell Odin everything what happende (HUGIN) and what will happen (MUMIN) . And when ODIN is riding his horse over the heavens the two raven fly before and behind him. The sweat ,which is dripping from ODINS horse to earth, causes the fly agaric to show up. (hp)