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scripture of India. Written in Sanskrit and derived from the oral traditions of the Indo-Europeans who migrated down into the Indus Valley some 3,500 years ago, the Rig-Veda eventually went on to influence the development of Hinduism. Of the 1,000 holy hymns in the Rig-Veda, over 100 are dedicated solely to the divine plant Soma and its spectacular psychological effects. Because urine drinking is clearly alluded to in these hymns deifying Soma, Wasson came to the conclusion that the fly agaric mushroom was the sacred Soma worshipped by the ancient Indo-Europeans. scripture of India. Written in Sanskrit and derived from that depict the fungus in a way that suggests that it was the oral traditions of the Indo-Europeans who migrated —_ an object of worship. Because the fly agaric mushroom down into the Indus Valley some 3,500 years ago, the abounds in Scandinavia, these motifs are thought to Rig-Veda eventually went on to influence the _ represent a fly-agaric-worshipping cult similar to those development of Hinduism. Of the 1,000 holy hymns in _ of Siberia. the Rig-Veda, over 100 are dedicated solely to the divine Apart from Siberian folklore, many European folktales plant Soma and its spectacular psychological effects. testify to the enigma of the fly agaric mushroom, Because urine drinking is clearly alluded to in these providing an echo of the distant cultural interconnections hymns deifying Soma, Wasson came to the conclusion _ of the past. Stories arising from the region once known that the fly agaric mushroom was the sacred Soma as Yugoslavia take the mushroom's supernatural origin worshipped by the ancient Indo-Europeans. back to the time of pre-Christian Nature gods. A legend relates that Votan, chief of all the gods and a potent Mushroom Lore magician and healer, was riding his magical horse The shamanic use of fly agaric mushrooms by _ through the countryside when demons suddenly primitive Siberians seems to date far back in history, as | appeared and started chasing him. As he fled, his horse various legends speak of its mythical origins. For — galloped so fast that flecks of bloodied foam flew from its instance, a Koryak legend tells of a hero named Big mouth. Wherever this bloody foam fell, fly agarics sprang Raven who was able to attain immense strength by —_ up. Hungarians once called the fly agaric boland gamba or eating spirits given to him by "mad mushroom". Austrians and the god Vahiyinin—the god of Germans used to speak of the existence. By spitting upon the The shamanic use of "fool's mushroom" and were earth, Vahiyinin caused the fl 9 h wont to respond to peculiar necessary spirits to grow, these y agaric mushrooms behaviour with the phrase, "Have being fly gare mushrooms by primitive Siberians you eaten crazy mushrooms? wi eir ability to provide e Wassons also analysed the supernatural strength and seems to date far back vast array of words used to wisdom. H H 4 describe mushrooms in different The Wassons theorised that it a history, as Velie cultures and the latent was this archaic shamanic legends speak of its metaphors that these words practice of fly agaric ingestion, . 0 0 conveyed—words like so well reflected in legend and mythical origins. "toadstool", for instance, which mythology, that eventually led links the toad to the mushroom, to the mycophobic pre- the toad being a creature much Christian taboos against eating mushrooms, which were maligned in myth and folklore. The Wassons also still evidently shared by most of the peoples living conjectured that the "fly" in fly agaric was not a reference around the shores of the North Sea. In other words, _ to its supposed insecticidal effect; rather, the common because the fly agaric mushroom was used mainly by __ insect used to be associated with demonic power shamans in a ritual context, cultural injunctions and _—_(Beelzebub is "Lord of the Flies") and was thus fearfully taboos would conceivably have evolved to stop others —_ associated with the mysterious mushroom. wantonly utilising its strange power. Or, it is just as In short, the Wassons uncovered a vast cultura likely that through migrations and invasions, diffusion of mushroom lore indicative of a common misinformation spread regarding the true nature of the _ origin. The psychoactive fly agaric mushroom seemed mushroom's effects. Through such typical cultural most likely to be the instigator. mechanisms as these, the psychoactive fly agaric mushroom gradually came to attain a mythical status, — Intimations of a Sacred Mexican Mushroom guaranteeing it cultural immortality as it progressed as In 1952, an acquaintance of the Wassons, the noted the stuff of legend from generation to generation. poet and historical writer Robert Graves, wrote a crucia The shamanic use of fly agaric diffused out from etter informing them of a supposed secret mushroom Russia and while some peoples gradually came to cult still in existence in Mexico. Graves included in his eschew the mushroom, others embraced its effects. Not etter a clipping from a Canadian pharmaceutical journa only did the Aryan people who migrated down into the hat discussed finds made by Richard Evans Schultes Indus Valley 3,500 years ago bring with them their years earlier. It transpired that Schultes, one of the religious cult of Soma, later still, approximately 1000 world's leading ethnobotanists attached to Harvard, had BC, we find artistic representations of mushrooms on __ identified, in 1938, a species of Panaeolus mushroom as Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Bronze Age objects. being the sacred sacramental fungus allegedly employed On bronze artefacts like razors are mushroom motifs by Mexican Indians. At that time, only this one (generally stylised cross-sectional views of amushroom) — entheogenic species had been identified by Schultes; fly agaric mushrooms by primitive Siberians in history, as various legends speak of its mythical origins. Intimations of a Sacred Mexican Mushroom In 1952, an acquaintance of the Wassons, the noted poet and historical writer Robert Graves, wrote a crucia etter informing them of a supposed secret mushroom cult still in existence in Mexico. Graves included in his etter a clipping from a Canadian pharmaceutical journa hat discussed finds made by Richard Evans Schultes years earlier. It transpired that Schultes, one of the world's leading ethnobotanists attached to Harvard, had identified, in 1938, a species of Panaeolus mushroom as being the sacred sacramental fungus allegedly employed by Mexican Indians. At that time, only this one entheogenic species had been identified by Schultes; 20 * NEXUS The shamanic use of seems to date far back AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com