Iris & Papirus
Papirus
Hey Iris, have you ever wondered how those medieval herbals classified plants that we now think are misidentified? I was just looking at a 12th-century manuscript and spotted a tiny scribal error that might explain why the “basilisk root” turned out to be a species of basil. Let’s dig into that.
Iris
That’s a fascinating find! Medieval herbals were often compiled from travelers’ notes and folk remedies, so a single misspelled word could shift a whole species. Basilisk root—if the scribe meant "basilisk" as in a mythical creature—might have been a misunderstanding of “basil,” the aromatic herb. I love how those old manuscripts blend myth and science; it’s like a botanical treasure hunt. Let’s look at the context of the entry—any other clues about the plant’s appearance or uses might help pin down whether it’s actually basil, a different herb, or something entirely different.
Papirus
Great, the context is everything. The entry goes on to describe the plant’s leaves as “shining green, serrated like a lion’s mane” and notes that it was used to ward off night‑time predators. That’s a pretty clear botanical description, not a mythic beast. If the scribe was referencing basil, the “lion’s mane” could refer to the wavy leaf edges of basil, which in medieval herbals were sometimes called a “lion’s tongue.” Also, the marginal note in the right hand column mentions “sugar‑sweet taste, suitable for wine,” which is exactly what we know of basil. So, it’s very likely the scribe was confused by the term “basilisk” and ended up recording basil under a mythical name. That little slip actually opens up a whole discussion about how folklore seeped into medical texts. Let's compare the Latin name in the manuscript—if it’s “Ocimum basilicum” that will settle it.
Iris
That’s exactly the trick we need—once you see “Ocimum basilicum” in the script it clicks that it’s the basil the monks loved for its perfume and culinary uses. If the manuscript has a different genus or species, we might be looking at a close relative like Ocimum tenuiflorum or even a completely different plant that was simply mislabeled. Let me pull up a few comparative plates of 12th‑century herbals and we can line up the leaf shapes, the serration pattern, and the Latin names side by side. We’ll see if the scribal error is a one‑off or part of a bigger trend in how medieval writers mixed folklore with botanical facts.
Papirus
Right on. Pull the plates when you have them, and we’ll run a side‑by‑side comparison. The trick will be to look for the tiny ink strokes that indicate “basilisk” versus “basil” in the marginalia—those tiny differences can tell us whether the scribes were simply confused or if there was a systematic mix‑up. Once we line the Latin names up, the whole picture should clarify whether we’re chasing a myth or a mislabel. Let's dive in.