paNamaNi

[Allen W Thrasher]

I see on the site that Ulrich links to that the writer thinks some of
the descriptions may apply to Tabasheer, aka Vegetable Opal.  If anyone
is interested, there is a description of tabasheer, and one may order it
at a reasonable price, at
<http://www.alchemy-works.com/herb_tabasheer.html>. I plan to get
some from curiosity as to its appearance, but I plan no tests of its
efficacy, though I suppose I could set a trap for a rattlesnake or
cottonmouth if I were really dedicated.

This is not directly related to Ulrich's question, but I find I was in
error in remembering jewels on the top of Greek representations of
snakes.  Elpis Mitropolou, Deities and heroes in the form of snakes
(Athens: Pyli Editions, 1977), passim, has a number of representations
of snakes with either beard or crest or both, but none with anything
jewel-like.  He seems to think (pp. 79-94, but I don't find him entirely
clear) that this may be related to Egyptian representations of snakes
with crowns and pharaonic false beards.  Greek griffins, at least the
bronzes of them, however, sometimes have a sort of knob on the head; but
they seem to be purely eagle-lion combinations, with nothing reptilian
about them.

Allen


It should be phaNamaNi, not paNamaNi.


Allen

Allen W. Thrasher, Ph.D.
Senior Reference Librarian
Southern Asia Section
Asian Division
Library of Congress
Jefferson Building 150
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20540-4810
tel. 202-707-3732
fax 202-707-1724
athr at loc.gov
The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Library
of Congress.