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The phrase “eye of newt,” famously mentioned in the witches’ brew in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, has often been interpreted as symbolic or coded references to various plants, rather than literal animal parts. In some folk traditions, these terms were metaphorical names for herbs and other ingredients used in traditional medicine and magic. For example:
Eye of newt: Thought to represent mustard seed.
Toe of frog: Possibly refers to buttercup, a type of plant.
Wool of bat: Some believe this may refer to holly leaves.
Tongue of dog: Could be houndstongue, a plant from the borage family.
Adder’s fork: Believed to represent an herb called “adder’s tongue,” named for its appearance.
Blind-worm’s sting: Likely refers to the viper’s bugloss, another plant.
Liver of blaspheming Jew: This one is more cryptic, and possibly a disturbing mix of historical anti-Semitic sentiment and metaphor for a medicinal ingredient.
These names suggest that Shakespeare’s witches were using known medicinal or magical plants, often hidden behind animalistic descriptions. Whether or not these interpretations are entirely accurate remains speculative, but the poetic nature of Shakespeare’s language invites such symbolic readings.
Ah, ChatGPT told me:
The phrase “eye of newt,” famously mentioned in the witches’ brew in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, has often been interpreted as symbolic or coded references to various plants, rather than literal animal parts. In some folk traditions, these terms were metaphorical names for herbs and other ingredients used in traditional medicine and magic. For example:
Eye of newt: Thought to represent mustard seed.
Toe of frog: Possibly refers to buttercup, a type of plant.
Wool of bat: Some believe this may refer to holly leaves.
Tongue of dog: Could be houndstongue, a plant from the borage family.
Adder’s fork: Believed to represent an herb called “adder’s tongue,” named for its appearance.
Blind-worm’s sting: Likely refers to the viper’s bugloss, another plant.
Liver of blaspheming Jew: This one is more cryptic, and possibly a disturbing mix of historical anti-Semitic sentiment and metaphor for a medicinal ingredient.
These names suggest that Shakespeare’s witches were using known medicinal or magical plants, often hidden behind animalistic descriptions. Whether or not these interpretations are entirely accurate remains speculative, but the poetic nature of Shakespeare’s language invites such symbolic readings.
Tossing plants and animal parts into a bubbling cauldron following instructions from an old book…soup is witchcraft 🙂