Mandrake plant in popular culture

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Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae). Because their curious bifurcations cause them to have a semblance to the human figure (male and female), their roots have long been used in magic rituals, today also in neopagan religions such as Wicca and Germanic revivalism religions such as Odinism.

[edit] Mandrake in popular culture

• Lee Falk created the U.S. comic strip Mandrake the Magician in 1934 – Mandrake was an illusionist who used an impossibly fast hypnotic technique.

• J. K. Rowling: Mandrake is used to revive people who have been petrified in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. From Chapter 6:

"Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" (...) "Mandrake or Mandragora is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed, to their original state."

"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"

Hermione's hand narrowly missed Harry's glasses as it shot up again.

"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.

"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."

Later, in Chapter 13:

(...) Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. (...) "The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again"

And in Chapter 14:

(...) and in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy.

"The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry.

• Margit Sandemo includes a Mandrake (Alrune) in her series The Saga of the Icepeople. This is not any Mandrake, but the original "draft" of mankind made by God. This was the first attempt to create a human, but the Mandrake got thrown away when God created Adam from dust.

• Edguy, a German Power-Metal band, use Mandrake as the name of one of their albums. The album cover featuring a sinister looking jester apparently harvesting the plant. As well the first track on the album is called "Tears of a Mandrake".

• Stanley Kubrick has a character named Group Captain Mandrake in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

• Deep Purple has a song called Mandrake Root on their 1968 album Shades of Deep Purple.

• Underground Hip-Hop producer & MC MF Doom aka. Daniel Dumile produced a beat called "Mandrake" on his Special Herbs vol. 7 & 8 compilation album released in 2004 on the Shaman Works Label.

• The Iron Maiden song "Moonchild", from the album "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" includes the line "Hear the Mandrake scream". The album was Iron Maiden's first concept album and throughout it the lyrics of each song contain numerous occult and religious references.

• Mandragora - A seminal psychedelic band from Brighton UK.

• In Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (directed by Guillermo del Toro) the faun gives Ofelia a mandrake root to put under her mother's bed to cure the complications of her pregnancy and make her well again. Ofelia is instructed to put the root in a bowl of milk and feed it two drops of blood every morning. The mandrake resembles a human infant, and is linked to Ofelia's mother's health.

• In Ravane Katya's The Mandrake Curse A mandrake immobilizes one of the main characters.

• In The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, the main characters name is John Mandrake.

• A Song by Mercyful Fate is called Mandrake.

• A mandrake, Mandora Boy, is a character in Mahou Sentai Magiranger, an entry of Super Sentai.

• Canadian Rock Group Rush's song, "Cinderalla Man" from the A Farewell to Kings album refers to "A modest man from Mandrake, Travelled rich to the city, He had a need to discover, A use for his newly-found wealth".

• In the movie, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Steve Zissou's mentor was named Lord Mandrake.

• Mandragora Scream is an Italian band named after the Mandragora plant that focuses their music on magic motives and ancient tales that accompany them and their listeners in their journey towards the most bewitched lands.

• In The Saint Seiya The Hades Chapter Manga and Anime, Queen of Alrune (Mandragora in German), is one of the 108 Espectres of Hades. He's Defeated by Shiryu.

[edit] In popular games

• In the .Hack series of games, the Mandragora is available as a type of food for mythical creatures called "Grunties".

• This item is sure to be found in many games that include any form of alchemy, such as Castlevania.

• In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, mandrake root (Mandragora as it is referred to in the games) is one of the monsters that you face.

• There are several examples in the Final Fantasy series. In Final Fantasy IX, it is one of the monsters that can give high amounts of "Experience Points" and "Gil," while being rather difficult and dangerous to defeat. Also in Final Fantasy XI they appear in the low level areas of Sarutabaruta as short, cute, and plant-like creatures with sprouts on the top of their heads. Final Fantasy XII has an entire line of mandragora enemies from low to high level and even have some which are known as the mandragora royal family.

• Another example is Ultima Online, as one of the Mages' "reagents." These are used to cast spells. Instead of simply being mandrake, it is "Mandrake Roots." This reagent is able to be made into some potions, described on the Ultima Online Playguide as potions that will increase the characters Strength attribute.

• In Breath of Fire III where it is an item that restores all HP and AP to one character. However, it can only be bought at the Plant, though it is sometimes dropped by enemies.

• Another example is from the Tales of Series where the Mandragora Appears Humanoid With Green Hair and flowers on its head but in the Monster List it classified as a Plant

• The Sims 2 series of computer games features a new creature in each new expansion pack. The creature for The Sims 2: Seasons is a mandragora-like humanoid.

• In Myth:The Fallen Lords and Myth II, mandrake roots can be picked up by those units who are able to heal others, and when a heal is cast on another unit, a root is used for that purpose.

• The root is also featured in The Elder Scrolls series as an attainable alchemical ingredient.

• In Guild Wars Nightfall there is a creature type called "mandragor", which bears semblance to a large root.