Literature Cited
Allegro, J.M. 1970. The Mushroom and the Cross. Double Day and Company, Garden City, N.Y.
Arthur, James. (2000). Mushroom and Mankind: A Brief Introduction to Ethnomycology. Etnobotaniczne Herbarium Czarnej Pantery. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from http://herbarium.0-700.pl/biblioteka/Mushrooms%20and%20Mankind.pdf
Beer, Amy-Jane. Country diary: a magic spot ready to be peopled with fays or gruffaloes. The Guardian, Friday, 2 November, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/02/country-diary-fays-or-gruffaloes-fly-agaric-sutton-bank-north-yorkshire. Accessed 6 October 2022.
Blom, J. D. 2016. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, A systematic review. Neurol. Clin. Pract. 6(3): 259-270
Flattery, D.S. & Schwartz, M. 1989. Haoma and Harmaline: The Botanical Identification of the Indo-Iranian Sacred Hallucinogen "Soma" and its Legacy in Religion, Language, and Middle Eastern Folklore. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Heinrich, Clark. 2002. Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Johnson, D.K. (2011, October 17). Christmas - Philosophy for Everyone. Chapter 5. From Whence Santa Comes. retrieved on 2011, October 17, from http://staff.kings.edu/davidjohnson/Sample Chapter_5_From Whence Santa Comes.pdf
Kelemen, L. (2011, October 17). The Real Story of Christmas. retrieved on 2011, October 17, from http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm
Lippmann, C.W. 1952. Certain hallucinations peculiar to migraine. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 116: 341-51.
Rudgley, R. 1998. The encyclopedia of psychoactive substances. Little, Brown and Company, London.
Todd, J. 1955. The Syndrome of Alice In Wonderland. Can. Med. Assoc. J. 73(9): 701-704.
Wasson, R.G. 1968. Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Mycological Terms
Allegro, John: Author of The Mushroom and the Cross. The author presented evidence that Judaism and Christianity were based on a secret cult whose god was Amanita muscaria, but was represented in the person of Jesus, the Christ.
Amanita muscaria: Scientific name for the Fly Agaric, also thought by some to be the Soma and the Haoma.
Aryans: The people whose origin was thought to be from Central Asia. After leaving their homeland, they split into several groups, approximately 4000 years ago. One group settled in the Valley of the Indus, which is now India, and another settled in what is now Iran and became the Iranian Zorasters.
Avesta: The holy book of the Iranian Zorasters.
Haoma: Name given to the mushroom god described in the Avesta, which was used in religious ceremonies and has hallucinogenic properties. Its counter part in the Rig Veda is Soma. It is thought by Wasson and others to be the mushroom Amanita muscaria.
Mycorrhiza: The symbiotic relationship between the roots of plants and a fungus. In the case of A. muscaria, it is an obligate one. If the host trees are not present, usually pines and birch species, the mushrooms will also be absent.
Rig Veda: The holy book of the Hindu.
Soma: Name given to the mushroom god described in the Rig Veda, which was used in religious ceremonies and has hallucinogenic properties. Its counter part in the Avesta is Haoma. It is thought by Wasson and others to be the mushroom Amanita muscaria.
Wasson, R. Gordon: Author of Soma, Divine Mushroom of Immortality where he puts forth the concept that Amanita muscaria was the Soma described in the Rig Veda and was a hallucinogen used for religious ceremonies until the identity of Soma was lost.
Some Questions of Interest
1. What are the psychoactive toxins in Amanita muscaria?
2. What trees can A. muscaria be found associated with?
3. What are some wide spread misconceptions concerning A. muscaria?
4. Who were the Vikings Berserkers and what were they known for?
5. What were some hypotheses as to how the Viking Berserkers induced their trance-like
conditions before going into battle?
6. What is the Rig Veda and what does it say about Soma?
7. Who are the Aryans?
8. What did Gordon Wasson believe Soma to be?
9. What evidence does Wasson offer as to his identification of Soma?
10. What are some other opinions as to the identity of Soma?
11. What does John Allegro have to say about A. muscaria in his book "The Sacred Mushroom and
the Cross?"