Speaking of magical herbs reminds one of the "moly," which Mercury gives to Ulysses, and which enabled him to withstand the enchantments of Circe. This "moly" with its white blossom is particularly well known to me, for, when I first came to my present house, the wood near the lodge was so full of it that it seemed as if a dinner of onions was for ever being cooked: I found it exceedingly hard to eradicate. "Moly" is none other than the Garlic, and Circe had apparently the same objection to it as had the wife of the Merchant of Bagdad in the Arabian Nights.
By the way, what could Mr. Tennyson have been thinking of when he describes his lotus-eaters as
"Propt on beds of amaranth and moly"?
Another poet too, now a well-known divine, once spoke of
"—souls that pure and holy
Live and love and prosper well,
Leaning aye on myrrh and moly,
Melilote and asphodel."
[NOTE IV.]
ON THE SUNFLOWER OF THE CLASSICS.
I have been much puzzled to know what was the Sunflower of classical story,—in other words, what was the flower into which, according to the legend, Clytie was so sadly changed.
I had always supposed, as nearly every one supposes, that it was what we call the Sunflower (the Helianthus), with its upright stem and large radiated disc. But, first of all, I found, as a matter of fact, that the Helianthus does not follow the course of the Sun, and that various blossoms of the same plant may at the same time be facing in different directions. And then I found, what of course was fatal, that the Helianthus is not a European plant at all, and first came to us from North America.
Having consulted Notes and Queries in vain, I determined to look into the matter more closely, as it seemed to me a rather curious question.