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> The process took time and dedication: hours to prepare the ale, sweep the floors clean and lift heavy bundles of rye and grain I wonder if they really were b
by defen 6y ago
> The process took time and dedication: hours to prepare the ale, sweep the floors clean and lift heavy bundles of rye and grain
I wonder if they really were brewing up "magic potions" (inadvertently) with ergot contaminated rye. I've seen people suggest that ergot poisoning could explain some of the truly weird behavior that you sometimes hear about from the Middle Ages.
- marzell 6y agoWell yeah, probably at some point. They were also preparing food which included rye. Isn't this one of the common speculated causes for witch hunts and the like?
- yesbabyyes 6y agoBefore settling on hops (which has a calming effect, btw), it was common to use henbane in beer brewing. See also e.g. https://oct.co/essays/history-hallucinogenic-beers-magic-mushrooms-henbane https://oct.co/essays/history-hallucinogenic-beers-magic-mus...
- LaundroMat 6y agoThe director of The Witch (2016) hinted in several interviews that ergot may have been the cause not only of the erratic behaviour of the presumed witches, but also of the accusations made against them. In other words, people poisoned with ergot may have been hallucinating and believe they saw the alleged witches do gruesome and unbelievable things.