Gospelario: Beleño
From the ancient Celtic root ‘bel,’ meaning ‘brilliant’, related to Belennus, the Celtic God of the Sun, whom the Romans identified with Apollo.
BELEÑO (noun, m.)
1. Hyoscyamus niger — A poisonous plant with an unpleasant smell, wide, long, hairy leaves, and flowers that are yellow on top and maroon below. The whole plant, particularly the root, is narcotic.
Just as henbane grows among the shrubs with its mix of medicinal, magical, and toxic traits, our BELEÑO utility shorts are made for you to explore both the forests and the club scene of your city.
The beleño, or henbane, is native to all of Europe, North Africa, and Central and Western Asia. According to some authors, it was the most popular medicinal and ritual plant in ancient Europe.
During Roman times, priestesses of Apollo used it to deliver oracles. It was also used by magicians and curanderos as a fumigant for magical purposes. Albertus Magnus reported in De Vegetalibus (1250) that necromancers used henbane to invoke the souls of the dead and demons.
It was combined with other plants, like mandrake, for its anesthetic and psychoactive properties in "magic" brews. Inhaling the smoke from burning its seeds produced visual hallucinations and a sensation of flying, which could be the origin of the image of witches flying on brooms.
The History of Witches and Wizards, 1720 - Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom.
By the Late Middle Ages, it was demonized and associated with witchcraft and malefic practices. Witches reportedly drank henbane decoctions, leading to dreams for which they were tortured and executed.
Henbane is sometimes identified with the "hebenon" poured into the ear of Hamlet’s father.
In Spanish, it has many names: abeleño, adamanta, anillón, aveniños, belaño negro, belesa, beleño negro, benignos, beninos, beniñas, beniños, benjí, bininos, cacagüet, cachirulos, carapuchetes, cardo beleño, cascahuete, cañaguerras, cañamones locos, colmenillas, dormidera, garbancillo loco, guixeta, hierba loca, hierbas de locos, ierba de locos, ierba falaguera, jusquiamo, justiamo, lo belenyo, malvaloca, matarrata, negrillón, tabaco borde, tomalocos, veleño, veleño negro, veliño, venina, venino, verdegambre, veñiña, yerba loca.
