Mycoetymology: What’s In a Mushroom Name?

Mycoetymology: What’s In a Mushroom Name?

Written By: Dennis Walker

Folk traditions underpinning the etymology of various mushroom names across different cultures reveal a tremendous amount about the importance of fungi to different peoples historically. 

For example, the fabled red and white Amanita muscaria mushroom – immortalized with its own emoji in the digital era (🍄) – has different names across cultures that all point to its mysterious and enchanting properties.

In Japan, the traditional name for Amanita muscaria is ‘Beni-tengu-take’.

The suffix ‘take’ should come as no surprise here; consider that Shiitake and Matsutake are also Japanese names for two popular global mushrooms, and the word ‘take’ itself means mushroom in Japanese. 

 

What makes the name ‘Beni-tengu-take’ for Amanita muscaria particularly interesting is that ‘Tengu’ are a type of mythical being in the Shinto spiritual belief system. Tengu even have their own emoji (👺 ) – this trickster archetype in Japanese mythology bestowed various gifts and knowledge upon humanity, including swordsmanship and martial arts. The naming of the Amanita muscaria mushroom after the Tengu spirits ascribes a sense of metaphysical power to the enigmatic mushroom, suggesting that its magical properties have long been known in Japanese culture. 

In the former soviet republic of Georgia, the Amanita muscaria is reportedly traditionally known as ‘Mushroom That Takes You to the Sky’ – another etymological insight into the historical value and recognition of the mushroom across cultures. For a world class deep dive into the ethnomycology of Amanita muscaria, including additional insights into its mythologization and naming across ancient cultures, check out Merry Mushroom 3-part lecture series online course by Ash Ritter of Black Sage Botanicals.

 

 

Another member of the Amanita genus can trace its name to royalty – Amanita caesarea was a favorite mushroom of the rulers of the Roman Empire, a convenient foil for the assassination of Claudius Caesar in 54 AD by mushroom poisoning when his beloved al funghi dish was crowned with a toxic Amanita phalloides (“Death Cap mushroom”) in a successful bid for alternate succession. 5 hours after eating his favorite ‘Amanita caesarea’ dish, Claudius became intensely ill and succumbed to death by mushroom poisoning, clearing the way for his fourth wife Agrippina’s son Nero to ascend to the throne. 

In China, the life affirming properties of the Reishi mushroom are packaged into the ancient name for this shelf fungus – ‘Linghzhi’, a signifier which translates to ‘mushroom of immortality’. The Linghzi mushroom was so prized for its adaptogenic and immunity boosting qualities that its use was reserved exclusively for nobility, and any commoner found to be in possession of this mushroom was punished rather severely.

In Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Psilocybin containing mushrooms were referred to as ‘Teonanacatl’ in the Nahuatl language, meaning ‘Flesh of the Gods’. It’s well documented that these mushrooms were important to the Olmecs, Maya, and Nahuatl and used for millennia in sacrosanct ceremonies across the greater region. 

 

The Maitake (‘hen of the woods’) mushroom in Japanese is known as the ‘dancing mushroom’ due to the happy dance that foragers would spontaneously break into upon finding the fungus. The tradition of fungi use in Japan is estimated to be at least 4,000 years old according to the excavation of various ceramic mushrooms from various archaeological sites across the archipelago. 

In Barbados, the metaphysical nature of mushrooms is consecrated culturally by the local parlance ‘Duppy Umbrella’, meaning ‘ghost umbrella’. The influence of African spiritual tomes co-opted into Christian associations of witchcraft and the devil inform a mycophobic culture that historically views mushrooms as belonging to the world of ghosts and demons.This same framing can be traced to European cultures as well, with the Fribourg dialect in Switzerland labeling Amanita muscaria as ‘Diablhou’, translating to ‘Devil’s hat’. The association between fungi and magic / witchcraft is also readily found in the colloquial name ‘Witches Butter’ for Tremella mesenterica – also known as ‘jelly fungus’ for its gelatinous constitution. 

There are an estimated 7,100 different languages still spoken around the world today, over 40% of which are at risk of extinction due to ecosystem and cultural erosion of indigenous habitats around the world. With the widespread recognition of mushrooms across geographically distant and climatically diverse regions, it’s likely that many kernels of folk wisdom and clues about the history of our species are still embedded in the naming of mushrooms and their use among any particular culture and society throughout history. Otzi “The Ice Man” even had two separate polypore mushrooms on him when he perished in an alpine glacier in the Tyrolean alps from a suspected arrow wound over 5,000 years ago – they were important enough to him to be carried in separate leather satchels, indicating their value to the ancient culture from which he came. What did Otzi and his tribe call these mushrooms? 

You can find more Dennis Walker at Mycopreneur