And can we have Christmas without Fly Agaric?
Fly Agaric, aka Amanita muscaria
But who’s been eating off the *fly*?
Beware, Amanita muscaria is an hallucinogenic
From the Rhine to the Volga and beyond, the Fly Agaric was long the symbol of Christmas. It is the red of the baubles on our trees, the red and white of Santa’s suit, and the means by which his reindeers fly. It is the traditional *magic* of Christmas. But it’s magic can wreck the imbibers intestinal health! Beware.
And if you don’t believe me, check out this YouTube video:
crispina kemp 
Criminy!! Who knew!! I always thought the tree had something to do with winter festivals and druids getting merged with the Christian celebration of Christ’s birth and the gifts or the Magi. I never knew there were psychedelic mushrooms in the picture or under the tree. I suppose every drawn image I ever saw of bright red mushrooms with red dots seemed more from a colorful, artistic imagination than a real mushroom. But, nature is full of brightly colored creatures and plants of all kinds which would surprise the human imagination.
Thanks for bringing us this very cool mushroom, video and Psychedelic Christmas theory our way. Hmmm Rudolph was on mushrooms, who knew!!
Up, Up and Away! Merry Christmas!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Like you, I’m intrigued by all the folklore that surrounds this fungus. And I’m alrways delighted to find it. Especially before the crows and the squirrels have been at it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nothing beats a squirrel or crow on psychedelics!! Unless its a bunch of jungle animals drunk on fermented fruit beside the Amazon River like I saw on a documentary once.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea, I’ve seen a similar. Though t was in Africa. A giraffe doing the splits!
LikeLike
I think the show that was memorable for me was of a group of people finding the source of the Amazon and the animals were seen from a boat in the river and filmed. Seemed animals that did not normally get along were together not being able to walk very well and stumbling about in a hilarious fashion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can imagine it. It’s bizarre to see inebriated animals, but when those animals are known enemies… yea. I wonder if they have hangovers? Would you like to stumble upon a hung-over jaguar?
LikeLike
Or a baboon with a headache!!
LikeLike
Oh, wouldn’t like to meet one of those.
LikeLike
It looks beautiful. Is it poisonous?
Wishing you a Happy Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It won’t kill, but it will make you ill, sicken, vomitting. It’s main claim is it’s an hallucinogenic. Northern shamans regularly used it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay. Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I commented before watching the video.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea, the video is fairly instructive. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still remember my botany professor at university reminding us, “Never eat’a Amanita.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Earlier this year I met a fella, conservationist (and conversationist) who reckoned as kids they used to eat them. I thought, yea, and I write fantasy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A perfect excuse to have a tripping Christmas! Gotta love psychedelic fungi!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d been saving this one for Christmas. 🙂
LikeLike
What a pretty mushroom!
While I loathe those “drawing videos”, I still watched it and was fascinated by the story…
I am such a square, I never tried magic mushrooms… go figure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The *drawing videos* is YouTubers answer to the restrictive copyright laws issued by EU last year.
And while the results might be similiar, the one best known as Magic Mushroom is a tiny little thing, with a pixie’s bell-pointy hat and a slender stem. Psilocybe semilanceata
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybe_semilanceata
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ugh. They are EVERYWHERE for every little thing.
And, I trust you. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which just goes to show how much they relying on copyright material before the laws changed. But I’d rather have drawings, than the videos where the snips have but the most tenuous bearing on the subject being discussed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d rather just read about the subject.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Um… yea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve had to refer you to wiki, cos I’ve never managed to shot, not one I was 100% certain … so many lookalikes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re beautiful! Thank you for sharing this with us! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoy the sharing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my!! i too knew about the tree, but this is all new and very exciting to me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems to be my mission in life: to introduce folks to things new… yet old. 🙂
LikeLike
Oooh! I knew what this one was because you can pick it in the Elder Scrolls games!
LikeLike
And at that I have to laugh. It’s the best-known fungus… after the culinary mushrooms.
LikeLiked by 1 person