Dear all,
it is, in analogy to Nadja's remarks on red deer, the "Herzkreuz(l)"
("heart-cross") of alpine ibex, used as apotropaic and allegedly, among
other ibex-products, responsible for the extirpation of this species in
the late medieval/early postmedieval. Must be plenty of ethnological
literature on it (Couturier's monograph?).
all best wishes
Karl
Am 05.07.2016 um 17:05 schrieb Suzanne Pilaar Birch:
> Hi all,
>
> This is a really fascinating thread as I came across reference to a
> bone used as an amulet the way that Naomi mentioned, but derived from
> sheep/goat. At the time I thought it was most likely referring to a
> hyoid. I wonder if these develop in old ovicaprines as well as deer?
> Not so familiar with mediaeval/historical literature on such things,
> but this just jogged my memory.
>
> Best
>
> Suzie
>
> --
> Dr. Suzanne E. Pilaar Birch
>
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> Department of Geography
> University of Georgia
> Athens, GA, USA
>
> Director, Quaternary Isotope Paleoecology Lab
> <http://research.franklin.uga.edu/quaternary/>
> Website: uga.academia.edu/SuzannePilaarBirch
> <http://uga.academia.edu/SuzannePilaarBirch>
> Twitter: @suzie_birch <http://twitter.com/suzie_birch>
>
> Editor, Open Quaternary <http://openquaternary.com/>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 5, 2016 at 10:02 AM, John Fletcher
> <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> Dear Arturo, Are you sure that ‘Cuerno de Ciervo’ is referring to
> the os cordis? It might be simply antler which was, and of course
> still is in China, Korea etc, used as a vade mecum. Both the
> growing antler as well as the hardened antler weapon have been
> used in the pharmacopeia of many if not most cultures. I suspect
> that the remarkable ability to regenerate as an entire organ
> (unique amongst mammals for whom it is also the fastest growing
> tissue) caused an association with regeneration which caused it to
> be valued as a remedy for many ailments.
> All best, John
> *From:* Arturo Morales <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 05, 2016 1:49 PM
> *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> *Subject:* [ZOOARCH] Bone of the heart
>
> Dear Zooarchs,
>
> Does anyone know the name given to the bone found inside the heart
> of certain mammals, esp. ruminants? I believe it’s an ossification
> of interventricular ligaments/cartilages that develops as the
> animal grows old.
>
> As one of my historian friends informs me, it appears that in
> Medieval Spain, the bone of Red deer (“Cuerno de Ciervo”, lit. Red
> deer horn), was an important element of the local pharmacopeia but
> nobody could tell me whether this was in the case of Muslim
> medicine or, as seems more likely, a remedy used by Christians. If
> the later was the case, then I’d love to learn if this remedy was
> also in use in other European lands…………
>
> Cheers,
>
> Arturo
>
>
