Herb & Shaman: Recreating the Cannabis Mythos

Abstract

The history of Cannabis in relation to humanity is over 12,000 years old. This study considers the archetypal role of Cannabis in many agricultural rites and shamanic traditions. The author approaches a long folk history of the plant to discern veritable ethnographic sources from modern hyperbole. A depth psychological method is applied to written folklore, particularly where shamanic and mystical references to Cannabis are prevalent.

Research suggests that the Cannabis plant was one of humanity’s first agricultural products. The psychoactive flowers, fibrous stalks and nutrient-rich seeds made it attractive for many gatherer cultures. The early Eurasian peoples, who first encountered the plant and domesticated it for use, are central to this survey on the mythology and folklore of Cannabis. Cannabis traditions of the Americas, Africa, Australia and Western Europe are largely the result of diffusion from Eastern and Central Asia, thus fall outside the parameter of this dissertation.

This dissertation shall serve as an introduction to the early folk history of the Cannabis plant. Amidst an analysis of the historical use of Cannabis by culture and geography, distinctions are made between non-psychoactive hemp and psychoactive Cannabis where appropriate. The scholarly methodology employed in this dissertation is based on the comparative mythological and religious studies approaches of Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade. Recent ethnobotanical, linguistic and archaeological works are brought in to support cultural analysis and comparison. Some archaeological preserves elucidate the role of Cannabis in early human funerary and shamanic practices. In popular culture, Cannabis legalization efforts continue to gain ground. The mythological antecedents to the modern Cannabis movement are explored and analyzed.

Concurrent with Cannabis legalization in the United States is a burgeoning green economy. Recreator Hemp Apparel, the production piece of this dissertation, draws on the author’s mythological studies of the Cannabis plant as inspiration for the branding and marketing of a hemp apparel—or Cannabis lifestyle—brand. The nature of the Recreator business and their Cannabis advocacy demonstrate the applicability of this study to the everyday marketplace in pursuit of a sustainable economy.