They may give us stinky breath but we still eat them all the time. Raw or cooked today's subject is onions.
It is thought by some that snakes don't like the smell of onions so to protect against snakes one superstition says to carry a raw onion in you hands. Girls used to use them to make decisions about their future husband. They would carve the names of suitors into onions ( one name per onion) and sit the onions in a corner. The one that sprouted first would give them their answer. You could also see your future partner by placing a onion under your pillow as you sleep. Onions are also sometimes used to help drive illnesses away.
In Egypt the onion was seen as a symbol of eternal do to it's circles within circles type structure. They were used in funeral offerings and sometimes placed in the tombs with mummies. Egyptian leaders were said to take oaths of office with their right hand on onions. In ancient Greece athletes would use onions to fortify themselves before Olympic Games. In Turkish legend the onion appeared where Satan's right foot was placed when he was cast out of heaven.
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My Journal of Fantasy
This is a collection of information I have gathered on creatures and things in legends and lore.