Garlic has become such a staple of our kitchens that that its extraordinary reputation and history is easy to miss. For thousands of years, this little a pungent bulb that has been associated with food and medicine, protection, strength, purification, supernatural danger, and the even the very boundary between the life and death.
In the 21st century, it seems so odd to think a vegetable of all things could win such acclaim and become an icon of so many protective beliefs. And sure, we may throw out the vampire and garlic joke, but there is so much more. European, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures had already given it unusual symbolic and ritualistic importance. It was a staple of ancient remedies, religious customs, offerings, protective talismans, and stories or tales about the evil eye and witchcraft.
With so many different cultures in play, garlic folklore is not a singular shared belief between every culture. We are talking about a family of traditions that either developed independently or ended up influencing another over centuries. In some places, garlic might be seen as representative of protection and vitality. In others, that powerful smell we know and love (or hate) made it shunned in certain religious or ascetic practices.
Why Is Garlic Associated With Protection?
Garlic’s reputation as a protective tool cannot really be traced to a singular origin or belief. There are no doubt certain playing factors that made this a seemingly common belief. Garlic is known for its powerful, strong smell, noticeable physical effects, long-lasting shelf life, and ancient culinary use and folk medicinal use. These, combined together, probably made garlic seem powerful, and if it was believed to protect the body from illness, it may have gained a reputation for protection from magickal dangers.
Though, it is worth noting that this distinction was not always clear. Our understanding of infections, disease, and illness are far more advanced than those of ancient societies. Since they didn’t have the same modern understanding of health, it can certainly appear that illness could be physical, spiritual, supernatural, or a mix of all three.
Keeping that in mind, garlic evolved into what folklorists call an apotropaic object. This means it is a protective item meant to repel harmful influences. For instance, in European cultures, garlic would be used against all sorts of dangers. These ranged from evil eyes and curses to hostile spirits, witches, werewolves, and, of course, vampires.
Garlic in Ancient History
As we have established, garlic folklore is extremely old, and its importance predates vampire stories by thousands of years. It is one of the oldest cultivated crops, allowing us to see what the ancient Egyptians and Indian sources said about it, not to mention Babylonians and ancient Chinese societies. One thing is clear, though: by antiquity, garlic was used for food, medicine, rituals, and had strong symbolic importance.
Ancient Egypt has an immensely important place in the history of garlic folklore. Though, we need to be careful, as modern sometimes overstate what historical sources say and establish.
Garlic had a rich reputation in ancient Egypt, and it appears all sorts of culinary discussions as well as medicinal. Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist, wrote about Egyptians and garlic, claiming they invoked garlic and onions in oaths, describing them with what would appear to be almost deifying language. This is often erroneously simplified to this: Egyptians “worshipped garlic.” In reality, Pliny writes that another Roman author believed that garlic and onions were sacred for ancient Egyptian oaths, but this doesn’t mean garlic itself was seen as god-like.
Now, of course, various ancient medical traditions used garlic to treat illnesses and ailments. This reputation would stick and become a common theme for garlic folklore in later centuries.
It’s in ancient Greece where we see other interesting developments. Garlic became associated with Hecate, goddess of the crossroads and, in later traditions, magic and witchcraft. Garlic, along with other foods, would be placed at crossroads, where ancient Greeks believed Hecate would be, known as Hecate Suppers. An offering of garlic at a crossroads would appease the goddess. Garlic’s protective acumen was not only found with Hecate but also wherever a crime might have been committed.
Now, crossroads were powerful very symbolic locations, as they were seen as places of transition, and Hecate became particularly associated with intersections.
Garlic as a Symbol of Strength and Courage
Garlic also developed a reputation for enhancing, or being a symbol of, physical strength, endurance, and courage. This meant garlics would be associated with soldiers, athletes, and workers. This is commonly associated with the common claim of Roman soldiers eating garlic before marching to battle. It also commonly appeared where someone wanted to become tougher or harder to exhaust. They might also eat it to ward off poisons.
Garlic, the Evil Eye, and Witchcraft
Another common thread for garlic being protective in European, and especially Mediterranean, folklore was protection against the Evil Eye, which refers to the belief that someone’s hostile, envious, or even admiring stare could bring misfortune or harm. Customs and beliefs around the Evil Eye varied a lot between areas, and many protective amulets and prayers were commonly used to fight it.
This belief wasn’t just limited to the Evil Eye. It was commonly said garlic could repel harmful spells, demons, or witches. Where the tradition varies a lot is how to invoke it. Some might say garlic must be carried on the body or just kept in the home. Others would say it needs to be placed near entrances or used with talismans. This explains a rather important part of garlic folklore: protection was first and vampires came later.
It’s clear that garlic has such a long and vast history, it seems odd to zero in on vampires specifically.
Now, it is important to note that European vampire folklore was not monolithic. There was immense variety between regions. Plus, garlic wasn’t the only thing people could use for protection against vampires. For instance, crosses, religious objects as a whole, and wild roses were other options.
So, why do we associate garlic with vampires? We could have associated them with witches or the devil.
There isn’t a single explanation that covers everything. A rather strong theory, however, is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, where garlic is repeatedly used to fight the vampire. Dracula is, undoubtedly, the most influential vampire story in modern history. So, if Bram Stoker had instead written about a witch, is it possible we would associate garlic with witches instead? It certainly could have happened that way. It’s important to note that Bram Stoker wasn’t inventing the garlic-vampire myth, just working it into his fiction, which ended up being a major influence on how we perceive vampires to this day. So, when he wrote about it, the average reader would have likely understood that garlic was a protective tool against the supernatural.
Garlic in Korean Mythology
But let’s move on from European myth for a moment. What about other parts of the world Interestingly, it has a major part in Korea’s Dangun founding legend.
The myth goes like this: A bear and a tiger wish to become human. Hwanung, the legendary founder of Korea’s first kingdom, bestows upon them garlic and mugwort. Hwanung instructs the bear and tiger to avoid sunlight for one hundred days, only surviving on the sacred garlic and mugwort. However, the tiger gives up only after twenty days. The bear, however, pushes through the challenge and is transformed into a woman named Ungnyeo. Soon after, she becomes sad and begs for a child, offering many prayers and offerings to Hwanung, who is touched by the prayers and takes her as a wife. She later gives birth to Dangun, the legendary founder of Gojoseon.
Now, it’s pretty clear that garlic has a different meaning and purpose here than it does in vampire folklore. It doesn’t repel evil or monsters, it’s a core part of an endurance test.
Is Garlic Always Considered Spiritually Protective?
The short answer is: No.
In Hindu belief, they may be considered Tamsic (instills lethargy) and Rajasic (instills passion), and so it is avoided by some. This is also true for Buddhism. Since they might be seen as excessively stimulating, it can be considered unsuitable for spiritual concentration. That does not mean “Hindus and Buddhists cannot eat garlic.” The dietary traditions here are immensely diverse.
Conclusion – Garlic in Folklore
Garlic became the silver bullet to supernatural harm for various cultures. It has become an icon of protection against vampires, witches, the devil, and more. Although it may cured you of everything, garlic actually does have various health benefits. So, maybe they were onto something.
For ancient cultures, garlic was not just food. It was a kind of medicine and shield you could grow to fight against evil and illness.