REPLY1849
Straw Necklaces—Method of keeping Notes, &c.
By F.C.B.
Sir,—As I see this matter is not yet explained, I venture a suggestion. Wheat straw was an emblem of peace among heathen nations; in it the first-fruits brought by Abaris the Hyperborean to Delos were wrapped; and when commerce, or rather trade by barter, had rendered transmission from hand to hand practicable, wheat straw was still used. With the worship of Diana the offering of wheat straw passed over to Thrace, where it was a recognition of that goddess as the patron of chastity. In Judea the wheat harvest was later than that of barley, the Jews therefore offered a sheaf of the latter grain…
Topics: Historical Customs, Wheat Straw Symbolism, Note-taking Methods
Locations: Delos, Thrace, Judea, Egypt, Walsingham