Legends & Lore: Toadstools

July 19, 2008 on 8:00 am | In Creatures & Legends | No Comments

I’ve always wondered where the word “toadstool” comes from. It turns out that the words toadstool an mushroom have been used interchangably for many, many years. However, most people seem to think of poisonous fungi as toadstools and the edible ones as mushrooms. Of course, it’s my no means settled. I assume different areas of the country or parts of the world will see it differently.

The Wiki entry on the subject conjectures that the word toadstool came from the association of poisonous toads with the poisonous fungi. I prefer to think of what I call the “Thumbelina” explanation. Even toads need a place to sit, don’t they? ;-)

Perhaps because of my visits to the Netherlands, I tend to associate the red toadstools with white dots with gnomes and fairies. It makes perfect sense to me that a frog prince would sit on a toadstool while holding court with his subjects of the forest. How about you?

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