The Human Body and the Plant World: Mutual Relations of the Codes

Abstract

The article analyses reflections of the anthropomorphic code in the
plant code of traditional Slavonic culture. There exist: 1) the language
level (using body parts names in phytonyms); 2) the folklore level
(aetiological stories about the genesis of plants from the human body);
and 3) the level of ritual (using body parts to influence the plants, rules
and taboos concerning planting). Plants are also used to influence the
human body (usually in folk medicine) on the basis of similarity of their
parts.