Apologies for the …..wall of text. Pretty simple connect though. All answers have inspired something. What is it?
The first known mention of the word was in the third century AD in a book called Liber Medicinalis by the physician to the roman emperor Caracalla, who prescribed that malaria sufferers wear an amulet containing the word written in the form of a triangle. This, he explained, diminishes the hold over the patient of the spirit of the disease.
It was used as a magical formula by the Gnostics in invoking the aid of beneficent spirits against disease and misfortune. It is found on Abraxas stones which were worn as amulets. It was probably derived either from Hebrew or Aramaic language (אברא כדברי) meaning “I will create as my words“. Londoners posted the word on their doorways to ward off sickness during the Great Plague of London. Aleister Crowley regarded it as possessing great power.
X is well known as a flower found in a few rain forests in Southeast Asia, although it breaks many of the rules we associate with flowering plants. Its members have no leaves, stems or visible roots. The only visible feature that they have in common with other flowering plants is the flower itself… and even that is only in bloom for brief periods of time. For the rest of the time, the only evidence of the plant’s existence is a closed-up, dark-colored bud.
They can’t photosynthesize as they are parasites. Their roots have evolved into appendages called haustoria, which burrow into the tissue of other plants and suck out nutrients.
In addition, the flowers give off an extremely pungent smell similar to rotten meat. They seem to resemble rotting flesh visually, too. This is to attract flies for pollination instead of butterflies.
In medieval times, cotton plants were depicted as strange half-plant, half-sheep hybrids. Likewise, one popular view of Xs was that they represented a sort of intermediate stage between plants and humans as their roots are very thick and are often forked in a way that makes them resemble a human torso and legs. This led to myths that Xs were a primitive form of humans.
They are very poisonous and produce a class of chemicals (and its most potent variety), which interfere with the nervous systems of humans and other animals. The plants most likely evolved these chemicals as a defense against being eaten, but in sufficiently small quantities, they can be used for medicinal purposes, ranging from asthma to Parkinson’s disease, while in ancient times they were mostly used as a form of anesthetic, since disrupting the activity of the nervous system does have the effect of numbing pain.
Once upon a time, there was a priest who maintained a temple. The priest kept a cat, and though he was very poor, he would often share his food with it. One day, though, the priest found that there was no food left, and in his hunger, he shouted at the cat: “I’ve always fed you in spite of my poverty, so couldn’t you do something for this temple for once?” The cat got up and wandered out of the temple.
As it happened, the lord of the district was out riding near the temple at the time. It started to rain heavily, prompting him to take shelter beneath a tree. He then noticed the cat sitting in front of the temple, _________ to him. The cat’s behavior puzzled him, and so he approached it with interest. As he walked, a bolt of lighting struck the tree he had been underneath and brought it crashing down. It had saved his life.
He picked it up and rushed into the temple. When he discovered that the priest was the owner of the cat, he was filled with gratitude. The temple was adopted as his family temple, and went from being dilapidated to a place of splendor.
One of the primary reasons the fish is symbolic in Japanese culture is because it is known for swimming upstream no matter what the conditions are. These fish are even said to swim up waterfalls. This is viewed as an absolute show of power because they will continue to swim upstream as if on a mission. Their swimming downstream is considered bad luck.
According to Japanese legend, if a X fish succeeded in climbing the falls at a point on the Yellow River, it would be transformed into a Y. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
Another legend states that the X climb the waterfall bravely, and if they are caught, they face their death on the cutting board bravely like a samurai.