Ah yes, Beets and Mangel-Wurzels, a rich source of myth and story, there was a series of children's books I recall fondly about a scarecrow that comes to life by the name of Worzel Gummidge, (his face was carved from one of these vegetables).
There is a body of old folk belief that claims the beet was an intermediate stage in the life cycle of insects: the bees shedding their wings, hibernating as beets, then emerging in the spring as beetles. The sequence of Bee, Beet and Beetle is still a staple, often emerging from the undergrowth of old English wordplay and a real return to the roots of our culture.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2006-10-15 05:02 pm (UTC)There is a body of old folk belief that claims the beet was an intermediate stage in the life cycle of insects: the bees shedding their wings, hibernating as beets, then emerging in the spring as beetles. The sequence of Bee, Beet and Beetle is still a staple, often emerging from the undergrowth of old English wordplay and a real return to the roots of our culture.