The Mythology of Salt

The Importance and Mythology of Salt

History:
The roman statesman and scholar Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodor got to the crux of the matter in just one sentence: “One can live without gold but not without salt”. And so, since then, salt was coined `the white gold´, a great treasure. In ancient Egypt only the pharaohs were allowed to use salt as a sacrificial offering. Roman soldiers were paid with salt. The old term `salary´ (sale – salt) was and still is in use and in German territories the coin “Heller” (Celtic: hall = salt) was a currency. Marco Polo travelled through a province in old China, where his gold was exchanged for salt coins. Many place names, like Hallstatt, Hallein and Salzburg are related to salt mining and trading. From these locations a network of `salt roads´ were already woven hundreds of years before Christ, connecting market towns and cities, where the most precious and expensive `spice´ was traded.

Mythology and tradition:
Salt was a symbol of life, luck, wealth and health. The sharing of salt with others imparts the wish to share luck as well as symbolize friendship. Also alliances, like marriage, were sealed with salt and until today, the tradition of welcoming a guest with bread, salt and wine is still practiced. In essence, this signifies the desire to connect body (bread), soul (wine) and spirit (salt). In all myths from ancient to the modern times, across the Mediterranean and up to the northern territories the same basic convictions concerning salt can be found: It has the capacity to protect, to clean and to heal.

Protection:
On all important occasions in life, like birth, baptising, weddings, journeys, funerals or even during meals and before bedtime, salt was vigorously scattered and spread as a protection against witchcraft and ill-meant spells. Worried mothers hid salt in the clothing of their daughters before they went out, to prevent them from having any dealings with men. Salt was also spread over building foundation pits and before moving in, sprinkled inside new houses or stables. When thrown out of the window it was believed to prevent the onset of thunderstorms. Greeks and Romans used saline water for blessings, protection and defensive charms. In the middle ages they thought it could banish demons, so it was used in the Catholic and Protestant Rite. Salt has always been seen to be sacred and as a symbol of protection and a guarantor for luck and wealth. To spill it accidentally meant bad luck. To spread it consciously or to throw it over the shoulder, brought good fortune and helped protect the people from harm.

Cleaning:
To clear the atmosphere of a house from strife and discord it has been common practice to draw a circle of salt around the building or simply spread salt in the parlour and then sweep it out. Also the souls of the deceased should be freed from their attachment to the earthly existence by the usage of salt. To facilitate a peaceful dying process of a relative, salt was spread into the hearth fire. This supposedly helped the dying one to say goodbye and find their way to heaven.
Aside from that it was also used to help let go of fears, sorrows and depressions.

Healing:
The special preserving property of salt, preventing dead stuff from decaying and disintegrating, lead to the assumption, that it must have special life-giving powers. Already the Germanic peoples saw in the salt the otherwise unlikely connection of fire and water, two contrasting elements. Therefore, salt to them was a divine substance that required no mediator. In Germanic lore, salt mines were conceptually ` near-heaven-locations´ and ritual places which enhanced prayers; wishes could be fulfilled and diseases healed. This basic idea turns up again in the middle ages, where salt was called `transmitter of divine blessing´ and in Christian baptizing rites, where `salt of wisdom´ is mentioned. Concerning superstitions, salt was also used for disease oracles: When salt in the hands of a person who entered the sickroom became quickly humid, it was said to be a bad sign, the disease would not be curable. When the salt stayed dry, a speedy recovery was sure. Salt was the all round healing remedy for many types of illnesses. It was used for baths, foot baths, scrubs, cleansing washes and for the disinfecting of wounds. Internally taken, it helped in cases of fainting and dizziness; externally it was used to cure pruritus, ulcers and rashes. Saline foot baths were also used against head aches, absent menstruation and impotence. Carried on the body in a little pouch, it was supposed to hinder infections.
Used in meals it was supposed to help against home or love sickness; this might be the root of the old adage, `a cook in love over salts the meal ´.