Making Mandrake Roots

I think just about everyone knows the screaming baby mandrake roots from the Harry Potter series. But, the lore of the mandrake spans back thousands (Yes! Thousands!!!) of years.

My first brush with the mandrake was in a book of witches on my mothers bookshelf. Those creepy little human shaped roots were the pinnacle of magical herbalism in my young mind.

Mandrake is mentioned in the Bible as a fertility aid. In Roman times there was a ritual in which the harvester would swear, being as rude and lewd as possible whilst gathering the roots. It was during Medieval times that the idea of a nasty screaming root became popularized. It has been used for everything from an aphrodisiac, hallucinogen, anesthetic, poison, to lucky charm. It is far more than a prop from a fictional film series.

The mandrake has a long, complex lore that any weird history nut would find fascinating.

I've made many little mandrake roots over the years and now I'm sharing my process for creating grumpy potted mandrakes so you can make them too.

Pop over to my YouTube channel for a full walkthrough (just forgive the abysmal lighting, I'm working on improving my set-up). You can find the video HERE.

Supply list:

• Sculpy II (feel free to substitute with your preferred material)

• Aluminum foil

• Clay pot

• Acrylic paints

• Faux leaves 

• Glue

• Mosses (real and fake)