This poisonous plant gives an evil grin to the dead, here's how

Time of India

27-05-2025

Some expressions, like 'butterflies in the stomach' or 'cold feet,' have curious origins based upon human experience. But others carry with them a far more chilling past. And one among these is the term 'sardonic grin,' for example, one might conjure up images of comic book villains or horror movie killers, but its history is no laughing matter.
In fact, this unsettling expression stretches back thousands of years to the ancient Mediterranean world, with connections not just to language, but to death, poison, and even ritual mercy killings.
The word comes as a combinational idiom and a facial expression tied deeply to actual, historical suffering. The term has been preserved for millennia, not because it was pleasant or poetic, but because it was so disturbingly memorable.
This has now turned into a metaphor for evil smiles and scary laughter. In fact, the sardonic grin was once the final expression worn by victims of deadly rituals.
What is the 'sardonic grin' ?
The origins of the 'sardonic grin' trace back to ancient Sardinia, where a deadly plant known as water-dropwort, a form of hemlock, was commonly found. This toxic herb caused paralysis and a twisted, involuntary smile, and this effect was so unsettling that it eventually gave rise to the term 'sardonic,' derived from the island's name.
by Taboola
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As noted by modern botanist Mauro Ballero and referenced in historical texts by Plato, the herb's effects were well known in the ancient world. The poisonous dropwort caused victims' muscles to contract tightly, resulting in an unnatural grin and full-body immobility. Assassins often exploited this effect, 'One drop of the poisonous hemlock water-dropwort was enough to completely incapacitate the target,' notes the article from Ancient Origins.
'The victim's muscles would grow taut… the face would remain like that.'
This plant was also used for mercy killings
But this herb wasn't used only for targeted killings. The Phoenicians of Sardinia reportedly used it during forced 'mercy killings' of the elderly.
According to ancient records, there were times when the elderly were unknowingly poisoned and then killed through more direct, often brutal methods. The poison left a frozen, eerie grin on their faces, a grim expression that may have been misread as peace or even approval.
As uneasy as it sounds, this expression likely gave 'the illusion of gratitude to the euthanizers,' hiding what may have been anything but a willing farewell.
There's no definitive evidence on how willingly the elders accepted their fate. Some scholars believe younger generations used the practice to gain land or inheritance, adding another layer of moral complexity.
Beyond Sardinia, hemlock was also used in Greece for executions, most famously in the case of philosopher Socrates.
In his case, the poison alone proved fatal.
Today, the sardonic grin is more commonly linked to certain medical conditions like tetanus or strychnine poisoning. Yet its legacy lingers in literature and conversation, describing a smile that's more grimace than joy, as forced, eerie, and ultimately rooted in a very real and ancient form of death.