Ancient Greek Love Magic

The ancient Greeks commonly resorted to magic spells to attract and keep lovers - as numerous allusions in Greek literature and recently discovered "voodoo dolls", magical papyri, gemstones, and curse tablets attest. Surveying and analyzing these various texts and artefacts, the author reveals that gender is a crucial factor in understanding love spells. He argues that there are two types of love magic: the curselike charms used primarily by men to torture unwilling women with fiery and maddening passion until they surrender sexually; and the binding spells and debilitating potions generally used by women to sedate angry or philandering husbands and make them more affectionate. The author's analysis of these spells also yields a number of insights about the construction of gender in antiquity. Most significantly, his findings challenge the modern view that all Greek men considered women to be naturally lascivious.