Ancient Greek love magic / Christopher A. Faraone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Faraone, Christopher A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Magic, Greek.

Love--Greece--History.

Love.

Sex role--Greece--History.

Sex role.

Sex--Greece--History.

Sex.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii,223p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1999.

Summary:

The ancient Greeks commonly resorted to magic spells to attract and keep lovers. Surveying and analyzing various texts and artifacts, the author reveals that gender is the crucial factor in understanding love spells.

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.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

1 Introduction

2 Spells for Inducing Uncontrollable Passion (Eroōs)

3 Spells for Inducing Affection (Philia)

4 Some Final Thoughts on History, Gender, and Desire

Glossary

Abbreviations

Bibliography

Subject Index

Index of Foreign Words

Index of Passages from Ancient Authors

Index of Magical Texts

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-203) and indexes.

ISBN:

9780674036703

0674036700

OCLC:

923112094