Thus, spells were not just cast upon just anyone in the Renaissance, but on those unions that held special importance. Magic was expensive and was believed to cause severe damage to the caster therefore it was not taken lightly. This was reflected in the adaptation of love magic: while the immediate desire was the act of intercourse itself, it was most often practiced in an attempt for a permanent union such as marriage. Painting from the lower Rhine, 1470–1480, showing love magic, collection of Museum der bildenden Künsteĭuring the later medieval period (14th to 17th century), marriage developed into a central institution for public life. These were the only noted women to use Eros magic for sexual fulfilment. They were financially free, could live where they chose, and were not expected to serve a single man and home. Prostitutes in Hellenistic Greece lived lives that were far more similar to men than women. Prostitutes were the notable minority of women who used eros spells. With limited freedom, women in Hellenistic Greece pursued emotional escape, aiming at more affection producing spells. Eros spells were used to imbue lust and passion into women, compelling them to fulfill the man who invoked the spell's sexual desires. Įros spells were mainly practiced by men and prostitutes served a completely different function in Ancient Greece. Cosmetic surgery could be seen as serving the same purpose as the philia spell in terms of beautification. Parallels can be drawn between philia spells and common medical practice by women today. Women commonly used the philia spells in attempt to preserve their beauty and youth, which in effect would keep their beau faithful. The spells were not used by women to achieve sexual pleasure, but rather as a form of therapy or medicine. Basic beliefs about sexual attitudes in Greece were dismissed by the findings in the philia love spells, potions, and rituals. Philia magic was used by women to keep their male companion at bay and faithful. Several women resorted to philia spells as they believed it retained their beauty and kept peace of mind. As a result, many used any means necessary to maintain their marriages. In marriage, women were powerless, as men were legally permitted to divorce. Women used philia spells because they were more dependent on their husbands. The two types of spells can be connected directly to the gender roles of men and women in Ancient Greece. Christopher Faraone, a University of Chicago Classics professor specializing in texts and practices pertaining to magic, distinguishes between the magic of eros, as practiced by men, and the magic of philia, practiced by women. Erotic magic reflected gender roles in ancient Greece and dismissed modern conceptions about gender roles and sexuality. These magical practices continued to influence private rituals in Gaul among Celtic peoples, in Roman Britain, and among Germanic peoples. Spells of erotic attraction and compulsion are found within the syncretic magic tradition of Hellenistic Greece, which incorporated Egyptian and Hebraic elements, as documented in texts such as the Greek Magical Papyri and archaeologically on amulets and other artifacts dating from the 2nd century BC (and sometimes earlier) to the late 3rd century A.D. Similar rituals are attested in ancient Egypt, for instance on an ostracon dated to the twentieth dynasty (twelfth-eleventh centuries BCE). Cuneiform tablets preserving rituals of erotic magic have been uncovered at Tell Inghara and Isin (present-day Iraq). It is used in the story of Heracles and Deianeira and in Gaetano Donizetti's 1832 opera The Elixir of Love ( L'Elisir d'amore), Richard Wagner's 1865 opera Tristan and Isolde, and Manuel de Falla's 1915 ballet El amor brujo ( The magic of love).Įarly examples love magic derive from the ancient Near East, dating to ca. It is attested to on cuneiform tablets from the ancient Near East, in ancient Egyptian texts, in the Greco- Roman world, the Middle Ages, and up to the present day. Love magic motif is often used in literature, such as fantasy or mythology, and it is believed that it can be implemented in a variety of ways, such as by written spells, dolls, charms, amulets, potions, or rituals. Love magic was an ancient belief that magic can conjure sexual passion or romantic love.
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