Ancient Greek Love Magic

Ancient Athens was so brilliant that their art work,
political theory, and philosophy still set our standards of

with lust. Philia spells, usually used by social inferiors,
are intended to keep mates interested, to rekindle

excellence. But along with Greek glory went mistreatment of
large groups of people, relegated not just to second class,

affection, and to make the socially superior more loving, as
when Deianeira fatally tried to rekindle Herakles' passion

but to no citizen class at all. The largest of these groups
was women, whom, we are taught, the men in power feared, if

by giving him a tunic dipped in a supposed love potion.
Generally, the spells fall along gender lines, with most of

not despised. Our impression of Athenian misogyny is based
on literature and mythology, from Hesiod to Aristotle. But

the philia spells performed by women on men. Of 80 surviving
agoge spells, only 7 were used by women to attract men.

what about the women? Did they reciprocate by being
misandrists? Do we know? In Ancient Greek Love Magic,

Were Women Locked in the Women's Quarters?

Christopher A. Faraone looks at evidence from erotic charms,
spells and potions to form a mixed picture of what relations

The traditional misogynist model is based on women being
locked inside the women's quarter, yet the spells aimed at

between the sexes were really like.
How Lustful Were Ancient Greek Women?

getting women out of the house and into the bed of the
would-be lover, have no effect on the women's guardians. If

In Ancient Greece, some men seem to have despised/feared

sufficiently motivated, the lusted-after woman would simply
walk out on her own. Faraone suggests women were not locked

their women because of the their supposedly unquenchable
lust. Semonides captures this in his caricatures of women as

in, but had free egress from their homes. That they stayed
with their parents means they wished to. The agoge spells

descendants of such animals as dogs, donkeys, pigs, and
weasels. However, if women were truly so rapacious or men so

were designed to break down this filial attachment.
Charms Used in Spells

disinterested, what would Lysistrata's sex strike have
accomplished? And how could Faraone compile more than 70

Agoge spells sometimes used effigies of the victim. The man

spells by men to make women lustful?

would burn these pin-studded dolls while he asked the
appropriate deity (mostly, Pan, Eros, Hekate, and Aphrodite)

Faraone says the ancient Greek world had misogynists and
misandrists side-by-side. In the misandrist model, it's the

to make the victim burn with enough passion to reject her
parents and join him. Sometimes a determined would-be lover

men who are out of control, violent, and cruel, while the
women, contrary to Semonides et al., are controlled, sedate,

procured a iunx bird. This small, supposedly sexually
rapacious bird would be affixed to an instrument of torture

and reluctant to have intercourse. Most of the spells
Faraone examines relate more to the misandrist than the

(a wheel) where, with the right incantations, it would
transfer it's sexuality to the human victim. One instance of

misogynist outlook.
Types of Spells: Agoge and Philia

a iunx spell comes from Theocritus Idyll II where it's a
woman who calls on the iunx to bring her man to her home.

There are two basis categories of spells, agoge and philia.

Philia spells, whose goal wasn't to wrench someone away from

Agoge spells are used by those in socially superior
positions who wish to attract their inferiors and lead them

home and loved ones, but to temper or restore kindly
feelings, tended to be more benign, using potions and

away from their families. The type of love involved is eros,
rather than agape or philia (love for friends and family).

ointments rather than effigies. Still, a potion made too
strong would have more deleterious effects than a vicarious

Eros is described as "ballistic," in a literal and
figurative sense: literally, the god Eros shoots lust-arrows

burning spell. Perhaps the most well known philia spell to
backfire was the ointment Deianeira spread on Heracles'

or men throw charmed love apples at their victims;
figuratively, in that women are supposed to be driven mad

garment when she was trying to win back the affection she
saw drifting away from her and to a new woman (Iole).