Ancient Greek Love MagicHarvard University Press, 30.06.2009 - 240 Seiten 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 artifacts, Christopher Faraone reveals that gender is the crucial factor in understanding love spells. There are, he argues, two distinct 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. Faraone's lucid analysis of these spells also yields a number of insights about the construction of gender in antiquity, for example, the femininity of socially inferior males and the maleness of autonomous prostitutes. Most significantly, his findings challenge the widespread modern view that all Greek men considered women to be naturally lascivious. Faraone reveals the existence of an alternate male understanding of the female as naturally moderate and chaste, who uses love magic to pacify and control the naturally angry and passionate male. This fascinating study of magical practices and their implications for perceptions of male and female sexuality offers an unusual look at ancient Greek religion and society. |
Inhalt
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 Spells for Inducing Uncontrollable Passion Eros | 41 |
3 Spells for Inducing Affection Philia | 96 |
4 Some Final Thoughts on History Gender and Desire | 132 |
Glossary | 175 |
Abbreviations | 179 |
Bibliography | 183 |
205 | |
213 | |
217 | |
221 | |
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agÃgÁ spells agōgē spell amulets ancient Greek ancient Greek love anger aphrodisiac Aphrodite appear apple Aristophanes Athenian Athens binding spell Burkert burning century b.c.e. chthonic Classical courtesans culture curses defixiones Deianeira describes discussion effect effigy Egypt Egyptian epikleros erÃs Eros erotic magic erotic spells Euripides example extant fact Faraone female victim frag gemstones gender goddess Graf Greece Greek love magic Greek magical Greek tradition handbook Hecate Helios Hellenistic Hera Heracles Hesiod hexametrical Homeric husband Hymn Idyll images incantation inscribed iunx spell kestos kestos himas Kotansky later love charms love magic love potions love spells Magical Papyri magical spells male marriage Medea passion Petropoulos pharmakon philia philia magic Philoneus philtra philtron Pindar Pliny Plutarch popular practitioner prayer psuche recipe ritual Roman saturion scholars Simaetha similar So-and-so social Socrates Sophocles suggests texts Theocritus Theodote Theophrastus torture verb Versnel Winkler woman women word Zeus
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