The practice of magic was widespread in the ancient Mediterranean during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While magic was discouraged back then and sometimes even punished, it thrived all the same. Authorities publicly condemned it but tended to ignore its powerful hold.
Erotic spells were a popular form of magic. Professional magic practitioners charged fees for writing erotic charms, making enchanted dolls (sometimes called poppets), and even directing curses against rivals in love.
Some spells involve making dolls, which were intended to represent the object of desire (usually a woman who was either unaware or resistant to a would-be admirer). Instructions specified how an erotic doll should be made, what words should be said over it, and where it should be placed.
When creating love magic with a doll, the spell-caster believes that whatever action is performed on the doll – be it physical or mental – will be transferred to the human it represents.
The spells that accompanied such dolls and did not have a mild or caring language. Ancient spells were often violent, brutal and without any sense of caution or remorse.
In one major spell involving a doll called the Louvre Doll, the language is both frightening and shocking when a person today reads it. For example, one part of the spell reads:
“Do not allow her to eat, drink, hold out, venture out, or find sleep…” Another part reads: “Drag her by the hair, by the guts, until she no longer scorns me…”
Such language hardly shows any emotion of love or even attraction. Indeed, rather than seeking love, the intention behind the spell suggests seeking control and domination of the woman it is directed at.
Violent language was typical in many of these spells and the intentions could be anything from success in a court case to the rigging of a chariot race. In fact, one research suggests that the more violent the words in the spell, the more powerful and effective it would be.
