A Coptic Mother-in-Law’s Curse
By Ágnes Mihálykó
Adam and Eve were the luckiest couple in the world: neither of them had a mother-in-law! Many of us would heartily agree with this joke – not just in our times, but also in antiquity. Yet, among the many harpies of mother-in-laws, few are as mean as the unnamed Coptic woman who cast a particularly malevolent curse against Tnoute … Read more here.
Ancient Same Sex Love Spells
By Jenny Cromwell
Magic in the ancient world provided one means to help people deal with what life threw at them, whether health, money, or love, among the whole gambit of human day-to-day experiences. Read more here.
How to be Successful in Life (Fourth-Century Style)
By Ágnes Mihálykó
What did a young man in the fourth century CE wish from life? Not much different from what young men today might desire: professional success, favour with others, and, of course, women. Read more here.
Spell to Attract a Woman
By Jenny Cromwell
“For a woman’s love: a really effective charm.
You should write these things on a tin sheet.”
So begins the text of a Coptic magical spell from the 6th/7th century. Read more here.
The Powers of Hell: A Deadly Curse from Medieval Egypt
By Korshi Dosoo
Somewhere in Upper Egypt, around the tenth century CE, someone wanted to destroy a man named Haron. Read more here.
