Did you know that magic was a part of the religion of ancient Greece?
Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia! My name is Kelly, and today's video is all about
magic in the culture and religion of ancient Greece. We are going to have a look at the goddess
of magic and witchcraft, Hecate, and two of the best-known sorceresses from Greek mythology,
Circe and Medea. Don't forget, the easiest way to support us is by giving this video a thumbs up,
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When considering magic in the ancient world and the practice of magic in the everyday lives of
the ancient Greeks and also the Romans, we aren't talking about magic in the sense that
we would think of it today. Instead, magic encompassed a whole range of practices,
including prayers, curse tablets, enhancing drugs, deadly poisons, amulets and love potions.
There was no clear separation between concepts like magic, superstition, religion,
science or astrology in ancient Greece, as there is in the modern world and probably the best way
to understand the role of magic in their society would be as unsanctioned religious activity. Magic
wasn't something only for the wealthy but those who were poor or illiterate still had access to
some form of magic, whether that be to curse to protect or to attract good luck or someone you
loved. A common form of magic was the amulet, and this would be worn around the neck or wrists. The
amulets from ancient Greece can be divided into roughly two categories: the talismans that were
believed to bring good luck and the phylacteries which were for protection. An amulet could be
worn for a particular purpose such as to cure an ailment, to protect the wearer from any bad magic
sent their way, to attract a lover or to even win a sporting competition. These amulets could be
made out of various materials like bone, stone, wood or less commonly, semi-precious stones.
In addition to amulets that you could wear, they could also be small pieces of metal or
papyrus with spells written on them or even just herbs carried in a small container or pouch.
There were also favourable shapes that the amulets could take the form of,
including knots, a phallus or vulva, a small hand making an obscene gesture,
an eye (sometimes known as the evil eye), or an Egyptian scarab. To make them work though,
you had to invoke the gods who gave them power, especially the goddess of magic Hecate,
and you also would have had to utter certain words that were believed to have magical powers.
Although it is more common for women to be sorceresses and witches in mythology with popular
figures like Hecate, Circe and Medea, this doesn't mean that women were more likely to turn to magic
in real life than men. Cursed tablets were a popular form of magic in Greco-Roman society,
often invoking a deity to harm someone, and there is evidence of men using this form
of magic as well as love spells and spells to curse someone who had rejected their advances.
In addition to curse tablets, there are also wax or clay figurines which could resemble the victim
of the intended curse and examples of these figures have had their limbs twisted or bound,
and sometimes they were stuck with nails or even buried in a miniature-led coffin.
When you move from a study of ancient Greek society and their understanding of magic to
their religion, which we call mythology today, you start to see more modern ideas of magic
with spells that turn people to animals and potions and concoctions that can harm and kill.
The deity most closely associated with magic is the goddess of magic herself, Hecate.
She is not only the mother of or related to many sorceresses and witches in Greek mythology but she
would often be invoked by figures from mythology as they enact some kind of magic ritual or spell.
Those performing rituals to the goddess of magic, the moon, the night and ghosts would offer her
food at crossroads, road junctions and any sort of boundary or threshold. She would also have dogs
and puppies sacrificed to her, and these offerings would be made during the night of a new moon.
In some Greek myths, Hecate is the mother of Circe and Medea, two powerful sorceresses
following in the footsteps of their mother. Circe is best known from Homer's "Odyssey" when
Odysseus and his men end up on the mythical island of Aeaea, the home of the sorceress,
and it doesn't take long for Circe to show her magical skill in illusion and transmutation when
she promptly turns Odysseus' men into pigs. Odysseus, with the help of Hermes and their
own little bit of magic, is able to stop his own transformation and eventually have his men
transformed back. In Roman mythology, Ovid tells us of how the sea god Glaucus loved the beautiful
nymph Scylla but she fled from his attempts to woo her. Enraged, Glaucus travelled to the magic
Halls of Circe where he hoped for a spell or magic herb that would cause Scylla to feel the
same pain of love as he. Circe responded that it would be better if he stopped wasting his efforts
on someone who did not love him and instead were someone who was willing, namely herself,
but Glaucus ignorantly spurned the powerful sorceress' advances saying he would sooner
love someone other than Scylla than when seaweed would grow on the hills or green leaves grow
in the sea. Since Circe still loved the god, she took out her rage at his rejection on his beloved
instead of him. She filled the bay Scylla lay in with deforming drugs and spoke the words of
an incantation that transformed the nymph into a monster with canines for legs and gaping jaws.
Circe's sister and sometimes her niece in different versions, Medea, is also seen to
dabble in the field of magic and sorcery. Medea is best known from the tale of Jason and the
Argonauts as the only reason why Jason ended up getting the Golden Fleece in the first place.
When Jason arrived at Colchis, where the Golden Fleece was kept by its King Aietes,
he was told he could have the fleece if he completed a few dangerous tasks, including plowing
a field using fire-breathing bulls, sowing some dragon's teeth and then fighting the monsters that
arose from the field. The only way Jason was able to do any of these things is because Medea, the
daughter of Aietes, gave him a potion that would make him invulnerable to both fire and steel.
After the adventure of Jason and the Golden Fleece came to an end, Medea and Jason lived
happily with their two children until Jason became captivated by Glauke, the daughter of King Kreon
of Corinth. In a jealous rage, Medea killed the two children she had with Jason and then Glauke
with the poisoned robe and crown and then fled Corinth on a flying chariot pulled by dragons.
If there's one lesson to be learned from both Circe and Medea, it's that you never want to be
on the bad side of a sorceress. Can you think of other sorceresses from world mythology? Let
us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up
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