The unknown weapon of the ancient Greeks: the "voodoo dolls"

There are many movies and television series, including documentaries, that illustrate practices and witchcraft with « vudu dolls «.These references make us relate these disturbing dolls to the culture of some areas of Africa and the Caribbean, but did you know that this kind of spells were also performed in the Ancient Greece ?

Black magic in Ancient Greece

Most of us know the pantheon of gods of Ancient Greece, headed by Zeus, who supposedly inhabited Olympus.What we did not know is that, while worshiping these gods, they were realized specific speeches of a magical nature, among them: divination, curses, the manufacture of vudu dolls and the necromancy .Those who practiced it had to be, by force, the first sorcerers and witches in history.

The unknown weapon of the ancient Greeks: the

Is there evidence of these activities?

There are.In the excavations of recent times " tablets of the curse " have been found-like that of Silchester, which the writer Tolkien knew so well-and "vudu dolls" in deposits belonging to Ancient Greece and Rome, Mesopotamia and even Egypt.These objects show that, at times, the men and women of that time decided not to submit to the gods and give a little boost to their destiny, even if it was through black magic.

The voodoo dolls

The voodoo dolls of Ancient Greece were known as " kolossoi " and were usually next to a "curse tablet"-tables in which a curse was written for a specific person-.

These "kolossoi" used to be made of lead, bronze, clay or wax and could have a way that vaguely reminds a person or to be really worked.

The "kolossoi" were placed inside the graves so that the cheers up did what the figures and tablets of curse asked.They could also find themselves in crossroads of roads or walls, in short, border areas that wanted to protect from something.

What were they like?

The target name or victim was used, depending on your intentions, on the «kolossoi» and while it was being manufactured it went through nails Some basic body members such as: the head, eyes, limbs or genitals.

Interestingly, the number of nails with which the figure pierced used to be 13.

The unknown weapon of the ancient Greeks: the

Kolossis , Museum of the Louvre

Every part of the pierced body was "paralyzed", so if you stuck the tips in the eyes, ears and mouth, you left the victim without cognitive abilities.If it was done in the heart and limbs, it was to decrease the strength of the adversary.

Another option was to go around some parts of the doll to incapacitate the target .He usually turned his head to confuse the victim, although he could relate to any part of the body.

These practices give the dolls a really disturbing aspect.

Also, it should be noted that their use could be public-one State sought protection or attack another-or private-attacks or defenses of/towards individuals or families-.

3 types of «kolossoi»

The «kolossoi» were linked to a subject, but the intention with which this was realized link could vary.In this article we differentiate 3 types of link with the Greek «voodoo doll»:

Kolossoi linked to deities: used to restrain the dangerous deities that can cause us harm or favor our enemies.Other times, they tried to attract and dominate the forces of a God or a spirit, to obtain their blessings. Kolossoi linked to spirits and other Hikesoi Apaktoi (hostile visitors) .Since these beings could not be eliminated, the "kolossoi" was used to keep them at bay. Kolossoi linked to your worst enemies. This class of enemies could be sorcerers, who would have cursed someone or an ordinary enemy.In cases where the enemy is unknown-they have cursed you but you don't know who it has been-two "kolossoi" were used: one of a man and another of a woman.When the goal was a large number of people, for example an army, three "kolossoi" were used.

The "kolossoi" could also be used to link the members of a oath and have erotic goals , in that case, it was sought to curb infidelities, foster infatuation or eliminate a rival from competition.

The unknown weapon of the ancient Greeks: the

How did they get rid of these curses?

Often, only the gods could undo the links with the «kolossoi».The best thing the victim or subject could do was pray and make a sacrifice to the gods and, if possible, to those who had "linked".Another option was to find your "kolossoi" and release it yourself.? Removing the nails and/or turning its members to restore normality in his body.

If you are interested in the customs of the Ancient world, you may want to know the history of kisses in Ancient Rome.

Images: Hadley Paul Garland, Reinhold BehringerKaty Ereira

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