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‘Black Magic’ Curse Inscribed Onto Ancient Stone Tablet Found
Stone tablets hidden in the Museum of Bologna's archives may contain a terrible, ancient curse calling a devil-goddess to bind and torment a named victim.
The tablets were hidden in the archives for nearly a century – thought to have been put aside at the start of World War I – and rediscovered in 2009. The tablets are believed to be 1600 years old.
Now a translation has revealed the dark purpose of the slabs – calling a snake-shrouded figure to 'bind' a man who is mummified with his hands tied. He is named as 'Porcellus.'
The tablet calls a snake-shrouded devil-goddess to 'bind' a mummified man – the victim is named as 'Porcellus'
Hecate: The Bologna 'Defixiones' is unusual because of its mixture of terrifying demonic figures and text – and, Natalias, says, could invoke the 'three-formed' goddess Hekate, often seen as the 'mother' of witches
Diagram: Celia Sanchez Natalias, of the University of Zaragoza has interpreted the strange tablets for the first time
Celia Sanchez Natalias, of the University of Zaragoza has translated the strange tablets for the first time.
'In the foreground is a standing barefoot figure, with crossed or tied hands at belly height. On his
chest are a magic sign while in the genital area is an eight-pointed star,' she says.
'Sinuous snakes emerge threateningly from the side of his crowned head. Below, lying down, mummified and with his hands tied, or at least crossed, is the victim of the curse, perfectly recognisable because of the inscription running down both arms, which reads: Porcellus.'
Carving curses into tablets was a common practice in the ancient world – with lead tablets used in some areas, and stone in others.
The Bologna 'Defixiones' is unusual because of its mixture of terrifying demonic figures and text – and, Natalias, says, could invoke the 'three-formed' goddess Hekate, often seen as the 'mother' of witches.
The first figure, with snakes streaming out of his/her head, and a crown is thought to be the demon – or goddess – who is being called on to carry out the curse.
'The deity of the Bologna curse is barefoot and has a magic sign on the breast – and also has an eight-point star in its genital area,' says Natalias.
The star is almost unique – but other features such as the snakes make an identification with the Goddess Hecate tempting.
She must have green skin