An Incident of Magic in Heroides 20 and 21

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Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides

Abstract

This paper examines the love-affair of Acontius and Cydippe narrated by Callimachus (Aet. frs.75-6) and Ovid (Her. 20-21) as a literary example of ancient magic which reflects the increasing flow of knowledge about Near Eastern magic during Augustan Rome. The tale has been often interpreted as a metaphor for the lover’s wish to exercise control over his mistress. However, alongside this established reading, the tale is rife with motifs found in contemporary magical spells performed to secure erotic favour. Here I argue that Ovid, unconcerned with modern categorisations of ancient magic according to which violent, black magic spells are differentiated from prayers calling for justice, fused the language of binding spells and judicial prayers to heighten the magical efficacy of his poems, which function as spells. Ovid’s use of magic corresponds to the development of magical traditions in ancient Mesopotamia where incantation prayers are increasingly incorporated in the so-called love lyrics, erotic literature which became especially popular in the first millennium BCE. A comparison of Ovid’s Heroides with one of our surviving love lyrics reveals Mesopotamian magic as an important, albeit neglected, source of influence for Roman elegy.

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