The Ancient Greek Curse Tablets People Used Against Their Enemies

Have you ever wished something bad would happen to that one awful co-worker or the neighbor who lets their dog poop in your yard? Or has the idea of a voodoo doll ever sounded promising after a fight with a certain family member? If so, you'd be in good company with the ancient Greeks, who might have prayed to the gods for blessings, but also performed rituals asking other gods to curse their enemies.

In Ancient Greece, it was common practice to curse an enemy using magic or the dark arts. They didn't use dolls or effigies to curse people; instead, they wrote spells on lead sheets, hoping to bind the person who had crossed them. These curse tablets were used for all sorts of different reasons, from responding to minor inconveniences to full-on vengeance.

Curse Tablets

The ancient Greeks used small, thin, metal plates to inscribe religious texts. These plates were called lamellas (Latin for "thin plate or scale"). For sacred purposes, gold was most often used, but when calling upon the Underworld gods, the lamella was made of lead. A spell or curse would be inscribed on the lead before it was folded and a nail was driven through the center.

The spell almost always included the word "bind," but you could also add in a plea to destroy, kill, attack, etc. People asked to bind the tongues of the opposing legal team in court cases, bind the legs of an athlete to trip up during a game, or to bind the enemy's soul to the underworld. A lamella was even found asking to bind a woman's body to the man in "unending intercourse," proving that incels have always existed. At least he realized being with him was truly a curse.

The Ritual

It wasn't enough just to write the binding spell on a sheet of lead. There was an entire ritual to make sure your words were heard. After folding the sheet and driving a nail through it, you had to place it in a water source or a grave. Preferably, you would find a grave of someone who died young or was killed violently, as the restless spirit would be close by to carry your spell to the Underworld for you.

Water was also seen as a space between the worlds of the living and the dead, so if you didn't want to bother the restless spirits, you could always place your curse tablet in a fountain or bathhouse. Just make sure that it's hidden properly. You don't want other mortals stumbling upon your lamella and breaking the spell.

Which Gods Got the Most Curse Tablets?

When pleading for the binding spell to take effect, the ancient Greeks called upon the chthonic, or underworld, gods. Hecate, the goddess of magic and sorcery, was one of the most popular to receive curse tablets because the binding spell and ritual were magical in nature. Hades and Persephone were also common gods to ask for help in cursing an enemy.

Lethe, goddess of oblivion, received curse tablets because her river of memory loss flowed in the Underworld and would be connected to the water sources in the mortal realm. Hermes, the messenger god, received curse tablets as well since he carried the messages to all other gods. And sometimes, people simply addressed their curse tablets to the restless spirit whose grave they were at, hoping that the spirit would channel their anger towards the spell maker's target.