Love Potions Through the Ages: A Study of Amatory Devices and Mores

CONTENTS

Introduction		ix

I	Antiquity	1

	Erotic cults. Rites, Periapts. Phallic symbols. Ceremonials. Concepts. Greece. Asia Minor. Egypt. Literary and historical testimony. Erotic manifestations in various ethnic areas. Search for amatory stimulants. Condemnation of pagan mores. Biblical instances. Sacredness of genitalia. Herodotus on Egyptian cults. Bacchic cult in European countries. Pervasiveness of phallus. Phallic emblems. Biblical references. Incantations. Spells. Philtres. Egyptian love song. Near East. Hittite ritual. Babylon. Canaanites. Greece and Rome. Biblical ethics. Hellenistic Age. Baths. Phallic food. Drillipotae. Yellow. Figurae Veneris. Erotic poems. Phallic divinities. Philodemus of Gadara. Dress. Athens. Panders. Biblical—phallic. Power of woman. Woman as an evil. Aphrodite. Love as an end. Initiation. Rites of Venus. Essence of love. Mysticism. Priapic. Asia Minor. Variant names. Generation. Talisman. Floral.

II	Greek	67

	Plato. Dioscorides. Nonnus. Theodora. Antonina. Belisarius. Demosthenes. Concept of love.

III	Romans	82

	Testimony of the poets. Obscene deities. Amatory philtres. Amatory foods. Bacchic worship. Ovid on erotic practices. Ovid on philtres. Roman generative deities. Rites of Bona Dea. Generative tutelary deities. Phallic breads. Magic love spells. Assignations. Fescennini versus. Lamps. Larentalia. Heliogabalus. Nonaria. Nose and lips. Ovid. Imperial Rome.

IV	Orient	119

	Hindu and Arab treatments and practices. Philtres. Other provocative preparations. Islam. Sterility. Potions. Perfume. Arab erotologist. Amatory principles.

V	India	135

	Erotic manuals. Amatory practices. Philtres. Other means of stimulation. Temple prostitution. Search for husband.

VI	Varieties and Occasions of Potions	155

	Examples from Greek and Roman antiquity. Asia. Love cult.

VII	Potency of Philtres	167

	Literary testimony. Woman in the ascendant. Water. Inducements.

VIII	Ingredients of Potions. Recipes. Anecdotes	174

	Preparation of philtres. Illustrative legendary, historical, and literary anecdotes, allusions, and citations confirming potency of philtres. Divertive philtres. Medieval philtres. Macrobius. Herbs and plants. The Mill. Amatory procedures. French stimulant. Papyri. Lucian. River. Black Art potion. Inducements. Oriental. Flowers, etc. Variety of ingredients.

IX	Middle Ages and Later	231

	Philtres. Dispensers of preparations. Occultists and alchemists associated with preparations. Literary and historical references. Manuals and other erotic texts. Priapus as a saint. Phallic Society. Erotic mores in Europe. Clauder on philtres. Northern deities. Belts of chastity. The Congress: and other medieval practices. Divertive invocation. Privileges. Orgies. Boccaccio. Turkey. LoÏstes. Shakespeare. Villon. Sects. Figurines. Demoniac unions. Astrological.

X	Modern Times	316

	Contemporary eroticism. Amatory customs. Potions. Publications. Experimentation in erotic stimuli. Literary mention. Popular press. Love spells and potions. BayadÈre. Advertisements. Restaurants. Erotica. Books. Hippomanes.

Selective Bibliography		335

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