Even today, in the age of computers and gadgets, people cannot do without horoscopes, amulets, fortune-tellers and are afraid of a black cat. What can we say about the ancients! Even the rational Greeks were superstitious. This is evidenced by the abundant physical evidence that magic and superstition affected almost every aspect of daily life.
1. Necromancy
Ancient greek necromancy
Necromancy is the science of summoning the spirits of the dead for divination or divination, as well as to obtain their help in magical matters. Although necromancy was publicly condemned by people in ancient Greece, it was secretly practiced everywhere. One of the earliest recorded examples can be found in the Odyssey (Odysseus performs a complex ritual to connect with the spirits of the dead by combining sacrifice and prayer).
Other literary evidence comes from Plato, who was skeptical about necromancy. Herodotus describes the ritual of the necromancers that they performed on the Acheron River, where the Oracle of the dead consults the messenger of Periander, the tyrant of Corinth. Physical evidence of necromancy has been found on hundreds of curse tablets.
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2. Superstition and mathematics
Ancient Greek superstition and the square root of 2
The square root of 2 is an irrational number (that is, it cannot be expressed with any simple fraction). When the Pythagoreans stumbled upon this seemingly harmless information, it undermined the very essence of their beliefs. For the Pythagoreans, mathematics was inseparable from mysticism and religious life, and the structure of the cosmos, as they believed, was associated with mathematical harmony.
The Pythagoreans tried to keep this matter a secret, but one of the members divulged it outside the fraternity. The traitor was eventually drowned. Many authors describe this man as the first martyr in science.
3. Broths
Ancient Greek superstitions and decoctions
The ancient Greeks knew recipes, as they say, for any occasion. Their functions were really very varied, and many of them were downright funny and useless. For example, in order to cause uncontrolled flatulence in a woman, it was necessary "to take a few hairs from the rump of a donkey, burn them and grind the ashes, and then add it to the woman's drink."
In order for a woman to say the name of the person she loves, it was necessary to "put the bird's tongue under her lip or on her heart and ask a question, after which she will say his name three times."
4. Living goddess
Ancient Greek living goddess Athena
Pisistratus was a tyrant who ruled Athens several times during the sixth century BC. According to Herodotus, Pisistratus once gained power over Athens in a very unusual way, taking a tall and beautiful peasant woman and dressing her like the goddess Athena.
He put on his armor and rode with her in a chariot into the city. At this time, a group of heralds announced that the goddess had brought Peisistratus to seize control of the city. The trick worked.
5. Animal sacrifice
Ancient Greek animal sacrifices
In ancient Greece, mainly oxen, goats and sheep were sacrificed, but there were also some unconventional options. According to Plutarch, the Spartans killed the puppies in honor of the god of war, Enialius. Sometimes animal sacrifices got out of hand, as was the case after the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
Xenophon reports that the Athenians promised the goddess Artemis that they would sacrifice one goat in her honor for every enemy they killed. Herodotus reports that the Athenians killed 6400 enemies during the battle, after which they simply did not have enough goats. Instead, the Athenians pledged to perform the ritual of sacrifice every year, killing 500 goats in honor of Artemis.
6. Amulets
Ancient greek amulets
In Greece, many believed in the magical properties of amulets. Farmers who were constantly worried about the weather were especially vulnerable, as they pinned all their hopes on the magical properties of these amulets. Many of the peasants wore amulets around their necks or wrists to "provide the right rainfall for their crops."
Also, amulets from robbers were common, for good luck, contraceptives, to attract a loved one and protective (against spells and harmful magic aimed at the owner of the amulet). Some of them took very curious forms that further "increased their strength": Egyptian crabs, hands in obscene gestures, phalluses, eyes and vulvas.
7. Magic spells
Ancient greek magic spells
Ancient spells are found throughout Greece, written on tablets. Many of them were associated with medical practice, either in order to help someone become better, to increase the effectiveness of drugs, or even to poison or harm enemies.
Although these spells are mostly found in writing, it was believed that their effectiveness could be increased if accompanied by specific actions. These included the recording of certain words and mystical symbols.
8. Oracles
Ancient greek oracles
The word "oracle" in ancient Greece could mean two closely related concepts: a statement made by some deity (mainly through an intermediary), or the place where such statements were made. Many of these statements were in response to human questions. Some were simple "yes" or "no", while some others could be presented in an implicit or ambiguous form.
9. Astrology
Ancient greek astrology
Astrology influenced the Greek minds in two ways: either it was argued that the behavior of the planets had an inevitable influence on human affairs, or it acted as a guide in relation to the human person, depending on the position of the heavenly bodies at the time of the person's birth. Many ancient Greek astrological treatises have survived.
10. Dreams
Ancient Greek superstitions about dreams
The idea that sleep can predict the future was widespread in ancient Greece. The ancient prophet Artemidorus wrote a work called "The Interpretation of Dreams", in which he revealed some of the complex meanings associated with "mind games." For example, to see affection in a dream means an evil and cunning woman, as well as a lawsuit. To see an old woman in a dream portends the death of a sick person, and so on.
