The Sorceress of Pompeii

Continuing the portable magic theme, what would you do if you found a real witch's box? Specifically, one nearly two thousand years old?

As previously mentioned, I've always been drawn to sorcery and magic. But the way kids today grew up on Harry Potter, I grew up in the Ducktales era, so one of my favorite characters was naturally the hex-hurling Magica de Spell. She's depicted wearing a duck version of Italian vamp style, somewhat a la Morticia Addams, and keeps either a castle, or a sorcery shop on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius.

Magica had one goal, to steal Scrooge's money by magic (and from what we're seeing today with Jeff Bezos, I honestly can't blame her, since a fraction of his wealth would both feed and house all of Italy) --- but in pursuit of this goal, she was endlessly inventive, including the use of props, talismans and tools. If I wanted her purse, wand, magic carpet and broom, I wanted a lot of other things too (her shop and lab, hello?).

Above: One of my favorite pages from my all-time favorite Magica episode, "On a Silver Platter" by Don Rosa, in which poor Donald Duck can't exactly see where his ass is going, and it runs right into a scenario in Magica's shop that's worse than one of Snape's first-year Potions desks. As a kid I laughed til my eyes watered at this entire story. Magica was also, clearly, my earliest imprint on greasy black hair!

Alas, "playing Magica" didn't produce very many foul bangs and awesome special effects, nor could I find tools like hers. Fortunately, the playful witchery of Years 7 and 8 in my life dovetailed into the study of real magick, of first a pagan and Wiccan variety, by Year 9 . . . and I discovered a wonderous state of being, which let me keep my enchanted way of life. I recall the excitement of receiving my first incense, incense burner, and candle holder in my stocking, thinking how cool it was Santa knew I was keen on witchery: My very first magickal tools! (Mom and Dad were supressing awkward smirks.)

Texas Witch Box, for sale on Etsy

by Kay's Magic

Maybe I'd never have Magica's purse, but I still had a lot of fun options to explore, tool-wise, and always more to learn. Magic, it seemed, could be used for anything, even if it didn't present itself as dramatic as Magica's fictional variety.

Recently, archaeologists were poking about in the ashes of Pompeii, and discovered something amazing: Once upon a time, a sorceress truly might have lived in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius --- the real-life version of Magica de Spell. If it was in fact a she, it seems her interests also focused on abundance . . . though, as we can see, not necessarily in a strictly monetary sense.

The following article segment is from Smithsonian Magazine online; all images likewise.

A Sorceress’ Kit Was Discovered in the Ashes of Pompeii

The box of small trinkets was likely used to perform fertility and love rituals and to look for omens about birth and pregnancy

' In the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists digging in the Garden House recently uncovered the hinges of a wooden box, long since rotted away. But the contents of the box were still there, preserved in the ash that showered Pompeii in 79 A.D. after nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted, creating an unprecedented time capsule of life 2,000 years ago.

' The treasure trove emerged from Regio V, an area of the city that has been under recent excavation. In total, archaeologists found around 100 little objects, including buttons made of bone, carved scarab beetles, miniature penises, crystals, tiny skulls and little dolls. It’s believed the objects may be part of a sorceress’ tool kit, used for fortune telling and to bring good luck, a press release from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii details.

' Restorationists have cleaned up the objects and now historians and archaeologists are examining them to understand their meaning and significance.

' “They are objects of everyday life in the female world and are extraordinary because they tell micro-stories, biographies of the inhabitants of the city who tried to escape the eruption,” says Massimo Osanna, director general of the archaeology park. Since there were no gold or precious objects in the trove, which wealthy citizens of Pompeii liked to flaunt, the cache of charms was likely not owned by the mistress of the house or a member of the family. Instead, Osanna tells Italian news agency ANSA that the owner of the sorceress’ kit was likely owned by a slave or servant. The objects could have been part of ritualistic jewelry used in ceremonies for things fertility, seduction, or to look for omens about a birth or pregnancy. One hypothesis? “They could have been necklaces that were worn during rituals rather being used to look elegant,” he says.

' Whoever owned the box may still be in the house; archeologists have found the remains of several people in the luxury villa. “[W]e discovered a room with ten victims, including women and children, and now we are trying to establish kinship relationships, thanks to DNA analysis. Perhaps the precious box belonged to one of these victims,” Osanna suggests."

Look at all these wondrous little things! How excited would I be to unearth such a find as this, even if I needed to hand it to a museum afterward?

I feel sadness in suspecting that no magic might have been strong enough to prevent the owner of this box, and her contemporaries, from perishing in the Pompeii disaster. Yet the same incident has given people 2,000 years later a glimpse of magic as it was employed in Roman times.