The spellbinding history of cheese and witchcraft
January 26, 2021 8:00 AM Subscribe
(Source link: Tabitha Stanmore in The Conversation) As I was scrolling through Twitter recently, a viral tweet caught my attention. It was an image from a book of spells claiming that: “You may fascinate a woman by giving her a piece of cheese.” The spell comes from Kathryn Paulsen’s 1971 book, The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft – and, while proffering a lump of cheddar may seem like an unusual way of attracting a possible mate, Paulsen’s book draws on a long history of magic. It’s a history that has quite a lot of cheese in it.
... The idea that cheese is seductive also has a long history. Writing in the 13th century, the moralist and theologian Odo of Cheriton used the alluring smell of grilled cheese to explain adultery:
"Cheese is toasted and placed in a trap; when the rat smells it, it enters the trap, seizes the cheese, and is caught by the trap. So it is with all sin. Cheese is toasted when a woman is dressed up and adorned so that she entices and catches the foolish rats: take a woman in adultery and the Devil will catch you."
The link between cheese and love magic doesn’t stop at seduction, though. In 14th-century Germany, biting a piece of bread and cheese and throwing it over your shoulder was meant to ensure fertility in a relationship. Cheese could also cure male impotence: if a pesky witch had cursed a man’s genitals, a medieval Italian cure was for the man’s wife to bore a hole in cheese, and feed him the resulting pieces.
Given Europeans’ longstanding attraction to cheese, perhaps it’s no wonder that Kathryn Paulsen’s spell is so short and why it needed no further elaboration.
... The idea that cheese is seductive also has a long history. Writing in the 13th century, the moralist and theologian Odo of Cheriton used the alluring smell of grilled cheese to explain adultery:
"Cheese is toasted and placed in a trap; when the rat smells it, it enters the trap, seizes the cheese, and is caught by the trap. So it is with all sin. Cheese is toasted when a woman is dressed up and adorned so that she entices and catches the foolish rats: take a woman in adultery and the Devil will catch you."
The link between cheese and love magic doesn’t stop at seduction, though. In 14th-century Germany, biting a piece of bread and cheese and throwing it over your shoulder was meant to ensure fertility in a relationship. Cheese could also cure male impotence: if a pesky witch had cursed a man’s genitals, a medieval Italian cure was for the man’s wife to bore a hole in cheese, and feed him the resulting pieces.
Given Europeans’ longstanding attraction to cheese, perhaps it’s no wonder that Kathryn Paulsen’s spell is so short and why it needed no further elaboration.
just based on the statistical sampling of one (1), namely my bestie, i can utterly (dare I say, udderly?) believe this.
i wonder if this is related to the other association i've seen about european women, witchcraft, and beer brewing? anything that requires a certain level of artistry like fermentation must surely look like especially subject to the whims of the unseen.
posted by cendawanita at 8:07 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
i wonder if this is related to the other association i've seen about european women, witchcraft, and beer brewing? anything that requires a certain level of artistry like fermentation must surely look like especially subject to the whims of the unseen.
posted by cendawanita at 8:07 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I wonder if Terry Pratchett knew about this, or if it's just a happy coincidence that Tiffany Aching is both an excellent witch, and good with cheese.
posted by ChuraChura at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 8:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
Everyone who posted the "fascinate a woman" photo did so with a comment that generally was like, "well....yeah." The men were also adding "it works on men too," because, well, cheese.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:32 AM on January 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:32 AM on January 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
^ right??
while proffering a lump of cheddar may seem like an unusual way of attracting a possible mate umm, how about the default way of attracting a possible mate? no cheese, no squeeze.. thought that was a universal
posted by elkevelvet at 9:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
while proffering a lump of cheddar may seem like an unusual way of attracting a possible mate umm, how about the default way of attracting a possible mate? no cheese, no squeeze.. thought that was a universal
posted by elkevelvet at 9:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
What is the rue that one fills the shoe with? If it's roux that sounds really messy.
posted by Easy problem of consciousness at 9:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Easy problem of consciousness at 9:26 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
no cheese, no squeeze.. thought that was a universal
not in my side of the world, to the abject disappointment of many who got the more east asian side of the genetic lottery rather than the southeast/south asian side of lactose tolerance. and that sometimes can be adult-onset, when one's love of cheese is fully developed.
posted by cendawanita at 10:15 AM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
not in my side of the world, to the abject disappointment of many who got the more east asian side of the genetic lottery rather than the southeast/south asian side of lactose tolerance. and that sometimes can be adult-onset, when one's love of cheese is fully developed.
posted by cendawanita at 10:15 AM on January 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Can happen to non-Asians too -- I have a friend who developed very bad lactose intolerance in her 40s, to the point where even tablets didn't help. Seriously tragic!
posted by tavella at 11:31 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by tavella at 11:31 AM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
The idea that cheese is seductive also has a long history.
Really explains that grilled cheese sandwich thing.
posted by rewil at 11:40 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Really explains that grilled cheese sandwich thing.
posted by rewil at 11:40 AM on January 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
I wonder if Terry Pratchett knew about this, or if it's just a happy coincidence that Tiffany Aching is both an excellent witch, and good with cheese.
Knowing what I know about Sir Pterry, I'd be very surprised to learn this was mere coincidence.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:11 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Knowing what I know about Sir Pterry, I'd be very surprised to learn this was mere coincidence.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:11 PM on January 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
There I was thinking I'd need a hip wader to hold all my regrets.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:37 PM on January 26, 2021
posted by Mr. Yuck at 12:37 PM on January 26, 2021
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