Communication with the Superhuman through Curse Tablets

This contribution focuses on the creation of curse tablets as a form of communication
between the mortal sphere and that of the superhuman. The use of curse tablets
is attested across a large chronological and geographical scope, and within these
parameters there is a wide variation in the style and content of these inscriptions.
Some, such as those belonging to the category of prayers for justice, use a supplicatory
tone to almost plead with the gods for help. Others, such as the erotic spells,
are much more demanding in tone and almost seem to expect the outcome of the
curse to arise from the correct observance of the ritual of creation and deposition
rather than as a result of the invoked powers' goodwill. By engaging with or undertaking
the ritual of creating a curse tablet, individuals were able to establish their
own agency whilst simultaneously attributing meaning to the physical actions they
undertook in the process of letter writing, to illustrate that curse tablets were created
with the intention of communicating the desires of the creators of curse tablets to
superhuman figures. Contrasts are also drawn between the practice of developing
a personal relationship with these superhuman powers and other less personal
methods of interacting with the divine, such as the use or lack of use of reciprocity
in these interactions.