THE STORY IS told of the great thaumaturge Macarius of Egypt that a young woman was brought to him in the shape of a horse, the victim of a suitor's magical spell. 1 Macarius took the girl in, sequestered her while he prayed and doused her with holy liquids, and succeeded in breaking the spell. But what kind of spell was he up against, and how typical was his service as spell undoer? This essay will discuss the spell's affiliation with late antique erotic ritual and its various uses of metaphor, as well as monks' roles in removing and setting such spells. [End Page 480]
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