Recently, while exploring a construction site in northern Germany, archaeologists unearthed a puzzling artifact believed to date back to the 15th century: a “cursing tablet” from the Medieval period inscribed with words directed at two individuals.
Specifically, this tablet was made from a small piece of lead and was found rolled up and hidden in a “hard-to-see” location beneath a toilet in Rostock, a coastal city where construction of the town hall is underway. Typically, objects containing curses are concealed in hard-to-find places to “ensure that the cursed individuals do not discover the impending disaster awaiting them,” as this mysterious magic can quietly harm the intended targets.
The newly discovered cursing tablet in Germany.
When researchers opened the metal tablet, they found a handwritten message in Gothic script. After deciphering this letter, experts concluded that it could be a curse aimed at a woman named Taleke and a man named Hinrik. The inscription reads “sathanas Taleke belzebuk hinrik berith”, which is a summons to Satan and the demon spirit Berith to bring misfortune to the couple Taleke and Hinrik for some unknown reason.
The question arises: “Did someone want to separate Taleke and Hinrik? Was this a love that was envied or despised, where one of them would have to leave?” Jörg Ansorge, the head of the excavation project, stated that this tablet is “truly a very special discovery.” He noted that cursing tablets like the one found in Rostock are often associated with ancient Greece and Rome. Ansorge remarked: “Cursing tablets have been known since ancient times in the Greek and Roman areas, dating back to around 800 BC to 600 AD.” “On the other hand, our discovery may date from the 15th century,” he added.
Previously, a 1,500-year-old lead tablet was found that contained a curse summoning demons to down a rival dancer; 2,400-year-old tablets in Athens called upon the gods of the underworld to harm a group of tavern owners;…
