Abstract
This thesis examines several types of erotic magic in classical Greece from a cognitive perspective as well as in relation to gender. The first of these is the Iynx wheel, which is examined with regard to the agency underlying its efficacy and the competing roles of sound and torture in its operation. The second practice is the use of erotic curse tablets (κατάδεσμοι), which are examined from the perspective of their internal narrative as an extension of Theory of Mind. Furthermore this section addresses the paradoxical reluctance of the practitioners of erotic magic to direct curses against guardian figures to achieve their goals. The thesis concludes with an examination of the roles of women in magic, as they are represented in the tragic corpus (Specifically: Medea, Hippolytus and Trachinian Women).