Love Spells and Love Potions

Love spells have been a part of literature for a long, long time. A Midsummer Night's Dream comes to mind, by that William Shakespeare fella, where a love triangle/quadrangle is made more complex when the wrong target is affected. The correction has only one dude under the spell, which makes for two happy couples. This "happy ending" ignores the fact that the guy has been spelled against his will - that would be a less likely ending in a modern piece of work, unless it were an all-out comedy.

Generally, the love spell or love potion causes chaos, at the very least embarrassing people or turning their lives temporarily upside down. Either the artificial love wears off or is counterspelled, or they lead to bad results.

You can end up with a person that won't leave you alone - that CAN'T leave you alone, and it'll be your own fault, you mad scientist, you!

Or, like in some Twilight Zone/Tales from the Crypt/Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and on and on), ALL the women (except the one you wanted) pursue you and decide if they can't have you, they'd rather have you dead!

The love springs in the Xanth series, when drunk by main characters at least, usually wore off eventually, though with some heartache for the poor folks involved.

It's hard to imagine any love potion scheme ending up with worse consequences than it did in the Rick and Morty
episode "Rick Potion #9"!

Maybe the "love spell" motif exists as a "be careful what you wish for" parable. Or maybe it's teaching us that you can't artificially force something to happen.

Or is it an allegory for the temporary infatuation we sometimes feel, that can lead us into trouble sometimes? Or is it just a fun way to get characters into some temporary, titillating trouble?

I have to think these stories are SOME kind of cautionary tale. As the great Tone Loc told us, you don't mess around with that Funky Cold Medina!

Are there any love potion/love spell stories you've enjoyed…or do they annoy you? Ever written a "love spell" story?

Happy Thursday,

sprinkler of love dust,

Banes