Men of Carthage
56 Of the Punic Masks, it is said they can be used to exact revenge as follows:
fashion three human effigies from sticks and rope, and place the masks upon them. Wrap the effigies entirely in fabric, covering all parts, save the masks. (This is only done for your comfort and not necessity.) Set them around a dining table as if preparing for a feast. On the table, place pomegranates, fresh figs, and fine olive oil.
57 After sunset, offer a short prayer to Baal and Melek, and greet each effigy by name Azmelkar, Barekbaal, and Gershahar using Punic words of invitation. Think of the one who wronged you and whose harm you wish avenged. Smear pomegranate juice on the lips of Azmelkar, saying, “This is the flesh of my foe, who wronged me grievously: how tart it is.” Smear olive oil on the lips of Barekbaal, saying, “This is the yellow bile of my foe, who wronged me grievously: how savory it is.” Finally, smear the soft matter of the fig on the lips of Gershahar, saying, “This is the bone marrow of my foe, who wronged me grievously: how sweet it is.”
58 Leave the room after this, cleanse yourself, and do not return until the next day. Continue this rite for twenty-seven days. You will notice the effigies growing corpulent and elongated, as if fed by your offerings. Leave their wrappings untouched.
59 On the twenty-eighth day, clear the table of food and offer nothing further. Instead, remind the effigies of your foe and the taste of his substance. Continue this for another twenty-seven days. You will see the effigies grow gaunt and hungry, their expressions sharpening.
60 At the end of this second cycle, after the twenty-eighth day, the effigies will be gone. Soon after, you will hear of a great misfortune befalling your foe. If his body is nowhere to be found, take comfort - the effigies feasted without interruption, their hunger was satisfied, and they will not appear before you in the night, and neither will they trouble you in any other way. Whereas if if the body of your foe, or even the smallest part of it was found, then it is otherwise.
61 Some say this rite works by imbuing the effigies with one’s vengeful spirit, and that the invocation of Punic names is mere superstition. Others claim that it is the performer who, upon completing the rite, feels compelled to don a mask and enact the vengeance himself.
- from the lost writings of Marcus Cato.
