Venefica sorceress
A Venefica was a
"And it seemeth his favour was so great, as Antonius, in a letter which is recited verbatim in one of Cicero’s Philippics, calleth him ‘venefica,’ witch, —as if he had enchanted Caesar."
Other definitions
Venefica under the above definition is found in the book Raptor by Gary Jennings, where a venefica slave is purchased in order to assist in carrying out revenge. The setting of this book is in the declining Roman Empire around 500 A.D. In this novel, veneficas are defined as "girl slaves who are, from their infancy, fed certain poisons, first in minute amounts, then in increasing doses throughout their upbringing. By the time they are grown to maidenhood, their own bodies are accustomed to these substances and are unharmed by them. However, so virulent is the accumulated poison, that a man who beds with a venefica - or anyone who partakes of any of her juices - dies on the instant."
External links
- Witchvox article with section on Venefica (archived)
- Meaning of the name Venefica
- Raven Grimassi examines the term Venefica in witchcraft
 | This Ancient Rome–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |