Birthing Byzantines: Material Culture of Motherhood in the Middle Byzantine Period

Bearing a child in Byzantium was a dangerous choice. Each stage of the process—from conception, to pregnancy and childbirth—presented its own unique challenges. Written sources are filled with accounts of reproductive issues, from persistent infertility to stories of difficult labor. In some cases, these challenges and dangers were directly attributed to the interference of demons. A particular class or type of demon is described in some sources as targeting pregnant women and newborn children. Referred to as the gelloudes, these demons were said to pose a risk to mothers and children for up to a year after birth. Scholars have long considered the belief in the gelloudes to be an attempt by Byzantines to explain the high rates of infant and maternal mortality they experienced. In the textual record, including in passages by Psellos and Damaskenos, belief in these demons is derided as “foolish” and limited to “less well-educated people.” However, the material record provides evidence that fear of the gelloudes was both widespread and not limited to a particular social class. I examine the material culture of motherhood, namely the use of reproductive amulets, as evidence of the popular belief in these demons. Through analysis of surviving reproductive amulets, which I argue functioned to guard against the gelloudes’ attacks, I offer an understanding of popular demonology, which contrasts dramatically with the “orthodox” understanding of demons evinced in textual accounts.