The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

Esther’s mortar and pestle serve as a complex symbol that stands for Esther’s heritage, the efficacy of her knowledge of herbal traditions and healing, and Augusta’s inheritance of this tradition. Though first and foremost a means to crush and mix herbs and other ingredients, the mortar is also, as described in the Author’s Note, a “modern day incantation bowl” (309). Esther’s mortar is described as plain and about four inches across. “Inside,” Augusta notes, “faded words were carved into the metal—beginning at the bottom and swirling upward in a single spiral toward the rim” (34).

The mortar is, in one respect, an indicator of Esther’s Jewish ancestry. Incantation bowls are artifacts originating in the ancient Middle East and the cultures of Mesopotamia. They are bowls that have inscribed text on the inside—these are most often magical spells for protection, fortune, or healing. The majority of existing Jewish incantation bowls are inscribed in Jewish Aramaic and date to the third to seventh centuries CE. Esther’s bowl offers a prayer for restoration, signaling Esther’s participation in a family lineage of healers. Augusta is part of this, too.

As Augusta associates the repetition of the verse with Esther’s herbal preparations, she comes to suspect that a magic spell is behind the efficacy of Esther’s remedies.