Gello (), in Greek mythology, is a female demon or revenant who threatens the reproductive cycle by causing infertility, miscarriage, and infant mortality. By the Byzantine era, the () were considered a class of beings. Women believed to be under demonic possession by gelloudes might stand trial or be subjected to exorcism.
Gyllou, Gylou, Gillo, or Gelu are some of its alternate forms.
Etymology Gello possibly derives from Gallû, an ancient Mesopotamian demon believed to bring sickness and death. The theory was advanced by Carl Frank (1881–1945) and supported by Martin Litchfield West, Walter Burkert, and others. The name is also preserved in the later word ghoul.
Greek folk etymology links the word to the root gel- , in the sense of mocking or grimacing, like the expression often found on the face of the Gorgon, to which Barb linked demons exercising a malign influence on reproduction., "Antaura," passim, and Burkert (1992), p. 82 ("evil grinning"). Such demons are often associated with or said to come from the sea, and demonologies identify Gyllou with Abyzou, whose name is related to abyssos, the abyss or "deep."For Barb's etymology of Abyzou and the connection to the primeval sea, see Abyzou: Origins.
Classical Antiquity
According to ancient myth, Gello was a young woman who died a virgin, and returned as a ghost (, ) to do harm to the children of others. The myth is given as an explanation of a proverb by the second-century compiler Zenobius."‘Fonder of children than Gello’ is a saying applied to women who die prematurely (aōros), or to those fond of children who ruin them with their upbringing. For Gello was a maiden (parthenos) who died prematurely (aōros), and as the people of Lesbos say, her ghost (phāntasma) haunts little children and she is to blame for occurrences of premature deaths (aōron). Sappho mentions her". (translated after , Restless Dead, p. 173 (adapted from the Loeb Classical Library edition), and ). It is noted that Sappho mentioned her, implying that Gello was a feared bane of children at least as far back as the sixth century BC.
The lexicographer Hesychius of Alexandria, who wrote in the fifth or sixth century but drew from earlier lexicons, glossed gello as a ghost () who attacked both virgins and newborn babies.
Since the Early Middle Ages, Gello has often been conflated with Lamia and Mormo, two similar mythological figures. Each originated as a single individual woman (with her own origin myth or ) in Ancient Greece, but later developed into a type of frightening apparition or demon.
Byzantine Period
The gello eventually came to be regarded as a type of being, rather than an individual. The plural form gelloudes (), not found in Ancient Greek, came into existence in the Byzantine period, and used in the 7th–8th century by the patriarch John of Damascus, in his treatise (, "Regarding striges"). The gelloudes were considered synonymous to the () or "witches" by him, and described as beings that flew nocturnally, slipped unhindered into houses even when windows and doors were barred, and strangled infants.John of Damascus, I, p. 143 (), Migne ed., Patrologia Graeca xciv, p. 1604, quoted in translation, and cited in
The polymath Michael Psellos of the 11th century inherited the notion that the and were "interchangeable". He described them as beings that "suck blood and devour all the vital fluids which are in the little infant". Psellus documents a widened scope of the Gello's victims in the beliefs of the 11th century. Gello were being held responsible for the deaths of pregnant women and their fetuses as well.Psellos in Leo Allatios, De Graecorum hodie quorundam opinationibus epistola (1643), § 3, cited by : "The Byzantine scholar Michael Psellus reports that in his day, Gello was credited with killing pregnant women and/or their fetuses as well as infants (ap. Leo Ailatius.. ". Gello (or Gillo) was also blamed for the condition of newborn infants who wasted away, and such infants were called (), according to Psellus., citing Michael Psellus.Michael Psellos, Philosophica minora, O'Meara, D., ed. (1989), vol. 1, p. 164, lines 1–20, cited by
Psellus sought in vain for Ancient Greek sources of these beliefs, and formulated the theory that the gello derived from the Hebrew Lilith. Psellus further stated that the name "Gillo" could not be discovered in his usual sources for demonic names in antiquity, but were to be found in an esoteric or "occult" () Hebrew book ascribed to Solomon.Micahel Psellos Philosophica minora, O'Meara, D., ed. (1989), vol. 1, p. 164, as cited by Later, the 17th-century Greek Catholic scholar Leo Allatios would criticize Psellos's confounding of the gello and Lilith.
The 14th-century Greek ecclesiastical historian Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos still told of that "bring the infant from the bedroom, as if about to devour him."Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, Ecclesiasticae historiae, in PG 147, cols. 345–348, as cited by .
Middle Ages to modern age Aspects of the superstitions about the may be followed from the Middle Ages from various writings and talismans, to a treatise written by Leo Allatius in the 17th century which reveal that medieval beliefs and practices were still to be found among the common people of his day.
Corporeal and phantom forms Although reports of Gello's behavior are consistent, her nature is less determinate. In the 7-8th century, John of Damascus equated the gello with the that sometimes appeared in spirit form while at other times had solid bodies and wore clothing.John of Damascus, I, p. 473, in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, p. 1604. Cited by
The strix could be regarded an "unclean spirit" () subject to demonic excorcism, according to an exorcism text recorded by 17th century writer Allatius.Leo Allatius, second text of gello exorcism, cited by . Cf. p. 39 A woman could also be regarded as being a gello by the populace, but the charges were dismissed in an ecclesiastical trial . The orthodox theology of the Church, expounded by Psellos or Ignatius, held that a woman's gendered nature precluded her from turning into a demon, since a demon was officially considered sexless., pp. 88 and 91ff. Johnston prefers to use the Greek word or for this form of transgressive or liminal soul or entity, finding the usual phrase "child-killing demon" to be misleading.
From virgin to witch-hags
It has been pointed out by modern commentators that even though the original Gello was a young woman who died a virgin, the which became synonymous with or "witches" in the Christian era, were generally regarded as being old envious crones.Johnston, Sarah Iles (1997), "Corinthian Medea and the Cult of Hera Akraia," in Medea: Essays on Medea in Myth, Literature, Philosophy, and Art, Princeton University Press, p. 58.
Equating with the , which occurred by the seventh to eighth century with John of Damascus as already noted, still continued in the times of the 17th century Leo Allatius who said that Striges (in the sense of "witches") was also called Gellones (Latinized form) according to popular belief.Allatius, quoted in translation in Allatius also recorded many variant forms, such as gelu, gello, gillo (in the singular).Leo Allatius, De opinationibus, III, p. 116, cited by Leo Allatius wrote that the people who were his contemporaries in Greece were already entrenched in the belief that these witches were generally old crones who contracted with the devil.Leo Allatius, De opinationibus, II, p. 115, quoted in translation by This, it has been argued, was a transplantation of the image of witch of Western Europe onto the Greek idea of .
Protections against Gello In the Byzantine period, mothers who had given birth customarily relied on amulets designed to protect their newborns from evil, including the Gello or Gyllou. The woman was a rare exception who would shun these charms and put her faith entirely in the power of the Cross.
Leo Allatios in the 17th century would criticize such remnants of sorcery such as these charms, or the hanging of red coral or a head of garlic, and prescribed strictly Christian prophylactics, such as a cross or image of Christ placed by a child's bed to ward off Gello or demons in general, or burning lamps to illuminate sacred images. The practice of baptizing infants was thought to offer protection against demon-snatching, and specifically against the , according to Leo Allatios.
Charm books The magico-medical compilation Cyranides from the Imperial period provided instructions on how to defend against the . The eyeballs of a hyena in a purple pouch was said to be an effective amulet against "all nocturnal terrors, also Gello, who strangles infants and troubles women in childbed".Cyranides 2.40.35–38, cited by Using an ass's skin as a bedsheet to sleep on was also prescribed as effective against the Gello.Cyranides 2.31.20–23, cited by
Stones The Lithica of the late Hellenistic to early Imperial Period listed magical stones as effective charms as well, although they do not explicitly mention either. However, in these texts, galactite is said to protect against either Megaira ("Envy"),Orphei Lithica p. 224–225, cited by or "frightful woman" () who attacked infants.Damigeron-Evax Lithica 34.23, cited by
Early Byzantine amulets Some Byzantine amulets against female reproductive demons are said to depict the Gello. This is sometimes asserted as a rule of thumb, without providing reasoning. As no Byzantine amulet exists that actually labels the demon as a Gello or Gyllou, the inference is made these are Gello by association with other figures labeled in the amulets, namely the demon Abyzou, the Saint Sisinnios, or the Evil Eye of "Envy".
Numerous early Byzantine amulets (6th to 7th century and Appendix II. label its demon as "Abyzou" identifiable with Obyzouth, a demon that strangles newborns according to the 1st to 3rd century Greek text called the Testament of Solomon. This Abyzou (Obyzouth) has been equated with the Gello (Gyllou), albeit in later literature, for example, the writings of Michael Psellos of the 11th century.: "The two demons gello and Obyzouth were identified.. by Michael Psellos. More recently, Greenfield's analysis of the gello′s names has suggested that Obyzouth is a form of Abyzou".
Some Byzantine amulets also invoke the name of Saint Sisinnios, who is known foremost as the vanquisher of Gello., 193, note 91 . Again, the textual evidence that connect Sissinios to Gylou are from much later dates, the oldest version of the "Melitine charm" or Legend of St. Sisinnios dating to the 15th century., citing
A concrete example is the Schlumberger No. 1 amulet shown on the right. Several scholars have hinted that the she-demon here, which has been noticed to have fish- or serpent-like attributes below the waist, may refer to Gello-Gyllou. The demon is being stabbed with a lance by a mounted figure (sometimes called the "holy rider" or "rider saint") which may be St. Sisinnios or Solomon. The inscription reads "Flee, detested one, Solomon, Sisinnios and Sisinnarios pursue you".
The same amulet has a second side, which depicts an eye as "Envy" (, ), attacked by weapons and animals. One of the commentator has specifically connect the Evil Eye of Envy with the Gylou,: "The Evil Eye of Envy, generally related to the curse that the demon Gylou cast upon her victims. while the others connect it more vaguely to the child-stealing demon or say that the beings labeled "Envy" are the ghost-demons (aōrē).
Envy and Evil eye