A love spell was a spell that caused the target to feel an increasingly uncontrollable desire and passion for the spell's beneficiary.[1]
Despite its name, the spell does not create love, but extreme attraction and lust, though the target believed they were in love. Those under the spell's influence eventually lost all capacity to reason and could easily become murderous if they perceived any obstacle between them and the object of their lust, even turning against them in case of rejection.[1]
Nevertheless, the victim could be snapped out of it; Amy was convinced into casting a reversal spell,[1] and Buffy prioritized Dawn when the spell almost cost her sister's life.[2]
History
Around Valentine's Day 1998, Amy cast a love spell on Cordelia, with the beneficiary being Xander, using a locket as talisman. She chanted: "Let my cries bind the heart of Xander's beloved. May she neither rest nor sleep until she submits to his will only." However, the spell affected every women in Sunnydale instead. Giles theorized that it was because Amy botched the ritual so it protected Cordelia instead of affecting her.[1]
After his breakup with Drusilla, Spike kidnapped Xander and Willow so that he could have her cast a love spell that would help him win Drusilla back.[3]
In 2002, the Scooby Gang discovered that a Sunnydale High School student named R.J. Brooks was the unwitting owner of a letterman jacket with a love spell on it.[2]
Reversal spell
In 1998, the love spell that was cast on Cordelia was reversed by Giles and Amy. The reversal spell called upon the goddess Diana: "Diana goddess of love be gone. Hear no more thy siren's song."[1]
In 2002, the magical effects of R.J.'s family jacket were destroyed when his jacket was burned by the Scooby Gang.[2]
Appearances
Canonical
- "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
- "Lovers Walk" (Only mentioned)
- "Him"
- "The Girl in Question" (Only mentioned)
Other
- Chosen: The One
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer #18 (Only mentioned)