Devinctio), in Antiquity, was used to signify a love charm or incantation used to gain the affection of a person beloved. It was formed by tying knots, and is thus described by Virgil in his eighth Eclogue:

Necete tribus nodis ternos, Amarylli, colores; Necete, Amarylli, modo; et, Veneris, dico, vincula secto.