The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells, Volume 1

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells, Volume 1
Author: Hans Dieter Betz
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 416
Release: 1986
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9780226044477

"The Greek magical papyri" is a collection of magical spells and formulas, hymns, and rituals from Greco-Roman Egypt, dating from the second century B.C. to the fifth century A.D. Containing a fresh translation of the Greek papyri, as well as Coptic and Demotic texts, this new translation has been brought up to date and is now the most comprehensive collection of this literature, and the first ever in English. The Greek Magical Papyri in Transition is an invaluable resource for scholars in a wide variety of fields, from the history of religions to the classical languages and literatures, and it will fascinate those with a general interest in the occult and the history of magic. "One of the major achievements of classical and related scholarship over the last decade."—Ioan P. Culianu, Journal for the Study of Judaism "The enormous value of this new volume lies in the fact that these texts will now be available to a much wider audience of readers, including historians or religion, anthropologists, and psychologists."—John G. Gager, Journal of Religion "[This book] shows care, skill and zest. . . . Any worker in the field will welcome this sterling performance."—Peter Parsons, Times Literary Supplement

Priests, Tongues, and Rites

Priests, Tongues, and Rites
Author: Jacco Dieleman
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2005-05-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047406745

This book is an investigation into the sphere of production and use of two related bilingual magical handbooks found as part of a larger collection of magical and alchemical manuscripts around 1828 in the hills surrounding Luxor, Egypt. Both handbooks, dating to the Roman period, contain an assortment of recipes for magical rites in the Demotic and Greek language. The library which comprises these two handbooks is nowadays better known as the Theban Magical Library. The book traces the social and cultural milieu of the composers, compilers and users of the extant spells through a combination of philology, sociolinguistics and cultural analysis. To anybody working on Greco-Roman Egypt, ancient magic, and bilingualism this study is of significant importance.

The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden

The Demotic Magical Papyrus of London and Leiden
Author: F. LI. Griffith
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2016-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1556355912

How to invoke Anubis and release the dead . . . how to divine with a lamp . . . how to conjure up a damned spirit . . . how to have dream visions . . . how to make magic ointments . . . how to blind or kill your enemies . . . how to use the charm of the ring . . . how to invoke Thoth and bring good fortune . . . These are among the many topics of practical magic contained in the so-called Leyden Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian manuscript that dates from around the beginning of the Christian era. Probably the textbook of a practicing sorcerer in Egypt, this remarkable work contains scores of spells which the writer firmly believes will work: sex magic of various sorts, occult information, evoking visions, working evil, healing, removing evil magic--and all the other tasks that a sorcerer might have to undertake. Discovered at Thebes in the middle of the 19th century, assembled from fragments at Leiden and London, this fifteen-foot strip of papyrus is still one of the most important documents for revealing the potions, spells, incantations, and other forms of magic worked in Egypt. In addition to purely native elements involving the gods, the manuscript shows the influence of Gnostic beliefs, Greek magic, and other magical traditions. A transliteration of the demotic script is printed on facing pages with a complete translation, which is copiously supplied with explanatory footnotes. The editors supply an informative introduction and a classification of the types of magic involved. As a result, this publication is of great importance to the Egyptologist, student of magic, and the reader who wishes to judge the efficacy of Egyptian magic for himself.

The Orphic Hymns

The Orphic Hymns
Author: Patrick Dunn
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2018-10-08
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0738755842

Discover the Powerful Poems & Incantations of Ancient Greece Use the hymns of the great mystery religions in your practice today The Orphic hymns are fascinating historical artifacts—87 devotions, invocations, and entreaties to the Greek gods that are as potent today as they were when they were originally developed nearly two thousand years ago. Designed to be used in contemporary spiritual practice and spellcrafting, this premium hardcover edition features spectacular new English translations by Patrick Dunn along with the original Greek on facing pages. These translations are complete, accurate, and poetic—perfect for integrating into rituals and magical workings for every conceivable purpose, from protection to prosperity and everything in between. Written by a poet and occultist specifically for contemporary practitioners of magic, this must-have book also includes detailed notes to help you understand esoteric passages as well as suggestions for incense selection and the practical use of the hymns. The Orphic Hymns also includes Thomas Taylor's eighteenth-century translation as an appendix, an index of purposes, and a concordance with a glossary, a pronunciation guide, mythic backgrounds, and cross references of every deity and place named in the hymns. These new translations of the Orphic hymns are powerful tools for magic and devotion. In addition to the translations of the 87 hymns, you will discover helpful notes and techniques for integrating the hymns into your practice. New Translations by Patrick Dunn History of the Hymns Notes on Religious Devotion Spell-crafting with the Hymns Working with the Hymns in Written Spells Uses of the Hymns in Ceremonial Magic The Hymns in Contemplation Incorporating Scents Pronunciation Guide Concordance and Glossary of Gods and Locations Thomas Taylor's 18th Century Translation An Index of Purposes for the Hymns Praise: "The Orphic hymns are among the most vivid and potent legacies of ancient Greek Pagan spirituality. Patrick Dunn's crisp new translation of these classic invocations will be a welcome discovery to anyone interested in polytheist spirituality and ancient magic."—John Michael Greer, author of A World Full of Gods and The Secret of the Temple

Ancient Greek Love Magic

Ancient Greek Love Magic
Author: Christopher A. FARAONE
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2009-06-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674036700

The ancient Greeks commonly resorted to magic spells to attract and keep lovers. Surveying and analyzing various texts and artifacts, the author reveals that gender is the crucial factor in understanding love spells.

Magika Hiera

Magika Hiera
Author: Christopher A. Faraone
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 313
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN: 0195111400

Annotation This collection challenges the tendency among scholars of ancient Greece to see magical and religious ritual as mutually exclusive and to ignore "magical" practices in Greek religion. The contributors survey specific bodies of archaeological, epigraphical, and papyrological evidence formagical practices in the Greek world, and, in each case, determine whether the traditional dichotomy between magic and religion helps in any way to conceptualize the objective features of the evidence examined. Contributors include Christopher A. Faraone, J.H.M. Strubbe, H.S. Versnel, Roy Kotansky, John Scarborough, Samuel Eitrem, Fritz Graf, John J. Winkler, Hans Dieter Betz, and C.R. Phillips.

The Concepts of the Divine in the Greek Magical Papyri

The Concepts of the Divine in the Greek Magical Papyri
Author: Eleni Pachoumi
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2017-05-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9783161540189

Eleni Pachoumi looks at the concepts of the divine in the Greek magical papyri by way of a careful and detailed analysis of ritual practices and spells. Her aim is to uncover the underlying religious, philosophical and mystical parallelisms and influences on the Greek magical papyri. She starts by examining the religious and philosophical concept of the personal daimon and the union of the individual with his personal daimon through the magico-theurgic ritual of systasis. She then goes on to analyze the religious concept of paredros as the divine "assistant" and the various relationships between paredros, the divine and the individual. To round off, she studies the concept of the divine through the manifold religious and philosophical assimilations mainly between Greek, Egyptian, Hellenized gods and divine abstract concepts of Jewish origins.