RELIGIOUS TEXTS TRANSLATION SERIES NISABA VOLUME NINE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MAGICAL TEXTS TRANSLATED BY J. F. BORGHOUTS E. J. BRILL—LEIDEN—1978 ANCII.N , -r, IT I AN MAGICAL TEXTS I KANSI.A I I I) MY J. F. BORGИОIJ'IS m E. J. BRILL — LhlDEN — W8 BIBLIOTHEQUE BIBLIQUt R 0. S. E. B: RELIGIOUS TEXTS TRANSLATION SI Rli s NISABA Enmn iiv M. S. H. G. Hifrma van Voss, D. J. IIui ns, J. Knappf.rt, Ii. P Krami rs, B. A. van Piutosnu, .1. I"). J. W aakpi niuirg VOLUME NINE 4. J. BRILL - LElDliN — 1978 Introduction . Sigla . . . . Texts translated . Abbreviations Notes to the translation Indexes of terms Sources of spells . NISABA is the name of the Sumerian goddess of vegetation and whose symbol is the calamus (the instrument with which the wn- ^s impressed on the soft clay) on an altar. The Sumerians were tr,. ,-si people to use writing, for keeping accounts and, by extension, in' lia, as a sul stitute for the oral tradition. For this reason, the goddess has been given pride of place here. ISBN 90 04 05848 6 Copyright 1978 by E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche or any other means without written permission from the publisher. PRINIErj IN BELGIUM 1 i ' I’.' ■ '1 птюх The collection of ; il offered here in translation is a mere selection (тощ a much larger wirjms of several hundreds many of thorn till unedited, belonging to what might he called everyday magic’.1 Protective texts from non-private sources like rituals iri temples and similar ones, properly belonging to the sphere of royalty—have been largely excluded.2 ft is hoped that the texts included here (many of which are translated for the first time) are fairly representative of the larger collection. They have been scrutinized anew, ar.d translations and interpretations often differ from those of predecessors. This is partly accounted for in the brief notes at the end, a few words about which will be said later on. Further, the present chrestomathy does not include spells from Demotic and Coptic sources, where procedures, purposes and mythological themes often differ. They certainly deserve a volume of their own. Magical spells are rather individualistic compositions, more or less like hymns, and the larger part of them is known in one version only—a quite different matter from the many spells in funerary corpora. Even parallel versions have often not survived in their original forms and consequently many magical spells are preserved incompletely. Again, such spells —as interesting as they may he—hav'- been excluded for the present purpose as much as possible. 1 Cf. the author’s article Magical Texta in Texits et langagea de I’fcgypte pharaonique. Hommage a Jean-Franęois Champollion, I a- Caire 3 (1974), p. 7-19. 2 An exception is no. 12—a standard execration text against the enemies of Egypt and its king. Its inclusion makes up for the absence of texts of this kind of a private nature (private rites d’ envoutemerU are however, known). IX archacol«gi';al.•' • ..............Matter of tin-, rite. The spells 1,'e t: , • immediate, unmyt.hical confrontation bet , Me- :i ic,mn r>v ■sufFerex and ari enemy,® or the spe.d.w draw.-, on example*-' from mythology. In ittt most sitnpli form mythologizing a spell consists of evoking the mere produce of certain divinities,10 which may occur illustrate'1 in ‘vignettes’ in the mss, too. In other instances the earthly ‘case’ is similarized to a mythical antecedent by way of association, completely (at least, as complete as the magician thinks necessary)11 or l»y way of allusion only.12 This linking mechanism is of prime importance to make the spell work. In the mythical sphere created by the magician13 consequences can be far-reaching should the intended parallelism be broken up by reluctance or refusal on 7 For instance the execration rites attested by a dosed depot found near the Mirgissa fortress. Cf. A. Vila, Un rituel d’envontement au Moyen Empire ėgyptien, p. 625-639 in : L'homme kier et aujourd’hui. ftecueil d’ėtudes en hommage a Andrd Leroi-Gourhan, Paris, 1973. 8 For the terms, see section no. 4 in the Indexes. 9 As in the oldest example in this collection, no. 122. Other examples are 38 and 47. 10 E.g. in nos. 118 and 128. Sometimes a divine origin is claimed for spells, as in the case of nos. 53 and 84. 11 E.g. nos. 96 and 112. Very detailed is no. 87 with its ceUnlogiis membrorum, or no. 91 where the sufferer is systematically implicated in the mythical healing. 12 As in no. 30, where the word wnw.t, ‘moment’, draws in Wnw, ‘Hermopolis’.—Word - play in general is very important in these texts; homophony is supposed to testify to deeper underlying interrelationships, cf. e.g. nos. 65 and 121. 13 For instance in nos. 116-118 and especially 139. A very characteristic instance is no. 41, where the ‘tapers’ first occur on a divine plan, and next—in the directions for use—as actual amuletic objects. VIII INTRODUCTION Apart from a few exceptions3 most spells of this ] have been transmitted to us in copies from the Middl ! ingdom (i.e. from ca. 2000 B.C.) and later. From the Ne-» \iugdom on, even spells in other languages are attested.'4 Magic from adjoining countries, especially Nubia and Libya, was held in great esteem by the Egyptians. Sources are to be found mainly on papyri, ostraca and stelae including the so-called ‘cippi of Horns’ as well as statues, including "healing statues’ inscribed with spells. Rolled up and worn about the neck as amulets in the case of many of the former category or set up in particular places, as in the case of the latter two categories, such texts afford protection to the owner or the user. Others are found in magical reference books or they occur together with hymnioal, belletristic and especially with medical texts. Whatever their provenance or their actual Sitz im. Leben, no spell can be detached from an accompanying magical action to which certain preliminary conditions pertain, too. Some of this information may be gained from the spell itself—usually towards the end, in the directions for use. Thus some spells give explicit hints on the use of the paraphernalia, necessary to the carrying out of the act such as staffs, substitute objects, masks, amulets, etc. The close interdependence of the magical spell and, for instance, the medicine is expressly stated.5 In general, however, much of the documentation about magical procedures comes from other sources, textual6 or 3 Like the Old Kingdom spell of no. 122. 4 An example in this collection is no. 57 (in some Cretan language ?). 5 See no. 72. b Especially in stories about magicians. In general, see S. 8auneron, I/O monde du magieien 6gyptien, p. 27-65 in : Le monde du sorcier, Fans, ( Sources oricntales, vii). XI diseases (-И1 I'J), vague i Ь, ггк >. i i.: < ■ i n Г! пенсия that, affect. several parts of the body (50 57), blind пенн (58), (lie seineri of a demon (5!)) unci women’? ailment a, especially those connected with child bcuring (60-01). ГГЬ< i . ’ire protective spells for children (45-70) and spells accompanying the administration of medicine* (71 -HI). In a rural sphere then are a few spells for the ordinary peasant against, various dangerous animal* (82-83). By far tin largest collection, however, is constituted by charms against, scorpions (81-123), crocodiles (121-135), snakes (136-143) and, finally, against the chief of all these : Apap, the demon of chaos (144 146). The latter subject properly Wongs to the sphere of the king as the maintainer on earth of the order of nature and is therefore more extensively attested in temple rituals. Magical spells are strongly emotionally coloured and they often make use of a variety of mythological themes at one time as e.g. in nos. 119-120. This alacrity of the magician’s mind is not always easy to follow and certain themes are hardly known from other sources. There is, however, not a shred of proof that a specific kind of unorthodox’ mythology was especially coined a bout portant for this genre. Crucial words, sometimes involving a specific interpretation, have been rendered in bracketed transliteration. What is offered as an explanation in the brief notes at the end is not meant as an exhaustive commentary. For this, the original publications, listed on p. 119-125 should be consulted. Of the variants, only the more important deviations from a standard text have been noted. For many details on the mythology involved the reader may be referred to H. Bonnet’s Real­ lexikon der agyptischen Religionsgeschichte (Berlin, 1952, reprinted 1972).