Incantation Texts Research Articles

Identification of Unnamed Non-human Agents in Kalevala-metric Incantations

Kalevala-metric poetry is an oral-poetic system of various genres, shared by multiple Finnic groups. In addition to epic and lyric, one of the prominent main genres of the oral tradition is formed by incantations. The Kalevala-metric incantations regularly invoke non-human agents, which are aligned with the performer in various ways. While these agents are often explicitly named and addressed, in some cases their identity remains unclear. By conducting a case study, the paper proposes that in many occurrences the unnamed agents are identifiable by examining textual cues and the emergent text-structure of the incantations. The results show that the identification of unnamed agents can be achieved by biographic-metrical and contextual analysis of the incantation texts.

Магия слова в современной культуре: Имитация, пародия, перформативность

This thematic cluster of articles examines contemporary incantation texts – whether literary, parodied, or falsified – from the repertoire of pseudo-healers or neo-pagans. It also explores the influence of mythology and traditional verbal magic on poetic texts, including an analysis of one philosophical-literary methodology that sought to restore to poetry its original mythological-magical meanings. This introduction examines the functioning of traditional folklore magic and the differences between incantations and folk prayers. It takes an approach to folklore magic in terms of performativity theory. It further extends this performativity-focused approach to literary magic texts. It highlights the main features of the so-called “literary incantation”. It concludes that verbal magic has not disappeared from modern culture, and has even mostly retained its traditional forms in new circumstances – so long as the necessary performative context remains.

Why Biblical Scholars Should Study Aramaic Bowl Spells

This study analyses the unique contributions of Jewish incantation texts and categorically examines the bowl spells according to three types of biblical citation: words of power, contextual citations and thematic citations. The bowl spells represent some of the earliest attestations of biblical passages not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and display formal features useful for reconstructing linguistic and manuscript developments in pre-Islamic Judaism. Furthermore, the biblical citations in these texts shed light on the social location of biblical knowledge and attendant beliefs in the power of the Hebrew text to bring about practical ends.

'Form follows function'? Rhetoric and Poetic Language in First Millennium Akkadian Incantations

Abstract Akkadian incantation texts of the first millennium are linguistically marked, without being composed in a specific 'sacred' or 'divine language'. At the same time, on an ideological level, incantations, in contrast to prayers, were considered to originate from the divine sphere. The article discusses the text forms, basic constituents, compositional components and poetic style of first millennium Akkadian incantations used within anti-witchcraft rituals. The use of rhetorical devices and poetic language can in most cases be explained as motivated by the function of the incantations within their ritual context; there are, however, also clear indications of text revisions guided by aesthetic criteria and of a true literarization of the genre.

Anadolu’nun İlk Yazılı Belgelerinde Büyü ve Kehanet

There are only eight incantation texts among 23500 Kultepe tablets. Some researches assert that these incantation texts were exercising documents belong to people who were trying to learn literacy, and should be accepted as school texts. This opinion can be suit for some of the incantation texts but it is clear that most of these texts were written by professional scribes and were used for their actual purpose. Especially, the text Kt 94/k 821 was shaped to use as an amulet. The tablet has a hole on top to reeve a rope for hanging it on a wall or a door. Comparing to the dark magic or binding spell which are very common in Mesopotamian and later Hittite sources, none of these Kultepe incantations are vicious. These incantations are positive used as protection against illnesses and demons. Hence, these texts can be compared with objects called “amulet” which are still used against all kind of evil.

Mandaeism in Antiquity and the Antiquity of Mandaeism

The evidence for a history of Mandaeism during the period of Late Antiquity (3rd–8th c. CE) and its evolution as a religious tradition prior to and immediately following the advent of Islam is surveyed. This evidence includes the Mandaean manuscript tradition, the testimony of outside witnesses, and the corpus of incantation texts from Late Antique Mesopotamia. It is noted that the study of this evidence has typically been subsumed under the study of related traditions, and that it could benefit from a reassessment. The issues addressed include Mandaeism’s relationship to other religions, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Manichaeism, the antiquity and authenticity of its traditions, and the extent of Islamic influence upon them.

Dan Levene. A Corpus of Magic Bowls: Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity. London: Kegan Paul, 2003. xiv, 223 pp.

Dan Levene. A Corpus of Magic Bowls: Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity. London: Kegan Paul, 2003. xiv, 223 pp.

Religion and the Aramaic Incantation Bowls

AbstractThe corpus of Late Antique Aramaic incantation texts is defined. The issues in this field are identified as explicating the language of the Aramaic dialects used for these texts, correlating the religious identity of their authors with the dialects and the scripts used for them, the level of the authors’ literacy, and explaining the magic praxis of the bowls and their demonology. The pagan, Judaic, Mandaean, Christian, and Zoroastrian content of these texts is surveyed. It is noted that the nature of this content tends to be explained in terms of syncretism and popular religion.

Review: A Corpus of Magic Bowls; Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity

A Corpus of Magic Bowls; Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity Dan Levene (The Kegan Paul Library of Jewish Studies). Kegan Paul, London/New York/Bahrain 2003. xiv + 223. Price: $144.50 hardback. ISBN: 0710307268.

Neitsyt Maria synnytysloitsuissa

In the present paper, I am analysing Virgin Mary in birth incantations. The source material consists of 94 birth incantations collected in North Karelia, Ladoga Ka- relia, South Karelia, Archangel Karelia, Savo and North Ostrobothnia. These incantations have been published in the volumes of Ancient Poems of the Fin- nish People (Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot). There are a mixed group of both non-Christian and Christian supernatural helpers and saints in the birth incantations, for example Virgin Mary, Ukko God on high, Jesus, Kave, Saunatar, and different kinds of mythical animal helpers. Supernatural helpers are mainly called upon to facilitate the delivery and ease the child bearer’s pain. Themes and motifs dealing with these helpers are central and distinctive in the birth incantations. In this paper, I am interested in Virgin Mary who is most commonly called for help. I am examining first and foremost those incantation texts and motifs in which Virgin Mary is present. What kind of divine birth assistant is Mary? Why is she so important? How is Mary called for help? How is Mary able to help both mother and child? I am examining Mary’s essential nature, her appearance, and her skills to ease a woman’s pain.

A Mandaic Gold Amulet in the British Museum

Until recently, Mandaic incantations were known only from lead rolls, earthenware bowls, or paper. The existence of an incantation incised on a gold sheet is a novelty. The amulet itself is a tiny sheet inscribed in a varying Mandaic script on both sides with an incantation against infertility, and against problems during pregnancy and birth, a topic of relevance hardly ever attested in Aramaic incantation texts of Late Antiquity. Of further interest is the occurrence of a heretofore unknown minor Iranian deity, Sadya, among well-known Mesopotamian deities like Nabu, Nirig (Nergal), and Nanay, which are employed in the incantation formula to ban the evil elements.

Hebrew and Aramaic Incantation Texts from the Cairo Genizah: Selected Texts from Taylor-Schechter Box K1

In this volume, Lawrence Schiffman and Michael Swartz assemble a collection of Jewish incantation texts which were copied in the Middle Ages and preserved in the Cairo Genizah. Many of these texts, now held in Cambridge University Library, are published here for the first time. All the texts are translated and supplemented by detailed philological and historical commentary, tracing the praxis and beliefs of the Jewish magical tradition of Late Antiquity. Their relation to Jewish legal and mystical teachings is also explored. 'A major contribution to this area of inquiry. Fourteen incantation texts are made accessible here. They are framed with all the desired apparatus: clear facsimiles, transcriptions, translations, commentary, substantial bibliography and three indexes. The lengthy introduction, in particular, is valuable, providing a mise au point for future study of Genizah magical texts.' s teven m. wasserstorm, ajs review Lawrence H. Schiffman is the Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor in Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, USA. He is a member of the Enoch seminar and of the Advisory Board of The Journal Henoch. Michael D.Swartz is Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University, USA.

Scribal Magic and its Rhetoric: Formal Patterns in Medieval Hebrew and Aramaic Incantation Texts from the Cairo Genizah

The study of medieval Judaism was revolutionized by the late S. D. Goitein with A Mediterranean Society, his multilayered study of the medieval Jewish communities in Egypt based on the documents from the Cairo Genizah. For while previously the Genizah had been mined for important rabbinic documents and for the history of the philosophers and Geonim, Goitein's research sought to provide an account of the religion and life of all classes of society.

Two Magic Bowls: New Incantation Texts from Mesopotamia

Two Magic Bowls: New Incantation Texts from Mesopotamia

A Hymn to Ishtar as the Planet Venus and to Idin-Dagan as Tammuz

Again the rich collection of Sumerian literary tablets, discovered at Nippur, has contributed splendid religious texts. Professor Chiera's Sumerian Religious Texts contains seventy-two plates of elegantly copied Sumerian religious and mythological documents preserved in the Nippur Collection of the Museum of Stambul, where I copied fifty-four similar tablets and a large number of incantation texts in 1913. Dr. Chiera has found in Constantinople a surprisingly large number of well-preserved tablets of most valuable contents. I confine myself here to the well-preserved six-column tablet, Ni. 2487, identical in size and material arrangement to the large epical tablet, Ni. 4561, in Philadelphia, published by the writer in Publications of the Babylonian Section, University Museum, Philadelphia, vol. x, No. 1, and re-edited in a French edition, Le Poème Sumérien du Paradis, Paris, 1919. The Nippur Collection has already contributed a large number of these fine six-column zagsal or epical texts, copied by Poebel (PBS. v) and by the writer (PBS. x, Nos. 1–3).

Note on Angarôs, in Montgomery's 'Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur'

Note on Angarôs, in Montgomery's 'Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur'

Aramaic Incantation TextsAramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur. James A. Montgomery

Previous articleNext article FreeBook NoticesAramaic Incantation Texts Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur. James A. Montgomery George A. BartonGeorge A. Barton Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 30, Number 3Apr., 1914 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/369747 Views: 157Total views on this site Journal History This article was published in The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures (1895-1941), which is continued by the Journal of Near Eastern Studies (1942-present). PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.