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[...]... Most ancient Egyptian magic would have to be classed as Demonic, since it invoked all manner of supernatural beings including the fearsome inhabitants of the underworld (see 5 Wooden figure of a guardian demon, coated with black resin, c 1295 BC Such beings were not evil powers, but servants of the good god Osiris 15 MAGIC IN ANCIENT EGYPT Chapter Three) In Egyptian theology, however, few of these beings... communication with them involved no spiritual danger A type of Natural Magic, partly based on the principle of analogy, was practised in Egypt, but usually in conjunction with Demonic Magic Either type of magic could be used in a defensive or an aggressive manner, according to the intentions of the magician Many of the ideas behind Egyptian magic are difficult to comprehend from the viewpoint of Western rationalism... child inside a lotus growing in the primeval waters At the 23 MAGIC IN ANCIENT EGYPT ancient city of Heliopolis he was pictured as a heron alighting on the first mound of land to rise above the Nun A creation myth which names Ptah, the god of crafts, as the creator is rather more cerebral This version seems to have originated in Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt It was inscribed on stone in the... regarded as magic Ancient writers refer to the daily ritual performed in Egyptian temples to 'animate' divine statues, as an exalted form of magic This does not make it morally inferior Temple magic was believed to be a great work performed for the benefit of all Egyptians Indeed, one esoteric text claims that the land of Egypt was 'the temple of the whole world'.6 FURTHER READING B MALINOWSKI Magic, Science,... Religion and Other Essays Illinois, 1948 J NEUSNER et al Religion, Science and Magic: In Concert and In Conflict Oxford, 1989 S.J TAMBIAH Magic, science, religion, and the scope of rationality Cambridge, 1990 17 2 Myth and Magic M yth and magic are closely interwoven in Egyptian culture Certain mythical events recur as the framework for spells or inspire the symbolism of magical figurines and amulets A knowledge... Egyptian sources it is usually attributed to foreigners In medieval Europe, a distinction was made between Demonic and Natural Magic. 5 The former relied on invoking demons to carry out the magician's commands Demonic Magic was held to be bad because 14 EGYPTIAN MAGIC dealings with such beings inevitably led to the moral corruption of the magician Natural Magic, on the other hand, simply utilised natural... a twelfth century BC: manuscript known as the Turin Magical Papyrus One anti-venom spell in this collection incorporates the story of how Isis acquired her supremacy in magic This myth seems to be set in the period before the rebellion of humanity, when Ra was still living on earth 29 MAGIC IN ANCIENT EGYPT 12 Bronze figurine of the goddess Isis suckling her son, Horus, 7th-4th centuries BC Isis wears... essential preliminary for understanding Egyptian magic The deities who were the focus of cult worship and personal devotion did not all have a rich mythology The gods and goddesses who were prominent in myth correspond more closely with the deities who were important in Egyptian magic The striking visual images of the deities of ancient Egypt are very well known; the myths about them much less so Egyptian... unrestrained sexual behaviour is often mentioned in spells and stories A headache remedy relates how Seth was punished for inappropriate lust by having his own semen rush to his forehead and cause him agony Isis is called in to cure Seth at the command of Ra.5 Even in the period when Seth had a role akin to that of the devil, he might be invoked in magic One of the basic principles of Egyptian magic. .. looking anything like this The illustration unites in one image all the aspects of creative divine power which could be used in defensive magic These complex beings, sometimes known as 'pantheistic' deities, can combine the qualities and attributes of many different gods This is not so much a theological development as an advanced magical technique There were other divine beings who were principally invoked . Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri by a group of scholars including H. D. Betz and J. H. Johnson are essential reading for anyone interested in Egyptian magic. I gratefully acknowledge the inspiration. SPIRITS 3 3 4 MAGICIANS AND PRIESTS 47 5 WRITTEN MAGIC 61 6 MAGICAL TECHNIQUES 76 7 MAGIC FIGURINES AND STATUES 90 8 AMULETS 104 9 FERTILITY MAGIC 120 10 MEDICINE AND MAGIC 133 11 MAGIC AND THE. recognize that the same supernatural beings might be involved in both magic and religion, but he saw magicians and priests as belonging to rival groups. In Egypt, magic and religion enjoyed a symbiotic