Egyptian Magic (Illustrated Edition) E-Book

E. A. Wallis Budge

• Herausgeber: Bauer Books
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A study of the remains of the native religious literature of ancient
Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the
belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and
spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures,
and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by
the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results,
formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. 

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Table of contents

PREFACE.

A STUDY of the remains of the native religious literature of ancient Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures, and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results, formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. And it is certain that, notwithstanding the continuous progress which the Egyptians made in civilization, and the high intellectual development to which they eventually attained, this belief influenced their minds and, from the earliest to the latest period of their history, shaped their views concerning things temporal as well as spiritual in a manner which, at this stage in the history of the world, is very difficult to understand. The scrupulous care with which they performed their innumerable religious ceremonies, and carried out the rules which they had formulated concerning the worship of the divine Power or powers, and their devotion to religious magic, gained for them among the nations with whom they came in contact the reputation of being at once the most religious and the most superstitious of men. That this reputation was, on the whole, well deserved, is the object of this little book to shew.

Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the earth, and the underworld, and the air, and the sky were peopled with countless beings, visible and invisible, which were held to be friendly or unfriendly to man according as the operations of nature, which they were supposed to direct, were favourable or unfavourable to him. In -nature and attributes these beings were thought by primitive man to closely resemble himself and to possess all human passions, and emotions, and weaknesses, and defects; and the chief object of magic was to give man the pre-eminence over such beings. The favour of the beings who were placable and friendly to man might be obtained by means of gifts and offerings, but the cessation of hostilities on the part of those that were implacable and unfriendly could only be obtained by wheedling, and cajolery, and flattery, or by making use of an amulet, or secret name, or magical formula, or figure, or picture which had the effect of bringing to the aid of the mortal who possessed it the power of a being that was mightier than the foe who threatened to do evil to him. The magic of most early nations aimed at causing the transference of power from a supernatural being to man, whereby he was to be enabled to obtain superhuman results and to become for a time as mighty as the original possessor of the power; but the object of Egyptian magic was to endow man with the means of compelling both friendly and hostile powers, nay, at a later time, even God Himself, to do what he wished, whether the were willing or not. The belief in magic, the word being used in its best sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is certain that a very large number of the Egyptian religious ceremonies, which were performed in later times as an integral part of a highly spiritual worship, had their origin in superstitious customs which date from a period when God, under any name or in any form, was unconceived in the minds of the Egyptians. Indeed it is probable that even the use of the sign which represents an axe, and which stands the hieroglyphic character both for God and “god,“ indicates that this weapon and. tool was employed in the performance of some ceremony connected with religious magic in prehistoric, or at any rate in predynastic times, when it in some mysterious way symbolized the presence of a supreme Power. But be this as it may, it is quite certain that magic and religion developed and flourished side by side in Egypt throughout all periods of her history, and that any investigation which we may make of the one necessarily includes an examination of the other.

E. A. WALLIS BUDGE. LONDON, , 1899 CHAPTER I. ANTIQUITY OF MAGICAL PRACTICES IN EGYPT. Footnotes 1 Acts vii. 22. 1 For details, see Chapter III. (Magical Figures). 1 Exodus xiv. 21-28. 2 See Erman, , Berlin, 1890. 3 He was the chief , , the head of the priests who officiated in funeral ceremonies, and read the service from a book. 1 See Chapter VI. (Magical Ceremonies). 1 Chapters XXX., LXIV., CXXXVII. See my (text), pp. 97, 141, 309. 1 (ed. by B. de Meynard and P. de Courteille), Paris, 1863, tom. ii. p. 398 f. MAGICAL STONES OR AMULETS. 1. THE AMULET OF THE HEART, Nefer-uben-f, a priest, guarding his heart against the destroyer of hearts. (From Naville, Todtenbuch, vol. I. plate 39.) 2. THE AMULET OF THE SCARAB, 3. THE AMULET OF THE BUCKLE 4. THE AMULET OF THE TET. thy base, I put water beneath thee, and I bring unto thee a Tet of gold that thou mayest rejoice therein.“ 5. THE AMULET OF THE PILLOW, 6. THE AMULET OF THE VULTURE, holding in each talon the symbol of “life“ and was placed 7. THE AMULET OF THE COLLAR OF GOLD, 9. THE AMULET OF THE SOUL, 10. THE AMULET OF THE LADDER 11. THE AMULET OF THE TWO FINGERS, ω α } } 13. THE AMULET OF “LIFE,“ (ÂNKH). 15. THE AMULET OF THE SERPENT‘S HEAD, 16. THE AMULET OF THE MENAT, 18. THE AMULET OF THE SHEN, cartouche has been supposed to be nothing more than elongated, but it probably refers to the ordinary meaning of , “name.“ 19. THE AMULET OF THE STEPS, 20. THE AMULET OF THE FROG, The amulets described above are those which are most commonly found in the tombs and on mummies, but a few others are also known, , the White crown of the South, the Red crown of the North, the horizon, or place where the sun rises, an angle, typifying protection, the horns, disk, and plumes, or the 1 , Chapter XXIV., which is entitled, “The Chapter of bringing words of power unto Osiris in the underworld.“ 2 , p. 144. 1 , ed. Maspero, line 584. 2 , ed. Maspero, line 351. 1 Chapter XXVI., entitled, “The Chapter of giving a heart to the deceased.“ 2 Literally, “pericardium.“ 1 See Chapters of Coming Forth by Day (translation, p. 119). 1 , the deceased who was identified with Osiris, the god and judge of the dead. 2 , Thoth. 1 The Bennu bird is usually identified with the phoenix. 2 Brit. Mus., No. 10,477, sheet 13. 3 See sheet 21. 1 See Chapter VI. (Magical Ceremonies). 1 See Joachim, , Berlin, 1800, p. 160. 1 have given a summary of the chief varieties of the funeral scarab in my , London, 1895, p. 262. 1 (Publications of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 1852). 1 , the deceased, who is identified with the god Osiris. 1 , line 579. 2 Line 192 f. 2 Pepi, line 200. 3 Pepi, line 471. 4 See my , translation, p. 270. 1 See the Papyrus of Ani, 2nd edition, pl. 22. 2 See Pepi, line 196. 3 , CXL. 1 One for each month of the year. 2 Kenyon, , p. 61. 1 See Goodwin, Fragment of a Græco-Egyptian work upon Magic, p. 7. 1 See the description of this ceremony in Chapter VI. 1 See , 2nd edit, plates 33, 31. 1 See , 2nd edit., plate 35. 1 See Lanzone, , p. 853. CHAPTER III. MAGICAL FIGURES. representations of the rope basket, and plough , and flail , , , , or four wax ones. For some unknown “ . Is the heart of wax Stuck full of magique needles?“ . ‘Tis done Heccat. . And is the Farmer‘s picture, and his wives, Lay‘d downe to th‘ fire yet? . They are a roasting both too. (Act i., scene 2.) II. “ . What death is‘t you desire for Almachildes? . A sodaine and a subtle. (Act v., scene 2) Footnotes 1 Ed. Erman, pp. 7 and 8. 1 , Chapter V. of the Book of the Dead. 1 , Chapter V. of the Book of the Dead. 2 This is, 1 think, the meaning of bringing the sand from the east to the west. 1 See Devéria, in , 1865; and Chabas, , p. 169 ff.