There are two types of amulets attested in the Greek magical papyri: Embedded amulets and independent amulets. Embedded amulets were used during a superordinate ritual,…
View More An Independent Amulet: PGM VII, 579-590Category: Ritual Manual
Quote from the prayer in a Coptic Magic Handbook
The prayer in this Coptic magic book from Egypt tells us interesting details about how the practitioner understood ancient magic and especially the power of…
View More Quote from the prayer in a Coptic Magic HandbookFate has a Daughter
In this ancient Egyptian spell against poison we learn that the Egyptian god of fate, who is called Schay, has a daughter named Sarbytha. The…
View More Fate has a DaughterEgyptian Divination Ritual – Beginning of the Invocation of Anubis
This section of the London-Leiden magical papyrus, also known as pdm xiv / PGM XIV, describes an Egyptian divination ritual, highlighted is the beginning of…
View More Egyptian Divination Ritual – Beginning of the Invocation of AnubisProtective amulet for the practice – Prayer to Selene for any spell
“Take a loadstone engraved with a three-faced Hekate, with her middle face being that of a horned virgin, the left one that of a dog…
View More Protective amulet for the practice – Prayer to Selene for any spellThe Divine Determinative or: How Ancient Egyptians Marked Their Deities
In the ancient Egyptian script “Demotic” the names of gods and goddesses were written with a special sign at the end which marks the divine…
View More The Divine Determinative or: How Ancient Egyptians Marked Their DeitiesMagic Signs Healing a Scorpion Sting – PGM VII, 193-196
For a Scorpion Sting On clean papyrus write the charactêres, lay it on the region where the sting is, bind/tighten the papyrus upon it and…
View More Magic Signs Healing a Scorpion Sting – PGM VII, 193-196Assessing Ritual Efficacy in the Egyptian Magical Papyri
In the ancient Egyptian magical papyri we find multiple references concerning the efficacy of individual ritual instructions. The common expression is a simple “very good”…
View More Assessing Ritual Efficacy in the Egyptian Magical PapyriThe beginning of the famous “Mithras Liturgy” in PGM IV
This is the beginning of the famous “Mithras Liturgy”, a unique ritual instruction for gaining temporary immortality to receive a divination: “Be merciful to me,…
View More The beginning of the famous “Mithras Liturgy” in PGM IVEphesia Grammata
According to Pausanias, a sequence of mystic letters which was inscribed on the famous statue of Artemis of Ephesos was used in rituals for protection.…
View More Ephesia Grammata