Spell Against a Bone Stuck in the Throat

This ritual is against a bone stuck in the throat of a person. It is preserved in the Egyptian-Demotic magical papyrus pdm xiv dated to the late second or early third century. During the invocation a white crocodile is addressed “whose body is filled with bones”. The crocodile is then told to throw out the bone stuck in the throat of the patient. This is a popular technique in ancient magic: Drawing a parallel between a mythological event and a current situation. It is called “Historiola” and occurs especially in medical contexts.

London-Leiden Magical Papyrus, Recto column 19, lines 21-24 Late 2nd or early 3rd century, Egypt. AMS 65, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden
The London-Leiden Magical Papyrus, Recto column 19, lines 21-24. Late 2nd or early 3rd century, Egypt. AMS 65, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.

„You are Schlatje Latje Balatje,
the white crocodile
that is under the foam(?) of the sea of fire,
whose body is filled with bones of all the drowned.
Hail, you shall/will throw out this bone for me!“
Translation: Kirsten D. Dzwiza