I have been working on several ritual instructions for the Sourcebook over the week. One of them comprises confusing and contradictory descriptions concerning the set-up of the ritual components which took me hours to deal with. Another one includes a rare combination of no less than three different kinds of analogy magic to achieve the ritual goal.
The first one is PGM III, 282-409, an instruction for gaining foreknowledge, insights into the soul of a person, and for being able to read sealed letters. This unusual combination is attested in another ritual instruction some of you might already know from one of my videos: PGM V, 213-303, the „Ring of Hermês“ (link to the video at the end of the post).
The problem with the instructions is that during the description of the ritual set-up, all of a sudden a “temple” is mentioned which has to be covered, the Greek term is “oikos – οἶκος”. This does not make any sense at first sight. “oikos” can be translated as “a house, abode, dwelling, part of a house, a room, chamber, the house of a god, a temple“. So far this word has been translated as “chappel” and “shrine”. The only practical interpretation would be that part of the set-up actually has to be placed inside a miniature temple which is not described in more detail in the text (compared to other elements of the set-up). Miniature temples, or miniature shrines, occur in various ritual instructions but are usually described in more detail. Here is my translation of the section, you will see what I mean with “confusing and contradictory descriptions”:
The preparation / manipulation of the divine action / force: For a self-revelation (a divination without a medium) put a tripod on a table made of olive wood or laurel wood and carve in the table in a circle the following magic signs: (magic signs) and cover the tripod with clean linen. Place on the tripod a beautiful incense burner. An Apollo statuette made of laurel wood and hollow at the bottom is to be placed on the table. Write on [a lamella] of gold or silver or tin the following magic signs (magic signs), and put the lamella under the censer, close to the wooden statuette which was set up with the censer, and place next to the censer a bowl/beaker or a shell with pure water, and draw on the floor in the middle of the shrine around the tripod with white the following magic sign [missing/destroyed].
You must keep yourself pure for three days in advance. The shrine and the tripod shall be covered; [and if you want to see], look inside (…)
PGM II is kept at the Louvre in Paris, here is a link to photos of the papyrus scroll: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010001517
The other ritual instruction, the one with the triple analogy-technique, is preserved in PGM X, 36-50 and titled: Subjugator of Apollon (ὑποτακτικόν ἀπόλλωνος, a charm for bringing people into subjection). Here is an excerpt of my chapter about the instruction:
The title of the ritual is „Apollon‘s Subjugator“. It is focused on the crafting of a tablet which has to be inscribed with divine names, magic signs, the drawing of a foot, and the demand.
A frog‘s tongue has to be placed on the tablet before it is folded and the tablet must be put in the right sandal of the practitioner before an invocation is uttered.
The goal of this ritual is to trample, subject, and shut up an opponent. The ritual technique chosen illustrates an interesting example of analogy magic, here combining no less than three kinds of analogy: 1) by the spoken word, uttering that a specific person shall be trampled; 2) by a drawing, visually depicting the trampling of the divine names as an analogy to the trampling of the opponent, and by the physical trampling of the tablet by the practitioner.
In addition, the tongue of the frog is likely another analogy, connecting this ritual element with the tongue of the opponent for making it stop working so that the opponent will be incapable of speaking, for example against – or to the detriment of – the practitioner or a client.
Very unusual is the fact that one of the analogies chosen here is the trampling of divine names. While threatening higher powers is commonly attested in the magical papyri, trampling on divine names in a drawing and factually by the practitioner is very surprising considering the importance and status of this kind of names throughout Greek magical practice.
And here is the beginning of the instructions (translation by me):
Subjugator of Apollon. Take a lamella or a tablet made of lead from (a yoke for) mules. Inscribe the following names and place the tongue of a frog in it. Logos to be uttered when the tablet with the frog’s tongue is put in your sandal: As these sacred names are being trampled, as is the NN – add as you wish – the one who is shut down (ὁ ἐπέχων). ιω? Abrasax (drawing of a foot) (inscriptions of the artefact)
PGM X is kept at the British Library in London. Since the hack last year photos of this papyrus are currently not available online.
That’s it for today. Take good care of yourselves!
Link to my video about the ritual for making a “„Ring of Hermês“ “: https://www.antikemagie.com/view/antikemagie-pgm-v-ring-of-hermes.mp4