Series | Antiquity Studies
Edited book | Languages, Objects, and the Transmission of Rituals
Chapter | The Donkey in the Graeco-Egyptian Papyri
The Donkey in the Graeco-Egyptian Papyri
Abstract
In ancient Egyptian religion, the donkey is generally associated to Seth and to its manifestation as a donkey and in the Graeco-Egyptian papyri Seth and the donkey are also commonly identified with Typhon. However, in a few spells the donkey occurs as a ritual and sacrificial animal, not necessarily in relation to the god Seth but just as an example of materia magica. In this article, on the basis of Betz’s English translation of the Graeco-Egyptian magical papyri, those spells of the PGM corpus, where the mention of the donkey or of parts of its body and fluids occurs, are listed and discussed in relation to the magical and ritual meaning of the donkey/ass within the PGM. In particular, two thematic groups of spells will be distinguished: those where the donkey is clearly associated to the Egyptian god Seth and the Greek Typhon, and those where the animal seems to be only an example of “material magica”.
Submitted: Nov. 8, 2016 | Accepted: Dec. 8, 2016 | Published July 12, 2017 | Language: en
Keywords Materia Magica • Seth • Ancient Egyptian Magic • Donkey • Graeco Egyptian Papyri • Typhon
Copyright © 2017 Rita Lucarelli. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.14277/6969-180-5/ANT-11-8
