KASKAL

Rivista di storia, ambienti e culture del Vicino Oriente Antico
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The Exorcist’s Purity

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Abstract

This article examines how the exorcist (āšipu/mašmaššu), the main purification expert in first-millennium Mesopotamia, established and maintained his purity, despite frequent exposure to pollution in the performance of his job. Juxtaposing his self-presentation with that of the diviner (bārû) reveals the unique confidence the exorcist projects about his purity. I show how the exorcist’s self-presentation in his ritual speech shifts attention away from the process of self-purification to establish his purity as absolute owing to his close relationship with the gods. The unquestioned nature of his purity has further implications for the exorcist’s social status, as the one with unlimited access to the gods and in control of the rules to approach them.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: July 18, 2024 | Accepted: Oct. 4, 2024 | Published Dec. 19, 2024 | Language: en

Keywords Purity • Ritual • Exorcist • Protection • Ritualisation • Purification • Mesopotamia • Self-presentation

Copyright © 2024 Evelyne Koubková. 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/10.30687/KASKAL/5235-1939/2024/01/009