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What types of causal dynamics are purported to be involved with such rituals? What (if anything) makes them 'magical'?
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Some of these Execration Texts seemed to very elaborate in terms of covering all of their bases. As far as we've seen in class, names of people and things appear to hold great power in spells, and it seems that this is the magical aspect of these texts. They are very careful to not only name the recipient of the spell, but also those of his lineage. I find it curious that the breaking of pots or other objects included don't seem to contain the magical aspect of the words themselves, but seem to be important to the overall ritual. -Erica H
I would venture to say that ancient Egyptians used a form of imitation magic, by using carvings to represent enemies and or yurns with enemy names the Egyptians performing the ritual took power for themselves (and power away from the enemy) By smashing the yurns they were activiating their spell. Also, slaying an actual enemy after a battle and taking their head insures that they will have trouble exacting revenge in the next life. It is ironic that people take such pains controlling their after life, unwilling to leave something so important up to chance, yet perpetuating a cycle of reactionary thinking based on fear. Control is what these people sought with their magic, control of their fear and the unknown. Magic is an old psychological tool circumvienting the rules of group dynamic, in the end Egyptian magicians did not need to affect the dead or their enemies, but the beleifs of the people themselves.
The texts and "curses" are very thurough. The are sure that they do not skip and steps and are pretty brutal. I personally think that people did this with magical intention but what it really did was mess with peoples psyche. Doing these acts also probably helped the person doing them feel better about the situation, as if they had one-uped the person/persons or demons they were "cursing".
I agree with Emily, they do seem very brutal and explains a lot. I think to a certain group in a certain time a lot of things dealt with magic. Most the time pain is mental. Mental pain can triumph physical in a lot of ways. Messing with ones mind would haunt them for life. If someone said I was cursed I believe I would be a scaredy cat nearly 24/7. - Tiana Kraus
4 comments:
Some of these Execration Texts seemed to very elaborate in terms of covering all of their bases. As far as we've seen in class, names of people and things appear to hold great power in spells, and it seems that this is the magical aspect of these texts. They are very careful to not only name the recipient of the spell, but also those of his lineage. I find it curious that the breaking of pots or other objects included don't seem to contain the magical aspect of the words themselves, but seem to be important to the overall ritual.
-Erica H
I would venture to say that ancient Egyptians used a form of imitation magic, by using carvings to represent enemies and or yurns with enemy names the Egyptians performing the ritual took power for themselves (and power away from the enemy) By smashing the yurns they were activiating their spell. Also, slaying an actual enemy after a battle and taking their head insures that they will have trouble exacting revenge in the next life. It is ironic that people take such pains controlling their after life, unwilling to leave something so important up to chance, yet perpetuating a cycle of reactionary thinking based on fear. Control is what these people sought with their magic, control of their fear and the unknown. Magic is an old psychological tool circumvienting the rules of group dynamic, in the end Egyptian magicians did not need to affect the dead or their enemies, but the beleifs of the people themselves.
The texts and "curses" are very thurough. The are sure that they do not skip and steps and are pretty brutal. I personally think that people did this with magical intention but what it really did was mess with peoples psyche. Doing these acts also probably helped the person doing them feel better about the situation, as if they had one-uped the person/persons or demons they were "cursing".
Emily Peterson-Wood
I agree with Emily, they do seem very brutal and explains a lot. I think to a certain group in a certain time a lot of things dealt with magic. Most the time pain is mental. Mental pain can triumph physical in a lot of ways. Messing with ones mind would haunt them for life. If someone said I was cursed I believe I would be a scaredy cat nearly 24/7.
- Tiana Kraus
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