Friday, September 09, 2016
An Incantation Against Headache
Papyri Graecae Magicae 20.13–18, in Patricia Gaillard-Seux, "Magical Formulas in Pliny's Natural History: Origins, Sources, Parallels," 'Greek' and 'Roman' in Latin Medical Texts: Studies in Cultural Change and Exchange in Ancient Medicine, ed. Brigitte Maire (Leiden: Brill, 2014 = Studies in Ancient Medicine, 42), pp. 201-223 (at 216-217):
Although the text is uncertain, this incantation against headache may be an example of epipompē, because the headache is apparently driven away to a specific location, under a rock. For more examples of epipompē see here.
Related post: Epipompē in a Spell against Headache.
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Φιλίννης Θε[σσ]αλῆς ἐπαοιδή π[ρὸς]References from the bibliography at the end of the article:
Κεφαλῆς π[ό]νον.
Φεῦγ' ὀδύν[η κ]εφαλῆς, φεῦγε φθ[ίνουσ']
ὑπὸ πέτ[ρα]ν φεύγουσιν δὲ [λύ]
κοι, φεύγ[ουσι] δὲ μώνυχες [ἵπ]
ποι, ἐ[σσύμενοι] πληγαῖς ὑπ' [ἐμῆς τελέας ἐπαοιδῆς]49
The incantation of Philinna the Thessalian for headache: flee, headache, flee in weakness under a rock! Wolves flee and single-hoofed horses flee [propelled] with blows [by my perfect incantation] (trans. by Faraone [2000: 197–198] modified).
The structure is not completely canonical, but there seems to be an underlying identification between headaches and wolves and horses, the threat being represented by the incantation itself.
49 Revised text by Henrichs (1970: 204–209). See also Maas (1942: 34), Lloyd-Jones/Parsons (1983: n° 900), Furley (1993: 93–94). Bibliography: see de Haro Sanchez (2010: n° 1871).
- de Haro Sanchez, M. (2010), Catalogue des papyrus iatromagiques, Liège, (updated in 2010) (www.cedopal.ulg.ac.be) [latest link seems to be http://web.philo.ulg.ac.be/cedopal/iatromagical-papyri/]
- Faraone, C.A. (2000), "Handbooks and Anthologies: The Collection of Greek and Egyptian Incantations in Late Hellenistic Egypt," Archiv für Religionsgechichte 2.2, 195–214.
- Furley, W.D. (1993), "Besprechung und Behandlung. Zur Form und Funktion von ΕΠΩΙΔΑΙ in der griechischen Zaubermedizin," in: Most, G.W./Petersmann, H./Ritter, A.M. (eds.), Philanthropia kai Eusebeia (Festschrift für Albrecht Dihle zum 70. Geburtstag), Göttingen, 80–104.
- Henrichs, A. (1970), "Zum Text einiger Zauberpapyri," Zeitschrift für Epigraphik und Papyrologie 6, 193–212.
- Lloyd-Jones, H. / Parsons, P. (1983), Supplementum Hellenisticum, Berlin.
- Maas, P. (1942), "The Philinna papyrus," Journal of Hellenic Studies 62, 33–38.
Although the text is uncertain, this incantation against headache may be an example of epipompē, because the headache is apparently driven away to a specific location, under a rock. For more examples of epipompē see here.
Related post: Epipompē in a Spell against Headache.