ancient egyptian demonology a comparative perspective

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEMONOLOGY
A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Bonn, 28.02 - 01.03 2011
Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
Institut für Kunstgeschichte und Archäologie
Regina-Pacis-Weg 7 - Übungsraum 4
ABSTRACTS
Silvana Carotenuto (University of Naples – Orientale)
Isis, Kore, and Cleopatra: Three Sublime Feminine Demons
In mythology, the destiny of feminine figures are often associated with demons:
the sublime power and radical insubordination of what escapes reason, patriarchy
and representation, is often interpreted, politicized and shown within the territories
of the belated and excluded. This paper will analyses, from the perspective of
Comparative Literature, the demonic aspects of three outstanding feminine figures
of the ancient world and religions: Isis, Kore and Cleopatra.
Heinz-Josef Fabry (Bonn University)
Dämonenglaube im Alten Testament und der Monotheismus - eine Verhältnisbestimmung
Der Beitrag fragt nach den kosmologischen und theologischen Voraussetzungen
für den Dämonenglauben im Alten Testament. Es folgt ein Überblick über die
alttestamentliche “Dämonen-Landschaft“, die unterteilt wird in böse Dämonen
und gute Dämonen. Im Bereich der bösen Dämonen sind wiederum die lokalen
(Wüste, Feld, Fluss) und temporalen (Wetter, Nacht) Dämonen zu unterscheiden.
Besonders bedeutsam jedoch sind die „sozialen“ Dämonen, die unmittelbar den
Menschen in seinen verschiedenen Lebens- und Befindlichkeitsphasen (Krankheit,
Rites de passage, Tod) betreffen. Zu den guten Dämonen sind die Engel,
Schutzengel, Keruben, Seraphen u.a. zu rechnen. Es wird weniger Aufgabe des
Referates sein, ihre vielfach bekannten altorientalischen Hintergründe erneut zu
thematisieren; als vielmehr über die Möglichkeit eines Dämonenglaubens in einer
monotheistischen Religion nachzudenken. Als Fallbeispiel soll der Kampf Jakobs
mit dem Dämon in Gen 32,22-33 näher analysiert werden.
Heinz Felber (Köln University)
Only “something acrid and extremely fowl“? Perceptions of good and evil spirits in the Coptic Life
of Antony
The literature of Early Christian Egypt – as David Brakke put it in his book on
“Demons and the Making of the Monk” – shaped subsequent Christian
demonologies in both the Byzantine East and the medieval West. And Athanasius’
Life of Antony was certainly one of the most influential literary works in this
discourse. Based on the Coptic version of this text, the paper will show how and
according to which ranking the different senses are used to approach demons and
good spirits. Besides the aspect of perception it will ask for the cognitive abilities
needed to discern spirits in Early Christian Egypt.
Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert (University of Leipzig)
Steckbrief eines nubischen(?) Dämonen - Zu Überlieferung und Natur von Sehaq(eq)
Ausgangspunkt der Charakterskizze dieses Dämons ist die Präsentation der über
ihn bekannten Quellen. Neben drei publizierten werden drei weitere noch
unedierte bzw. nicht identifizierte Zeugnisse vorgestellt. Die linguistische
Provenienz des Namens sowie sein "Täterprofil" werden des Weiteren im Fokus
stehen.
Christian Klinger (Bonn University)
Shape-shifting and Transformation in Mesoamerica – The Wáay-beings in a diachronic
perspective
The notion of human beings who possess the ability to transform themselves into
animals at will is a wide-spread concept all over Mesoamerica. The Mayan speaking
population of the Mexican state Yucatán uses the term wáay to refer to beliefs of
this nature. Although the wáay-beings are very popular among contemporary
Yucatec Maya, the concept has its roots in Pre-Columbian times. Therefore the
presentation will outline the distinctive features of these transformer-creatures in a
diachronic perspective. First the Classic Maya wáay-beings are analyzed through
interpretations of their iconographic representations on a series of polychrome
ceramic vessels. The influence of the Christian-European worldview on the original
concept is clarified not only through the readings of colonial documents and
dictionaries, commissioned by Franciscan friars in the sixteenth century, but also
through the analysis of ethnographic data that were collected during fieldwork in
two rural Maya communities in the years 2006-2007.
Panagiotis Kousoulis (University of the Aegean)
Apophis and his sister: the demonisation of venomous stings, bites and agents in Egypt and
abroad
Venomous agents, such as snakes and scorpions, prevail in the magical, medical
and funerary literature from ancient Egypt. They often appear side by side as in
spell 230 from Pyramid Texts, where the cat-goddess Mafdet to “close” the mouth
of a serpent and, also, to avert the sting of a scorpion. There is a certain
intertextuality within the context of the anti-venomous spells, which is built upon a
fusion of positive versus negative names/epithets, on the one hand and upon
multiple references of spells within the context of other spells on the other. Both
aspects of this intertextuality will be addressed in this presentation. Moreover,
Egyptian references in Greek texts suggest, too, that the rather fundamental
knowledge of what kinds of natural substances or animals are particularly deadly
was transmitted across various cultures. The main way in which the topic of poison
was addressed was as an acute deadly condition from a bite or sting from a
venomous agent. The scope of this presentation is twofold: first, to examine the
diverse nature of the venomous agents, especially scorpion, which although creates
a natural prejudice being a dangerous stinger, does not always stand as explicit
harmful physical entity, and second, to investigate the Egyptian conceptualization
of the harmful effects of venomous stings and poison. It will be shown that the
agentive nature of the poison is directly exploited in magical spells and rites to
coerce the poison out of the body or to bar its progress from the site of the sting;
nonetheless, the poison is not fully personified as a distinct/demonic individual.
The current paper will attempt to address the issue of venomous agents and poison
in a comparative perspective, seeking contemporary examples in Greek magical and
medical thought and practice.
Birgit Krawietz (Freie Universität, Berlin)
Surviving Monotheism. Jinn and the Arabic Islamic World
The talk deals with the question of how demons fit into the notion of radical
monotheism introduced by Islam and with the multiplicity of their existence.
Several types are to be distinguished with regard to their assumed scope of
influence on and interaction with the human species. Although Jinn are even
nowadays a widespread phenomenon throughout the Islamic world, the focus shall
be put on the Arabic Middle East and especially Egypt.
Philipp Kubisch (Bonn University)
Zur altindischen Dämonologie
In meinem Beitrag möchte ich versuchen, einen Überblick über den altindischen
Dämonenglauben zu geben, wie er sich uns in literarischen Quellen, insbesondere
dem Veda (ca. 1500-500 v. Chr.), darstellt. Dabei soll sowohl das Wesen wie das
Treiben der bösen Geister in der Welt beleuchtet werden. Schließlich werden
Methoden aufgezeigt, die im alten Indien verwendet wurden, um sich vor den
Dämonen zu schützen bzw. sie aus einem Besessenen zu vertreiben.
Rita Lucarelli (Bonn University)
Apotropaic gods, protective genii or malevolent creatures? Issues of classifications in the world of
demons: the vignette of Spell 182 of the Book of the Dead
This paper deals with the problem of classification in demonology: on which basis
is it possible to distinguish demons from “minor” gods and how can we make a
typology of demons? These issues will be discussed through the example of a
peculiar illustration taken from Spell 182 of the Book of the Dead, which depicts
anonymous figures with demonic appearance.
Ludwig Morenz (Bonn University)
Klassifizierungsprobleme der Sakralwelt. Was ist ein nTr ?
Die Vorstellung und der Begriff von „Gott“ und/oder „Dämon“ sind für die
ägyptische Kultur durchaus problematisch. Hier soll eine Begriffsdiskussion
ansetzen. Dabei werden unsere Beschreibungskategorien und die ägyptische
Begrifflichkeit sowie spezifische Schreibweisen zueinander in Spannung gesetzt. Als
ein Kernproblem wird dabei der Komplex ntr in den Focus genommen, denn um
dieses Zentrum sind in der ägyptischen Sakralwelt auch die DämonenVorstellungen gelagert.
Anne-Caroline Rendue Loisel (Geneva University)
Exorcism and demons in Ancient Mesopotamia
Exorcism, as the assyriologist Jean Bottéro recalled, highlights the origins of
demonic evildoers who appear as a cause of both the human condition in general
and physical illnesses in particular. In cuneiform sources, rituals and incantations
written and used by experts (priests) constitute the main part of the documentation.
Incantations point out important aspects of demons as they were thought of:
neither as gods nor humans, as ever angry beings, in search of evil activities.
Specific rituals had to be conducted to draw them out of a body which they would
have invested. The present paper constitutes a general survey of the demonic
phenomena in Ancient Mesopotamia, focusing on the descriptions of demons and
the exorcist practices.
Klaus Schmidt (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Berlin)
The iconic world of Göbekli Tepe – Demons and Monsters of the Stone Age?
The general character of the monumental Stone Age sanctuaries of Göbekli Tepe
in Upper Mesopotamia, dated to the second half of the 10th millennium BC cal, is
that of stone circles, made by megalithic and monolithic T-shaped pillars. The
pillars usually are connected by walls, which are defining the inner and outer space
of the enclosures. In the centre there are always two free standing pillars,
surrounded by the other pillars and the walls. The meaning of the T-shape can be
interpreted easily as anthropomorphic, as some of the pillars have arms and hands
depicted in flat relief, undoubtedly those of humans. The head is represented by the
cross of the T-shape, the pillar’s shaft is the body. Differentiation of sex was
evidently not intended. It is also clear that the minimalist form of representation
was intentional, because more or less naturalistic sculptures and reliefs of animals
and humans of probably apotropaic meaning are placed on the walls or on the
pillars, which offer sufficient proof of the artist’s ability to produce such works.
The question, who are the anthropomorphic pillars, are they mythical ancestors,
demons or gods, is essential for the understanding of this new and unexpected
iconic world of the Stone Age.
Kasia Szpakowśka (Swansea University)
Practical Demon-Keeping: methods for dealing with hostile demonic entities in ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian spells reveal that methods for dealing with particular 'species' of
demons was not random, but developed carefully based on the symptoms it caused.
Whether or not this pattern can be applied to the required physical ingredients as
well, is as yet undetermined. This presentation will focus on possible strategies for
answering the questions of how specific demon hordes were dealt with, and how
we can identify possible surviving paraphernalia. As a case study, we will approach
the problem of hostile entities that were blamed for what would now be considered
as mental stress and nightmares. One type of apotrapaic device that was possibly
used to repel these entities is specified as a clay uraeus. Typically found in
habitations (both permanent settlement and military environments) in the Nile
Valley and in the Levant, these figurines offer an opportunity to consider personal
religious practice. Issues related to the analysis of objects like these within the
context of the archaeology of ritual will also be explored with a view to offering a
holistic model for integrating text and artefact in our study of demonology.
Jacques van der Vliet (Leiden University/ Radboud University Nijmegen)
Engaging the demons in late-antique Egypt
In Christian paraenetic literature, magicians are regularly described as “men that
read from books that invoke the Demon” (Questions of Cyril, Sahidic, Crum 7),
and simple apotropaic rites as “sacrifices to the demons” (Ps.-Athanasius, In s.
Mariam virginem, Sahidic, Lefort 39, l. 4-6). The association of magic with demons
that is apparent here is obviously a means of constructing illicit religion. In the
actual practice of late-antique Egyptian magic, angels and the Godhead himself are
far more frequently invoked than devils and demons. Yet the powers of evil do play
a role in the magical texts of Christian Egypt. Depending on the needs and aims of
the magician’s client, they can be called upon to do their usually harmful work on
his or her behalf. This paper will try to establish the ritual and mythical paradigms
that underlie their operation in mainly Coptic magical texts from Egypt.
Judith Weingarten (British School at Athens)
From Egyptian Taweret to ‘Minoan Genius’: the development of a demon in Minoan Crete
Attention to the unusual and the monstrous can be a fruitful way of understanding
a society’s typical beliefs and culture, an approach that might apply even to
prehistoric societies. Despite over 100 years of study, however, the so-called
‘Minoan Genius’ still cannot be read either as a composite narrative in itself or as to
its place in Minoan thought. My recent restudy of the iconography of two bronze
kraters discovered long ago in Cyprus (i.e, the handles and rims of Nicosia Museum
# 298 and the Metropolitan Museum of Art “Cesnola krater”, # 4703) led to a new
consideration of the development of the Minoan Genius over time, both in terms
of its iconography and its role within Minoan society. In this paper, I first review
the evidence for the importation of a Taweret-type ‘Ipy demon’ from Egypt to
Crete ca. 1750 BCE (MM IIB). We then follow the demon’s iconographic and
functional development on Crete until Mycenaean conquest, ca. 1450 BCE (LM
IB). I will explore the hypothesis that the Genius soon outgrew the female,
protective functions originally imported from Egypt and developed instead into an
androgynous demon whose activities expanded to meet the needs of Minoan
palatial society.