MAGIC 1102 · Egyptian Magic — Isis Simulacrum, Thoth Simulacrum, and the Greek Magical Papyri

Led by Isis, with Thoth Simulacrum

1. Module 2 ○ Open

   Egyptian Magic — Isis Simulacrum, Thoth Simulacrum, and the Greek Magical Papyri

   Led by Isis, with Thoth Simulacrum

   The question

   Egyptian magical practice — *heka* in the native term, an aspect of cosmic order rather than a deviation from it — is the second great non-Greek root of the Western magical tradition. Where Mesopotamian magic was archive-empirical, Egyptian magic was deeply tied to the divine pantheon and to the language of priestly ritual; *heka* was a force the gods themselves used and the priests deployed by knowing the right names, the right gestures, the right materials. The Greek Magical Papyri (the *PGM*, Papyri Graecae Magicae) — collected mainly from Egypt and dating from the 2nd century BCE through the 5th century CE — preserve the late-antique synthesis of Egyptian, Greek, Jewish, and Mesopotamian magical traditions in operational form. They are the closest thing we have to a working magician's notebook from the ancient world. What did Egyptian magic actually do, and what does the *PGM* let us see?

   Outcome

   The student has read at least three substantial *PGM* spells in modern translation (Betz collection, easily available; the *Spell of Pnouthis* (PGM I.42-195), the *Mithras Liturgy* (PGM IV.475-829), and one of the love spells or healing spells are the recommended starting points), an introduction to *heka* as Egyptian concept (Ritner's *The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice* is the foundational study), and can produce a 700-word analytical essay.

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   Practice scenarios

   Reading a PGM Spell

   Isis Simulacrum and Thoth Simulacrum together walk you through *PGM* IV.296-466 — the famous "Bowl Divination of Aphrodite" or another comparable *PGM* spell of moderate length. Read the spell in full in Betz's translation. Then write a 700-word analytical essay: what is the spell trying to do; how does the invocation work (the structure of names and epithets, the function of the *voces magicae*); what materials and timing are required and what does the materials list tell us about the practitioner's resources and assumptions; how does the spell combine Egyptian, Greek, and other elements; and what does the *PGM* let us see about the actual practice of magic in late antiquity that the philosophical-theoretical works (Plotinus, Iamblichus) hide?

   Your goals

   • Read the chosen spell in full and in immediate sequence (do not skip the *voces magicae*).
   • Identify the spell's structural elements (invocation, action, materials, timing, expected result).
   • Address the syncretic theology — the deities and powers invoked; the relationship to Egyptian, Greek, Jewish traditions.
   • Engage at least one piece of secondary scholarship.
   • 700 words ± 100, scholarly register.

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