TheMechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Kriech Ritner Isitnot asilly sort of argument toreckonbythe same works that onemanisagod whilst hisrivals are mere "sorcerers"? Ce/slIs.011the Tme Doctrine R.l. Hoffmann1987, p.66 THEORIENTALINSTITUTEOFTHEUNIVERSITYOFCHICAGO STUDIESINANCIENTORIENTALCIVILIZATIONNo.54 CHICAGOILLINOIS 136 THE MECHANICSOF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MAGICAL PRACTICE a b Figure12.(a) Meroitic Statue of Bound Prisoner fromArgo Island(Khartoum, Sudan National Museum 24397;after Wenig1978, p.219, fig.140) and(b) Prisoner Figures fromSteps of Throne Base at Meroe (after Tomandl1986, p.68). Attheendof thisiconographictraditionistheLouvrefigurineof thefemalelover depictedasaboundprisoner.Yet whilethe"prisoner motif' contributedtheimageryfor thefigure,itistoadifferent traditionthat onemustlookforitsmanipulation,and forthe transition of theimage fromroyal to private magic. THE EXECRATION TEXTS If themagicalaspect of the"prisoner motif' and itsrelated imagery islargely passive innature, dependent upon either themere existence or the "inherent kinetics" of the design itself,thereremainsyetaseconduseofprisonerfigurinesinwhichactive,ritual manipulation isunmistakable:assupportsfortheso-called "execration texts."First noted IMAGES AND INTERMEDIARIES137 onsome289potteryfragmentsbySchafer andSethein1925,610thesecursingformulae inscribed onpotsand figurinesnownumber inexcess of 1,000 exemplars,and are attested fromtheOldKingdomthroughtheLatePeriod.611 Althoughthetextsvarywidelyin complexity,rangingfromindividualfigurestoelaborateassemblages,theirunityof purposeandgeneralsimilarityof techniquehavedefinedthemasacorpus.Unlikethe "prisoner motif" which presents only generalized images of foreigners,the execration texts arequitespecificintheirintendedvictims.612 Forbytheadditionof names,thepot or figurinebecomesasubstituteimageofthosevictims,anEgyptiancounterparttothe "voodoodoll"(seefig.13a).Thecouplingofnameandprisonerimagethuseffected directlyparallelsstandard practiceinthehieroglyphicscript aswell,whereenemy names mayreceivea"boundprisoner" determinative]l1(Gardiner Sign-list A13).613Whilethe useof afigurineas asubstituteimage isobvioustothemodernresearcher,thesymbolism 610.Sethe1926 (BerlinP.14501-14606). 611.A generallistingisfoundinPosener 1975a and1987,pp.2-6. Tothesereferences shouldbeaddedthe LondonandHanoverfigurespublishedinMunro1972andRitner1989a;theBalat figurinediscussed inPosener-Krieger1982, p.384 and pI.70b;Giddy1983,p.107; Grima11983, p.111 ; idem1985(with criticalremarksbyPosener1987,p.6,n.6);GalerieNefer1992,p.33(number34);andtwo unpublishedstonefigurinesintheMilwaukee PublicMuseum.AsidefromSethe'sinitialstudy.basic publications of thematerialarefoundprincipallyintheworkof Posener. Inadditiontohistwo studies just cited,seePosener1939a.1939b,1940,1958,1963b,1966,1971,1974,1975b,1976a,1977,and 1984.Otherpertinentstudiesof thematerialinclude:Daressy1901,p.98(Cairo25376);Reisner 1913, p.62;Montet1928;Lansing1933. pp.23-25;Edgerton1940,p.492,n.44; Junker1947, pp. 30-38andpis.6-7;Heick1971,pp.44-67;Vila1973;idem1963;AbuBakrandOsing1973;Osing 1976a;Heimer1981;Koenig1987a;andidem1990.Itisimportanttonotethatnotallexecration figurinesareprovidedwithtext,andthestressherelaidonnamed figurinesshouldnotdevaluethe manyun inscribed imagesprobablylinkedtotheir victimbyoralrecitations.Foraselection of these, see Petrie1902,p. 26(no.39) andpI.53(clay torsowitharms bentbehindback, fromthetemenos of theOsiristempleatAbydos,"early dynasties");Petrie, Griffith,andMurray1888,p.73,70 andpI. 40,nos.8-13(thirtytofortylimestonefigures,Saite);SchoskeandWildung1985,pp.83(no.65, pronelimestonefigureof atiedNubian,NineteenthDynasty)and162-63(atleastsixbrokenclay figures of Asiatics, Ptolemaic period). 612.Anintermediatepositionbetweenthespecificityof theexecrationtextsandthegeneralityof the "prisoner motif' isfoundintheRamessideStatueBase Cairo 755withprisoner headslabeled "chief of vileMitanni"and "chief of vileCush," inBorchardt1930, pp. 75-76 and Wildung1973, pp.112-13. Wherethecurrentruler wasunknown,theexecrationtextsfollowedthissamepattern. Comparealso thepersonified captive cities, foundinter alia at Medinet Habu;see above, n.549. 613.Gardiner1973, p. 443.Thesignregularly determinesexpressionsfor"enemy," and byextensionmay beappliedtonamesof hostilepersons.For examplesfromexecrationfigures,seePosener1984,p. 613and pI.1;1976a,p. 442;and1987,pp.15-16 and 55. 138 THEMECHANICSOF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MAGICALPRACTICE b a c Figure13.(a) Execration Figurine fromBrussels (inv.E 7442);(b) Execration Figurine fromSaite Fortress at Defennah (after Petrie1972,pI.5); and(c)Clay Imprint of ExecrationFigurewithKnifeBisecting Neck (New Kingdom, Giza;after Posener1958, p.256[with addition of knife frompis.XXVI-XXVII]). of pottery as human substitutes wouldhavebeen nolesssototheEgyptians whose creator deity Khnum fashionedmankind ona potter's wheel.614 614.Thisactivity of Khnumisbestreflectedinthe "great hymn" at Esna(see Sauneron1968, pp.130-34, no.250/6-21;idem1962b,pp.94-107;andLichtheim1980,pp.111-15).Comparealsothepossibly Egyptian-inspiredwisdomtextof BenSira:"Like clayinthehandof apotter,Tobemouldedashe IMAGES AND INTERMEDIARIES139 Theearliest preservedtexts,fourGizadepositsfromthereignof PepiII,followno singleformat.615 Two of thesedepositsincludealarge shattered clay figureinscribed with differingprototypesof a"rebellionformula"whichwastobestandardizedonlyinthe Middle Kingdom: [Every rebel of thisland, allp ~ o p l e ,allpatricians, allcommoners (rby.t),allmales], alleunuchs,allwomen,everychieftain,[everyNubian,everystrongman,every messenger],everyconfederate,everyallyof everylandwhowillrebelinW?w?t, Z1tw,'Ir1t,'Urn,>lJnb, Mlslt, and Kl(?w),whowillrebeior whowillplot bysaying plots or by speaking anything evilagainst Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt forever.616 Every Nubianwhowillrebelin)lr1t,WJw?t,Z?tw,'IJm,K?Jw,'UI1[1,MJslt Mrj?,and Mtrtl,whowillrebelorwhowillmakeplots,orwhowillplot,orwhowillsay anything evil.617 Augmenting these general designations of threatening Egyptians and Nubians are many smaller clay figurinesbearing individual Egyptianand Nubian names.Also associated with thedeposit containing thefirstof thesetextswasanuninscribed clay statuette, broken and incomplete.Theremainingdepositsconsistedonlyof individuallylabeled figurines,and theuseof suchimages without the "rebellion formula" continuesinto theMiddle Kingdom, whilefromtheNewKingdomonthispatternaloneistypicallyattested.Despitethe variationincontent(extendingalsotothenumber of smaller figurines),allfourof these depositsarenonethelessintimatelyassociatedbydate(threewithinthespaceoftwo months),handwriting(seemingly only twoscribes for four deposits),and by the recurrence of identicalnames throughout.618 Allwere interredinthe Giza cemetery, most enclosed in jugs docketed withtheregnal year and apersonalname.619 chooses,Soaremeninthehandof theirmaker,"inLichtheim1983,p.142.Inmagic,theconcept clearlyunderliesaRamessidecursingspellwhichidentifiesanenemyasalumpof clay,malleable andhelplessinthehandof themagician(Shorter1936). TheEgyptianassociationof claywithman-kindisalsoreflectedinanepisodeinPap.Vandier,inwhichthemagicianmoldsclay(qd' m