Demon Things Swansea 21 – 24 March 2016
Demon Things International Conference on Ancient Egyptian
Manifestations of Liminal Entities
Swansea 21 – 24 March 2016
Swansea University & the Egypt Centre, Wales, UK
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY PROF MARTIN STRINGER
PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR OF SWANSEA UNIVERSITY
PAPER ABSTRACTS
WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE “DEMONBASE”
BY KASIA SZPAKOWSKA
DIRECTOR OF “THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEMONOLOGY PROJECT: 2K BCE”
WITH A CORDIAL
THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE
CONFERENCE
The College of Arts and Humanities, «www.swansea.ac.uk/artsandhumanities»
The Egypt Centre, «www.egypt.swan.ac.uk»
Interpreting Egypt’s Past in Wales and the World
The Leverhulme Trust, «www.leverhulme.ac.uk»
Research Institute for Arts and Humanities, «www.swansea.ac.uk/riah»
South West Wales Classical Association, «swwclassicalassociation.weebly.com»
Swansea University, «www.swansea.ac.uk»
1
Ladislav Bareš
Underworld Demons in the Decoration of the Large Late Period Shaft Tombs at Abusir
InthedecorationofthelargeshafttombsatAbusir,datedtolateDyn.26/earlyDyn.27,several
seriesoftheunderworlddemonscanbefound.Theyappear
indifferentpositions–eitherseparatelyasontheinner
sarcophagusofIufaaandontheouterwoodencoffinof
Nekau(buriedinoneofthelesserburialchambersinthe
tombofIufaa),oraspartoftheBookoftheDeadchapter
144onthesideoftheburialchamberofMenekhibnekau
(seealsothepaperbyJ.JanákandR.Landgráfová).Another
seriesofdemons–fortechnicalreasonsmostlyinaccessible
–seemstoexistontheinnersarcophagusofMenekhibnekau.Inthispaper,eachofthoseseriesof
demonsistreatedinrespecttoitspositioninthedecorationoftheentireburialchamber.In
additiontothat,severalquestionconnectedtotheirpositionanduseinthetombsarediscussed.
Ladislav Bareš
Czech Institute of Egyptology
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Photo: Iufaa by K. Vodera
2
Susanne Beck
Demons in Mesopotamia and Egypt: Sāmānu as a Case Study
ThedemonSāmānuisattestedbynumerousmagicalandmedicalsourcesintheancientNear
EastandEgyptfromthe3rdmillenniumtothe2nd
centuryB.C.InMesopotamia,Sāmānuisknownasa
widespreadevilseizinggods,men,animals,plants,as
wellasrivers.InEgypt,Sāmānuisdescribedonlyas
illnessofhumankinds.Itisnotablethatbothcultures
haddistinctconceptionsaboutdemons.Therefore,the
talkhighlightsthesimilaritiesanddifferences
betweenEgyptianandMesopotamiandemon’s
depictionsingeneral,andmorespecificSāmānu’s.
Susanne Beck
Department of Egyptology, Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IANES)
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany
Image provided by S. Beck
3
Zuzanna Bennett
Anatomy of a Coffin Text Demon
IntheMiddleKingdomCoffinTexts,demonicentitiesarevividlydescribedandsometimes
intricatelyillustrated.Thesedescriptionsanddepictionsareofa
networkofsupernaturalbeingsconsistingofindividualswith
distinctcharacters,attributesandforms.Demonicappearancescan
varysubstantially,ranginginsizefromsmalltogigantic,in
structurefromanthropomorphictozoomorphic,andinanatomy
frombovine‐headedtolong‐nailedentities.Themostfrequent
formsofthesedemonswillbefigurativelydissectedandeach
componentexaminedtoidentifywhichanimalspeciesareutilised.
Theanatomyofdemonscanalsobelinkedtotheirotherattributes,
assisting,enablingorinspiringthemtoperformparticularfunctions
orbehaviours.Thevarietyandcomplexityofthephysical
appearancesofCoffinTextdemonsnotonlydemonstratestheirimportanceasmanifestationsofthe
AncientEgyptianhopesandfears,butcouldalsobeakeytounderstandingthefunctionsoffunerary
demons.
Zuzanna Bennett
Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE
Swansea University, United Kingdom
Photo: Coffin of Gua, BM EA 30839, courtesy of The British Museum, London
4
Erin E. Bornemann and Stuart Tyson Smith
Liminal Deities in the Borderlands: Bes and Pataikos in Ancient Nubia
DuringtheNewKingdomPeriod(1550–1069BC)andextendingintotheNapatanPeriod(750–
332BC),apotropaicdeitieswereespeciallypopularinthe
household,and—whenrepresentedintheformofamulets—
becamefixturesinthedailylivesofwomenandchildren.Thispaper
examinesamuletsintheformsoftheliminalgodsBesandPataikos,
asrepresentedinthearchaeologicalassemblagefromthesiteof
Tombos,whichislocatedatthe3rdCataractinUpperNubia.Bes
andPataikosoccupyaninterestingspacewithinthescopeof
AncientEgyptianandNubianhouseholdreligion,giventheirhighly
protectivedispositions,liminalnatures,andconsistentlygrotesque
representations.Whenweexaminetheseamuletsunder
anthropologicalandarchaeologicalconceptionsofmateriality,we
arenotonlyabletolinktheseobjectstotheindividualsthatwould
havecomeincontactwithandusedthem,butwearealsoableto
connectbothobjectandindividualbackintothelargercontemporarysocialsphereofwhichthey
wouldhavebeenanactivepart.Tombosprovidestheprimarycasestudyexaminingtheseamuletic
forms,andexamplesfromthissitewillbecomparedtoothersfromsitesinbothEgyptandNubia.
ThispaperaimstoexaminesimilaritiesanddifferencesiniconographicrepresentationsofBes/et
andPataikosinconjunctionwiththerespectivearcheologicalcontextofeach.Particularattention
willbepaidtowardvariationsintheiconographyofthesedeities,aswellasthepresenceofthese
dailylifeobjectswithinfunerarycontextswheretheyoftenmadethetransitionintodeathwith
theirowners.Thispaperexemplifiestheutilityofmaterialitystudiesasappliedtoarchaeological
investigationsofthedailylivesanddeathsofindividualsinAncientEgyptiansocietyandhopesto
fosterfurtherdiscussionofamuleticformsthatmadethetransitionfromlifeintodeath.
Erin E. Bornemann and Stuart Tyson Smith
Department of Anthropology
University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Image provided by E. Bornemann and S. Smith
5
Amr Gaber
MnH, ‘the Butcher’: A Benevolent Demon and Lord of Demons
Thisworkisconcernedwithademon,i.e.MenehwhoisattestedinAncientEgyptsincethe
MiddleKingdomuntiltheGraeco‐RomanPeriodaccordingtothe
epigraphicandiconographicevidence.Despitehisaggressiveness,
fiercenessandviolence,heuseshisforcesonlyagainstenemiesshowinga
benevolenttemper.Beingmentionedinreligioustextsdealingwiththe
afterlifeandsubsequentlynotonlyhadhiscultintheGraeco‐Roman
temples,buthavinghisownsonaswell.Hence,thisworkstudieshis
differentaspectsinextenso.Additionallyhisconnectiontothebutcher
demonsisestablishedviaanewproposedreadingoftwohisepithets.
Amr Gaber
Swansea University, United Kingdom
Image provided by A. Gaber
6
Amy Hammett
The Clay Balls of Ancient Egypt: A Symbolic Defence against Apophis?
The“strikingoftheball”ritual,datedfromtheNewKingdomtotheLatePeriod,isdepictedona
numberoftemplewalls.ThescenedepictsthePharaoh,armedwitha
cluborstick,hittingballsbeforeadeityoragroupofdeities.The
inscriptionswhichaccompanythesescenessuggestthatthey
representthe“evileyeofApophis”,andthattheyaredestroyedto
protectthesungodRe.Ithasbeensuggestedthattheseballsmayhave
beenmadefromclay,andthispaperwilldiscusswhythistheoryis
supportableandwilldiscussthepossibilitythattheclayballswere
usedasaformofweaponagainstApophisandtheevilherepresented.
Clayballshavebeenexcavatedfromhomesandburials,andaredecoratedwithinscriptions,seal
impressions,orpainteddesigns.Thefactthattheseartefactshavebeenfoundinhousesdoesnot
entirelyruleitoutasbeinganaccompanimenttothe“strikingoftheball”ritual,becauseitis
possiblethatancientEgyptianroyalritualsadopteddomesticritualsandviceversa.Inadaytoday
settingApophiscouldhaverepresentedtheveryrealthreatofsnakestotheaverageEgyptianandit
ispossiblethatthe“strikingoftheballritual”haditsoriginsinthehome.Similarly,equippingone’s
tombwithclayballscouldhaveprovidedaformofdefenceintheafterlife.
Amy Hammett
University of Kent, United Kingdom
Image: Temple of Luxor, reproduced from Gayet (1894), pl. LXXIV
7
Jiří Janák and Renata Landgráfová
Guardians of Gates: An Unusual Assemblage of Demons in Menekhibnekau‘s Book of the Dead Chapter 144
TheSaite‐PersianshafttombnecropolisatAbusirisarichsourceoftextsandimagesattestingto
thecontinuityandchangeofEgyptian
funerarybeliefs.Whilethetextually
richestofthesetombsisthatofIufaa,
theburialchamberoftheroughly
contemporarytombofthehigh
dignitaryMenekhibnekauisliterally
filledwithtextsandrepresentations,
andincludes,onitssouthernwall,a
representationofthesevengatesofBookoftheDead144withagroupofthreenameddemons
pertainingtoeach.Thetextofthechapterthenfollowsincolumnsunderneaththese
representations,whichfilltwolargeregistersofthearchofthewall.Theaimofthispaperisto
investigatethenatureofthesedemonsandthereasonsfortheirinclusioninBookoftheDead144,
thevignetteofwhichusuallyincludesgateswithoneortwogenericdemonfigures,andnotthe
highlydifferentiatedandindividualistic,aswellasnamed,demonsthatappearinMenekhibnekau.
Inthisconnection,itisimportanttonotethatthesarcophagusofPsusennesprovidesalinkbetween
Menekhibnekau’sgateguardiansanddemonprocessionsofLatePeriodsarcophagi(suchastheone
appearingontheinnerbasaltsarcophagusofIufaa,whichwillbepresentedbyL.Bareš),ashis
demonsbearnamesknownfromBookoftheDead144.Thus,alsotheconnectionsbetweenBookof
theDeadChapter144andguardiandemonprocessionswillbeinvestigatedinordertointerpret
Menekhibnekau’sunusualdemontriplets.
Jiří Janák and Renata Landgráfová
Czech Institute of Egyptology
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Photo: Demons of the Second Gate from Chapter 144 of the Book of the Dead of Menekhibnekau; provided by J. Janák and R Landgráfová
8
Panagiotis Kousoulis
Rebellious Identities and Demonic Diversity: Name vs. Function of the msw-bdSw and the Apophian
Associates
AcentralissueinthestudyoftheAncientEgyptiandemonicdiscourseisthevarietyofformsand
namesinwhichtheunseenintervenesandis
recognized.Thesemanifestationsrangefrompositive
tonegativeandviceversa.Thisisespeciallytruefor
collectivegroupsofenemieswhicharecategorised
underthegenerictermmsw-bdS(t)ormsw-bST.Inthe
mythologicaldiscourse,msw-bdStareregardedasa
comparativebodyofliminalhostileentities,which
usuallyrefertoApepandhisoffspringorassociates,
ortoanygroupofrebels.Thus,itcanbetranslatedas“childrenofrebellion”,“childrenof
impotence”,“childrenofthefeeble”,or“childrenoftherebelliousone”.Thetermmayalsobe
viewedasdenotingasingleserpentinebeing,asinthespell17fromtheBookoftheDead,inthe
scene69fromtheBookofGates,orinLatePeriodmaterial.Thescopeofthispresentationisto
presentandexemplifytheformativeaxiomsandApophianattributesofthiscollectivegroupof
hostileentities.Atthecoreofthisresearchliestheverycomplicatedissueofthefunctionvs.
representationvs.name/functionnameintheontologicalandperformativeconceptionofthe
demonicinAncientEgyptianthought.DoesidentityofthevariousApophiannamesidentifythe
archenemyofthesungodparexcellence,whenthefunctionsaredifferent?Doesidentityofthe
multipleApophianfunctionsidentifythesamemalevolententity,whenthenamesaredifferent?
Howcouldthepolarityandconceptualdevelopmentofa“demonic”or“anti‐god”entitybeframed
anddefinedintheEgyptianbeliefsystemanddiscourse?
Panagiotis Kousoulis
Department of Mediterranean Studies
University of the Aegean, Greece
Photo: The First Recording of Apep’s Name, Tomb of Ankhtifi, Mo’alla, ca. 2100 BCE; by P. Kousoulis
9
Nika Lavrentyeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova
Liminal Sources of Dangerous Powers: A Case of the Black Ram. A comparative analysis of demonological
representations
TheCoffinTextcapturesadevelopedsystemofideasaboutthedangerousinhabitantsofthe
Netherworldmanifestedmainlyintheirnamesandiconography.Anessentialcontactwithchaos
andborderbetweenchaosandcosmoshasadecisiveinfluence
onthenatureandbehaviourofdemonsofthecoffins.This
connectionisdistinctlyreflectedintheimageofthetworoads
oftheBookofTwoWaysandtheirdangerousenvironmentof
fireandwaterrepresentedbytheguards.Inthepyramidssuch
depictionsarequiterarebutitisintriguingthataPharaoh
himselfcouldberegardedasadangerousinhabitantofthe
Netherworld,threateningthecosmicorder.Thesourceofhis
destructivepowerisalsotheliminalstate,inthiscase
expressedasdamagetotheEye.
Anexampleoftheintersectionofthesetwo“demonicsystems”istheimageofthe“Lord‐of‐
Power”representedinbothPyramidTextandCoffinText.OnthevignettesoftheBookofTwoWays
heisshownintheformofaBlackRaminthe“chamberofjudges”.Thesituationofatrialwhenthe
deceasedclaimsaplaceintheNetherworldandthegodssatisfythisdemandapparentlyisoneof
thewaystoappeasethedangerousenergy.ThusinthePyramidText,Pharaohthreatenstodestroy
theexistingcosmosbythepowerofhisdamagedEyeifheisnotgrantedaplaceinanotherworld.
ThesuccessfulintegrationofthedeceasedintheNetherworldis,therefore,ameantoappeasehim
andtorestorethecosmicbalance.
Nika Lavrentyeva
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Educational Art Museum
Russian Endowment for Science and Education, B.A. Turaev Egyptological Centre, Moscow, Russia
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Russian Endowment for Science and Education
B.A. Turaev Egyptological Centre, Moscow, Russia
Drawing by N. Lavrentyeva
10
Aris Legowski
What is the Evil within Demons? Exploring the Egyptian Semantic Field of Evil
ThroughoutallperiodsofAncientEgyptianhistoryliminalentities,ordemons,playeda
significantroleinculturallife.Theycanberegardedasconcrete
manifestationsofuniversalforcessuchasgoodandevil.Analogouslyto
theirliminalnature,demonscanpossesseitherbenevolentormalevolent
powers,orinsomecasesboth.Appearinginvariousformsandonawide
rangeofdifferentsourcesdemonsconveythevividdiscoursesaboutgood
andevil.Repellingandovercomingdemonicevilforceswasfundamental,as
itwasoftenexpressedinbothliteraryandfigurativeform.Quitefrequently,
indeed,theprincipleofgoodwasvirtuallydefinedthroughtherenunciation
andrejectionofevil.
Lookingintoparticularcasesofdemonsandtheiractions,severalwords
describingevilhavebeenattributedtothem.Yettheirverynatureand
purposearenotalwaysobvioussincethereisnosingleandsimple
definitionofevil.Aspartofabroaderstudyonthesemanticfieldsofevil,
thispaperwillanalysethemeaningofevilinthecontextofdemonsby
comparingattributesofevilwithinalargerscopeofdifferentgenres.The
focuswillbeonthesemanticfieldsofwordsalsoappearingasabstracta,hencethesebearahigher
significanceinregardtoacomprehensionofdiachronicandinter‐genericdiscourses.
Thisapproachaimsforamoredistinctunderstandingoftheevilascribedtodemonsandfor
sheddinglightonthenatureofthoseliminalentities,whosecharacterisnotimmediatelyevident
fromtheircontext.
Aris Legowski
Department of Egyptology, Institute for Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology
Rheinische Friedrich‐Wilhelms‐Universität Bonn, Germany
Photo: P. Cairo S.R. VII 10249, TM 134481, courtesy of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo
11
Rita Lucarelli
Baba and the Demonic Aspects of the Baboon - Since the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom through the Temple
Texts of the Graeco-Roman Period
Althoughneverdepicted,afewtextssuggestthatthisgodmanifestshimselfasababoonwitha
ratherdangerousanddreadfulcharacterandfunction
towardsothergodsandhumankind;however,Baba’s
whereaboutsinrelationtohisbaboonmanifestation
havenotbeenthoroughlyinvestigatedyet.Thispaper
willreviewtheexistingsourcesonbaboonswith
demonicaspectsattestedinmagicalandmortuarytexts
andillustrationsofPharaonicandGraeco‐RomanEgypt,
atthesametimeattemptingtobetterdefinetheroleof
BabawithintheAncientEgyptianpantheon.
Rita Lucarelli
Department of Near Eastern Studies
University of California Berkeley, USA
Image provided by R. Lucarelli
12
El Zahraa Megahed and Laure Pantalacci
The Demoniacal Manifestations of Winds in Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days
CalendarsofLuckyandunluckydaysinpCairoJEno.86637andpSallierIV(pBM10184)include
clearindicationstotheroleofwindsasbearersofdemonsanddemoniacaldiseases.
Thetwotroops@rytywand@nTtywappearaspersonifiedwindsonIAxt4,IIAxt24,IIAxt25andIII
Smw24.Inthosefourdays,demonicpersonifiedwindsmanifesttoaffectthelivesofpeopleon
earth;theycausediseaseandperturbnavigationintheNilestream.ParalleldaysinCopticand
Arabicalmanacsincludeclearcitationsforsimilareffects.Diseasesspreadbywindsatthepresent
timearealsosimilartothoseinthecalendars.
Theroleofdemonsaspersonifiedwindsintheformerdaysregardsthemasemanationsor
reflectionstotheconflictbetweenReandApophisintheNetherworld.Demonsareassociatedin
calendarswiththenorthernwinds.Thenorthernwindsaredominantduringmostoftheyear;they
arealsothestrongestandthemostdangerous.Thestrengthofnorthernwinds,whichiscompatible
withtheeast,agreeswiththesupernaturalpoweroftheagentsofRewhoresideintheEastreadyto
attacktheenemiesofReinthewest.
Onanotherday(I Prt 19),winds(TAw)figureasembodieddemons(nTrw aAw)tospreaddemonical
inflictions(jAdt rnpt).Apartfromcalendars,thePrt seasonisconnectedinothertextswith
dangerousexhalationsofthesoil.Duringthosedays,exhalationsareimpliedtocomefromcarcasses
ofanimalsthatdrownbytheNileflood.Inthatcontext,thequestionof#Atywasequivalenttothe
miasmasofGalenoraccuratelyasexhalationsorgaseousemanationsfromcadavers(XAt)affected
bysepsis(xAyt)isanswered.Apartfromcalendars,itiscertainthatwinds,breaths,exhalationsand
eventhespitthatgoesoutfrommouthsofdemonsbyspittingareallpathogenic.
El Zahraa Megahed and Laure Pantalacci
Institute Maison d'Orient
University of Lyon 2, France
13
Maria Nilsson
Symbolae Sacrae – Symbolic Formulae for Protection and Adoration within
the Sandstone Quarries of Gebel el Silsila
WithinthegrandsandstonequarriesofGebelelSilsilaisavastamountofuniquesymbolic
representations;stylizediconographicandpseudo‐
scriptedsignsandmarksthattosomeextentsignify
deitiesandtheirprotectionagainstdemons,eviland
mishaps.Likewrittenprotectiveformulae,these
markswereplacedwithinthequarriesto
symbolicallysafe‐keepthequarryworkers,andfor
expressinggratefulnessoncetheworkhadbeen
completed.Forsuchreasonasinglequarryface/wall
couldbeincisedwithmorethan300markswithnoapparentorderofdistribution;somecarved
immediatelyadjacentadorationtextsordedications.Intotal,thusfar,some5000quarrymarks
havebeendocumentedandanalysedbythecurrentarchaeologicalconcession(LundUniversity).
Thispaperaimstopresentaselectionofquarrymarksthatcanbeassociatedwiththe
metaphoricalworldoftheancients(chieflyearlyRoman)withfocusonassignedprotectivedeities
(eg.Bes,Min,Horus,Amun,butespeciallythelocalAgathodaimonPachimesen);theever
assimilatingdaemonShaï;apotropaicfigures(anguipedes,akephaloi,Harpocrates,Tutu);andmarks
usedforprotection,adoration,respectandgratefulness.Itisanattempttobroadentheperspective
oftraditionallyacceptedancientapotropaia,andincorporatesuperstitiousrepresentations
communicatedbyagroupofhardworkingmenwithinthequarriesofGebelelSilsila.Thematerial
presentedisbasedonpreliminaryconclusions.
Maria Nilsson
Department of Archaeology and Ancient History
Lund University, Sweden
Photo: “A Guardian of the Quarrymen” by M. Nilsson, courtesy of the Gebel el Silsila Project
14
Arnaud Quertinmont
Anubis as a Demon?
ThegatesoftheUnderworldarewatchedoverbywhatwecall“demons”.Theseguardians,who
canprovetobeaggressiveorprotective,areoften
armedwithknives.Ingeneral,theyareonlyknownfor
thisspecificpurposeanditisrelativelyraretofindthem
inafunctionoutsidetherealmofthedead–though
someexceptionscanbenotedintheOracularAmuletic
Decrees.Ifitisrecognisedthatdemonshavelimited
powerandcan’tactasadeity,canthereversebe
acknowledged?Canagodactasademon?
Anubis,duetohisroleastombkeeper,isthefirstdeitytoberepresentedinthemastabasofthe
OldKingdom,whilsttheothergodsareleftout.Indeed,itisnotuncommontofindarepresentation
ofthisgod’snameattheentrancetothechapel,onthejambofthecentraldoor.Itthenpresentsa
canidimage‐surpassingotherhieroglyphicsinsize‐thatplaysboththeroleofdeterminativeinthe
inscriptionandincarnationofthedivineentity.
Itismostlikelythisparticularfunctionofguardian,keeperofthetombandofthedeceased’s
body,whichexplainstheparticulariconographyofAnubisthatcanbefoundinNakhtamun’stomb
(TT335).OverthedoorofroomBaretworepresentationsofthegodeasilyidentifiablebyAnubis’
traditionalepithets.Locatedbeneathacanopy,heisfeaturedinbothfigurationsasademonwitha
humanbodyandcaninehead,inaseatedpositionandarmedwithaknife.Theyseemtowatchover
Osiris’name.CouldthisiconographybeanemphasisontheroleofguardianoftheUnderworldand
ofOsiris’body?Canthisbesufficientastoexplainthisgod’sparticularform?
Arnaud Quertinmont
Museé royal de Mariemont, Collection Égyptiennes
Morlanwelz, Belgium
Photo: TT 335; provided by A. Quertinmont
15
Danielle Sass
Slaughterers, Knife-Bearers and Plague-Bringers: A Study of the Role and Significance of the xA.tyw in Ancient
Egyptian Thought
Thispaperwillpresentthefindingsofastudyfocusedonaparticulargroupofliminalbeingsthat
areconceptualisedinAncientEgyptianthoughtasbelongingtotherealmofthedivine.Theyare
identifiedinthewrittenrecordbythedesignationxA.tywinthefirstthreephasesoftheEgyptian
Languageorasxt.winthefourthstage(Demotic).ThexA.tywaremanifestedprimarilythrough
textualsources,withthecorpusintermsofdate,context,media,languagephaseandscriptbeing
extensivelyvariedinnature.Whilethedocumentationspansalargetime‐frameofEgyptianhistory
fromtheOldKingdomtotheendoftheGreco‐RomanPeriod,onlyaverylimiteddatasetcanbe
derivedfromthehistoricalperiodsbeforethebeginningoftheNewKingdom.Theincreasedlevelof
attestationforthexA.tywfromtheNewKingdomonwardsismostlikelytheresultofachangein
religious‘decorum’;withthedisintegrationofbarriersbetweenindividualanddeityfromthis
periodonwards,weaccordinglyhavemoreevidenceforinstanceswheretherewasdirect
accountabilitytodeitiesanddivineinvolvementinanindividual’slifethatcouldbebenevolentor
malevolentinnature.Thispaperaimstoprovideanoverviewoftheorthographyandetymologyof
thedesignationxA.tyw,theformandappearanceofthexA.tyw,thepositionandsubordinationofthe
xA.tywwithinthehierarchyofthepantheon,thecelestialnatureofthexA.tyw,andfinallytheroleof
thexA.tywasbearersofdisease.Anexaminationofthismaterialwillcontributetoagreater
understandingoftheagencyofthistypeofdivinebeingwhooperatedatbothstateandpersonal
levelsofreligion,andfurtherscholars’understandingofEgyptianworld‐viewandsocietyasawhole
onaccountofthedualisticnatureofthexA.tywthatencompassescomponentsofbothma’atand
isfet.
Danielle Sass
Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia
Image: Papyrus DeM. I, vso, reproduced from J. Cerny, Papyrus hiératiques de Deir el‐Medineh (Cairo, 1978‐1986), pl. 15
16
Renata Schiavo
Ghost and Ancestors in a Gender Perspective
Inanimpressivenumberofapotropaicdocuments,maleandfemaledeceasedareoften
associated.Infact,theyarelistedinpairs(Ӡh /Ӡh.t, mwt/mwt.t,etc.)in
ordertostrikeasmanypreternaturalenemiesaspossible.Thus,at
firstsight,itcouldseemthatadistinctionbasedongenderdidnot
playanactiveroleinreligiousbeliefsrelatedtoghostsand
ancestors.However,anin‐depthanalysisoftheso‐calledlettersto
thedeadcouldhighlightsomeinterestingaspects.Thesepeculiar
documentsweremainlywrittentoobtainthehelpoftheancestors
inordertosolveexistentialcrises.However,arestrictednumberof
letterswerewrittentoappeasetheangerofmalevolentspirits,anditissurelysignificantthatin
mostcasesthislattertypeofdocumentwassenttofemaledeceased.Thetransformationofan
ancestorintoamalevolentspiritcouldberelatedtoseveralcauses,predominantlythe
transgressionofacomplexpactofmutualaidbetweenthelivingandthedead.Forthe“male‐
sphere”,therulesofthisalliancewerestronglyinfluencedbyaspecificcodeofconductwithclear
connectionswiththeLoyalistInstructions,whereas,fortherelationshipbetweenthelivingandthe
femaledeceasedotherfactors,whichplayedarelevantrole,mayberecognized;mostimportantly,
theconnectionofwomenwithinthesphereofprocreationandhersocialroleaswifeandmother.
Renata Schiavo
Leiden University (LIAS), The Netherlands
Image provided by R. Schiavo
17
Wael Sherbiny
Between Texts and Images: Representations of the Supernatural Entities in the
so-called Book of Two Ways
Althoughtextualdescriptionsofallsortsofsupernaturalentitiesareattestedinthereligious
textsasearlyasthePyramidTexts(ifnotearlier),
thevisualexpressionsabouttheseentitiesare
scarceinthedocumentsbearingreligioustexts
antedatingtheelaboraterepresentationsfrom
theNewKingdomonwards(suchastheBookof
theDead,theAmduat…etc).Agreatdealofthe
iconographicinformationattestedwithinthe
CoffinTextsproperontheinsidesofthe
decoratedMiddleKingdomcoffinswasdeemedsecondarybytheeditorsofthecelebratedCoffin
TextsProjectoftheOrientalInstitute(‐TheUniversityofChicago).Thistextuallybiasedapproach
resultedinomittingseveraliconographicdetails.Sincealmostallofthesecoffinswerenever
scientificallypublishedasarchaeologicalobjects,onlythepublishedtextsasappearedinThe
EgyptianCoffinTextsformedthebasisforallthesubsequentstudies.Thecompositionoftheso‐
calledBookofTwoWaysoffersthebestexamplesofhighlyelaboraterepresentationsof
supernaturalentitiesintroducedintothecorpusoftheCoffinTexts.
Duringmyintensiveresearchonthecompositionoftheso‐calledBookofTwoWayswhichhas
beengoingonforthepastseventeenyears,Idiscovered,tomysurprise,alargenumberof
iconographicdetailsinthesupposedly‐publishedmaterialthatweresimplyskippedbytheCoffin
Textseditors.Theseincludeinteraliaanumberofnewpictorialrenderingsofvarioussupernatural
entities.InmypaperabriefreferencewillbemadetoimagesofthesupernaturalentitiesI
discoveredontheoldestsurvivingleatherrollfromAncientEgypt(2300‐2000B.C.),thediscovery
ofwhichIannouncedinthelastInternationalCongressofEgyptologistsinFlorence.
Wael Sherbiny
Independent Scholar
Leuven, Belgium
Image provided by W. Sherbiny
18
Kasia Szpakowska
The Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: 2K BCE “DemonBase” Launch
Inboththemodernandancientworld,intangibleentitiesembodyandareblamedforahostof
physicalandpsychological
afflictions,aswellasbeing
calledupontoaidthesufferer.
Thesebeingsareknowninmany
culturesbymanynames.A
sampleoftermsincludes:
gremlins,imps,faeries,ghosts,
daemons,genies,Mischwesen,
monsters,smallgods,angels,andinvisibilia.AlthoughtheAncientEgyptiansthemselveshadno
specificall‐encompassinggenericlabelforthislargecategoryofbeings,theyweredescribedintexts
andimagery.Fortheordinaryperson,theyplayedvitalrolesasmechanismsforcopingwithand
manifestingabstractstress,afflictions,andfears.
WhileliminalentitieswerefamiliartotheAncientEgyptians,findinginformationonthemtoday
isdifficult.Thereiscurrentlynosinglesourceforthescholarorinterestedpersontoconsultfor
furtherinformationonthem.Anumberofgeneralencyclopaediasofgodsexist,aswellas
specializedresourcesondivinenamesandepithets,butnotfor"demons".Toremedythisgap,our
projecthascreatedadatabaseoftheseentities.
Ourapproachcombinesphilological,iconographic,andarchaeologicalanalysisofCoffinTexts,
earlyBookoftheDeadmanuscripts,ivorywands(apotropaia),anddecoratedheadrests.Weinclude
textsandimagesinasingledatabase.Thefocusisoneachindividualbeing,categorizedbyits
structural,functional,andessentialcharacteristics.Twodatabaseshavebeencreated:onefor
researchersthatcanbeaugmentedandexpandedbyotherscholars,andonethatservesasan
interactiveportalforthepublictolearnabouttheseentities.Theformerwillbeformallylaunched
attheconference.
Kasia Szpakowska
Department of History & Classics
Director of the Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE
Swansea University, United Kingdom
Photo: File view from the DemonBase by K. Szpakowska
19
Marie Vandenbeusch
Following Seth’s Path? The Ambivalent Nature of Ancient Egyptian Donkey-Headed Deities
Egyptiangodsarewellknownfortheirabilitytotakevariousshapes,inparticularanimalforms.
MostanimalslivinginEgyptareinvolvedinthesetransformations.
Amongstthem,thedonkeyisoftenassociatedwiththegodSeth,
knownforhismalevolentandambivalentnature.Thisassociationis
mostapparentduringthePtolemaicPeriod,whenSethintheshape
ofadonkeyisshownbeingkilledinnumeroustemplereliefs,
especiallyinEdfou.Thisconnectionisalreadyclearearlier,
especiallyduringtheNewKingdom,whendonkey‐headedgods
seenattheprowofthesolarbarkdefenditfromattackers.These
scenesassociatethedonkeywithSeth,whoisalsoknownforhis
protectiveroleinthesolarjourney.However,notallofthe
representationsofdonkey‐headedgodsareclearlylinkedtoSeth,nordotheynecessarilypresent
evilqualities.
Thistalkwillpresentthevariousfunctionsofthedonkey‐headedfiguresinreligioustextand
imagery,whichpopulatethefuneraryworld,fromtheirfirstappearancetotheGraeco‐Roman
Period.ItwillshowthatwhilsttheassumptionthatthedonkeyisequivalenttoSethisoftentrue,
therearesomesignificantexceptions,whichshowtheambiguityandtherichnessoftheEgyptian
religiousworld.
Marie Vandenbeusch
The British Museum
Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan
London, United Kingdom
Photo: Shrine of Tutankhamun; reproduced from Piankoff, pl. 39
20
John Richard Ward
Akephalos: A Demon’s Origins and Transformation into
‘the Headless One’
TheaimofthispaperistoexplorethepossibleoriginsandlateradaptationsoftheAncient
EgyptianAkephalos,ademonalsoknownas‘theHeadless
One’.Itscharacteristics,attributesandfunctionsare
primarilyportrayedwithintheMagicalPapyrusPGM
V.96‐172,andlaterbecamesubjectwithinvarious
modernmagicalformulae.
SincethetranslationofaGraeco‐Egyptianpapyrus
fragmentintheBritishMuseumbyCharlesWycliffe
Goodwinin1852,theHeadlessOnehasbeen
amalgamatedintovariouslate19thandearly20thcenturies’magicalformulae.Thisadaptationof
anancientdemonorprotectivedeityisattheheartofthisdiscussion.Whatwastheintendedroleor
functionoftheHeadlessOneduringtheancientperiod?Howwidespreadwasit'sappealwithin
superstitiouscommunitiesoftheGraecoRomanPeriod?Wasthisapparentreligiousidentification
utilizedoutsideoftheAncientEgyptianborders?
Thispaperfurtheraimstodiscusstheseeminginclusionofaheadlessdeity–AbTuat–andhis
counterpart–ApTuat–withinthe4thDivisionoftheDuat,asdescribedbySirE.A.WallisBudgein
TheEgyptianHeaven&Hell,andwhetherthiswidelyacclaimedmaterialhadanybearingor
influenceonthere‐interpretationoftheoriginalAkephalosasademoncalledupontoassistthe
exorcismofapossessedperson(asdescribedinPGMV.96‐172).WastheworkofBudge
instrumentaltocontemporaneousoccultists’appealorwerethereotherdefiningcatalystsor
componentsforitswidespreadusage?
ConcludingwithaexplorationofhowtheHeadlessOnehasbecomeentrenchedwithinmodern
dayspiritualmovements(GoldenDawn,Theosophy,practitionersofThelma,etc.)thispaperwill
exploreiftheoriginalfunctionoftheAkephalosremainedunchangedorifitwasadjustedinthe
multitudeoftranslationsandinterpretationstofitthemoderncalluponancientspiritsintimeof
need.
John Richard Ward
The Gebel el Silsila Epigraphic Survey Project
Luxor, Egypt
Image provided by J. R. Ward
21
Felicitas Weber
The “Demon Code”
Book of the Dead manuscripts form one of the largest corpora of funerary
literature fromAncient Egypt and hence provide a unique insight into diversified
privatepersonalbeliefs.ResearchonselectedNewKingdommanuscriptsbuildsthe
fundamenttoanalyzetheroleofdemonicentitieswithinthedivinecontextwhich
the deceased encounters after death. It is not only of interest how the latter
approachesthem,butalsohowtheyinteractwitheachother,sincetheentitiesnot
onlyhaveanimpactonthedeceased,butthedeceasedhimselforherselfalsoaffects
the demonic beings when confronted with them. Furthermore, this paper will
illuminate the characteristics, qualifications and functions liminal entities are
assignedto,whatpowerstheycanexercisetowhatextent,andwhatexceedstheir
abilities.
Theattentionwillbeturnedinparticulartothediegeticinformationthatcanbeextractedfrom
thecompositionofeachindividualentityandalsofromthecompilationofgroupedarrangements
andlists.Gatheredtogether,demonsoftengenerateacompletelynewlevelofpotencywhichcan
differconsiderablyfromsoleappearances.WhenanentityisincludedintotheBookoftheDead‐
“narrative”itaddsindividualcharacteristicstoitbydisplayingcertaininformationsuchasname,
functionorappearance.Agangofdemons,however,mightchannelthisdiegeticinformationintoa
totallydifferentandnewdirectioncoveringaspects,duetotheliaison,thatcouldnothavebeen
touchedbyasinglebeing.ThethoroughstudyofBookoftheDead‐manuscriptsinregardto
demonicentitiesanddiegeticlistsallowsaconcentratedviewnotonlyonthenatureofAncient
Egyptiandemonsbutalsoontheiruniversalimportance.
Felicitas Weber
Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE
Swansea University, United Kingdom
Drawing: from P. Paris Louvre N. 3073, TM 134306, by F. Weber
22
John Wyatt
A Demonic and Angelic Bestiary?
On‐goingzoologicalresearchintothevariousanimalspeciesdepictedin/ontombs,coffins,head
rests,wandsandBooksoftheDeadforaDemon/AngelBestiaryispresentlyraisingmorequestions
thananswers.Mostdemonshavebothaggressiveandprotectivefunctionssuggestingthatattackis
thebestformofdefence.Howdoesthisrelatetowhyparticularspecieswerechosenfordepiction?
Whatarethoseanimalsanddoesaccurateidentificationofthemdowntospecieslevelactually
matteror,asformanyhieroglyphs,isitaparticularfeatureoraspectoffamilialbehaviourwhichis
ofmoreimportance?ThethreesmalldesertfoxesofAncientEgypt‐Fennec,AfricanSand(now
Pale)andRuppell’s‐arestrictlynocturnalandsimilarinbreedingbehaviour.Anyonewouldhave
beenequallysuitabletoappearonaheadrest,sowhywasonlyoneofthemapparentlyused?Why
dosomeselectedspecies,forexamplemice,apparentlyoccurnowhereelseinEgyptianart?And,
wheretheydo,aswiththecrocodile,whyisthedepictionsometimessubtlydifferent?TheCrocodile
hieroglyphshowsafemalecradlingher“nest”whilethedemonicversionisfullhead‐upassault.Are
therealsoanysubtlenuancesinthedepictionsofthesamegod/goddessandhis/herdemonicentity
whenusedinthedifferentcontexts,forexamplethoseofBesandTawaret?Thispaperbeginsto
examineeachofthesequestionsandtoputforwardsomeinterimsuggestions.
John Wyatt
Berkhamsted, United Kingdom
Photo: Magic Wand, MMA 30.8.218, courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
23
Notes
24
Notes
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: ZUZANNA BENNETT, WENDY GOODRIDGE, CAROLYN
GRAVES-BROWN, KASIA SZPAKOWSKA, FELICITAS WEBER
Homepage: http://www.demonthings.com E-mail: [email protected]