Collins: Analyising Efficacious Principals
Nov 9, 2008 21:04:44 GMT -5
Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Nov 9, 2008 21:04:44 GMT -5
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Analyzing Incantation Lore: How the Magic Works
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Continuing my perusal or T. Collins excellent dissertation (which Shupu has made possible by his wonderful actions), I browse through a fascinating section, Chapter four: The use of Medical incantations as source. (p.48)
In this chapter, which by its title sounds rather bland, the author does in fact make provide very desirable analysis - because he does not only endeavor to discuss Medical incantation as source, but he proceeds to discuss WHAT IS EFFICACY to the Mesopotamians? This sort of discussion is actually somewhat difficult to come across even in the works of ANE incantation scholarship, which as works out is often to minutely focused on a given text or series of texts and attempts to deal with what fundamentally is efficacious in the broad sense. Granted much of Collins interest here is favored to medical incantations, but as he discusses incantations in general as well we may observe from him and attempt to extract from him some principles that are applicable to the incantation genre as a whole.
On the source of efficacy/
Collins begins by expressing his impression that if an origin of the effect of the magic, its legitimating force, were to be ascribed on the basis of textual considerations.. than the magic can be said to be theurgical in nature: that is, reliant on the beneficent attention of the gods for its essential effect. Or as the author says "This chapter argues that a magician believed an incantation would be efficacious not because of what it said, but rather because it came to him from the gods. As a result of this belief the magician composed an incantation without any conscious design; subconsciously, however, he often expressed the problem's remedy by manipulating an analogical or causal relation, or else he secondarily combined parts of existing incantations. When composing an incantation in this manner, the magician often spontaneously provided information on the problem's cause."
Collins takes a strong stance on the issue of efficacy I believe, but rather than understanding 'the words of the incantation could be anything so long as they are divinely ordained' or suggestions to that effect, the composition itself should probably be understood as in some measure important - as tradition seems to have been maintained throughout the span of Mesopotamian incantation literature. At the same time, that the words themselves were infused with the theurgy should not be doubted and that this was what made them effective is also the general conclusion of Cunningham's exhaustive 1997 study, which found Divine legitimation at the core of his studied material: in the form of divine mediators, cosmological narratives and reoccurring closings which state in effect 'this incantation is not mine, it is the incantation of so and so' (of Ningirimma, of Enki or Marduk etc.).
Collins has divided his analysis on the mechanics of an incantation into two discussion. I have begun by summing, mostly in my own words, his section I below - section II will follow. The first deals with two principals contributing to magic effect in incantation - Section two with the origin of effect, with efficacy. I have maintained the authors headings for each subsection.
Section I
I.A Incantations that Manipulate Relations
Sections I.A.1 and I.A.2 deal with how incantation verbally manipulate Analogical or Causal relations in order to effect a certain
outcome. In some cases, the Mesopotamian exorcist or medical practitioner may employ both principals together in order to find that efficacious force that compels resolution and saves the patient. Both of these principals, Analogical relation and Causal relation, are simple enough once discussed:
I.A.1 The Manipulation of Analogical Relations
By manipulation of Analogical relations, Collins refers to those times that an incantation contains part of an old story, an old problem, and at the same time, contains also the resolution to that issue; the incantation would therefore relate the past problem with the current problem and attempt to extend the solution of the former to the latter. An example provided is from a childbirth incantation -the story from some (mythical) past and tells how Sin (the moon god) saw a particular cow having trouble giving birth and is beseeched by servants to help her:
There was a particular cow of Sin, Geme-Sin was her name;
At her shout, at the cry of her labor, Nannaru-Sin heard her cry (and said):
"Who is it Narundi? Who is it, Nahundi?: -
"A cow, my lord, she is having difficulty giving birth;
"My lord, throw water from your bucket at her,
So that the cow Egi-Sina may become happy,
"(The calf) may come out like a snake, slither out like a little snake,
"(And) like one who has fallen off a wall, not turn its check to its
rear!"
"A cow, my lord, she is having difficulty giving birth;
"My lord, throw water from your bucket at her,
So that the cow Egi-Sina may become happy,
"(The calf) may come out like a snake, slither out like a little snake,
"(And) like one who has fallen off a wall, not turn its check to its
rear!"
As we have seen elsewhere at enenuru, simpler analogy is also common in incantation literature, as with this example from an Ur III incantation: ""May the headache-demon `split the river bank' on (the patient's) cranium, may (the demon) break up like a pot.'" At which point ritual analogy may have ensued with the breaking of a pot by the exorcist.
I.A.2 The Manipulation of Causal Relations
Causal relations are more plain still, they are simply those times in an incantation when cause is apparent and, importently, when a suggested counteraction is given. In the below example of a causal relationship, Collins explains that sometimes a general cause was given, such as here we have the exorcist attributing the issue to ghosts (he names numerous possible ghosts since he doesn't know precisely which one is malignant.)
The solution, how the problem will be counteracted, is given in the
last line. It likely reflects a ritual accompaniment.
"You, dead person who is always meeting with me,
Whether father, mother, brother, or sister,
whether kith, kin, or relation,
Whether a buried person's ghost or an unburied person's ghost, Whether one who die[d]
by the punishment of a god or by the punishment of a king,
Or a ghost who has no one to libate water for him-
May the Balty thornbush hold you back,
may the ašāgu thornbush hold you back,
may the magic circle of flour hold you back!"
Whether father, mother, brother, or sister,
whether kith, kin, or relation,
Whether a buried person's ghost or an unburied person's ghost, Whether one who die[d]
by the punishment of a god or by the punishment of a king,
Or a ghost who has no one to libate water for him-
May the Balty thornbush hold you back,
may the ašāgu thornbush hold you back,
may the magic circle of flour hold you back!"
Collins explains that the basic significance of the principle of causal relations that can be observed in the incantation lore, is that the Mesopotamian specialist believed that removing the cause would also remove the medical problem at hand. In the modern context, we can see clearly that removing a knife won't repair a stab wound, but we may be more inclined toward perception of a causal relation when considering the problem of cancer. The ancient preponderance on causal relation is quite understandable in view of the many disease and illnesses that were attributed to demonic or negative affliction of the body of inhibition of the body, or in the case of harmful presence's like the ghosts above.
Excursus: Rituals that Manipulate Relations
As stated earlier both Analogical and Casual relations can be used in the same incantation or ritual - think along the lines of 'so and so is the cause, so and so will be destroyed, will melt away (or will break up) like a something).' Here the cause would be identified (so and so), its solution is also given in by analogy to the "something." Causal and Analogical both.
As is apparent above, incantations will sometimes suggest accompanying ritual proceedings, and at this point Collins provides a beautiful example of this in a carefully selected extract from the Maqlu series. Here we have an example of an incantation text which at this point clearly explains a ritual proceeding; at the same time it, by analogy with the figurines, attacks the causal issue at hand: a host of demons one or more of which are responcible:
"I am lifting the torch and setting fire to the figurines,
Which represent the utukku demon, the šēdu demon, the rābiṣu demon, the ghost,
The lamašhtu demon, the labāṣu demon, the aḫḫazu demon,
The lilû demon, the lilītu demon, the ardat lilī demon,
And anything evil that seizes mankind-
Dissolve, low away, drip away drop by drop!
May your smoke go up to heaven!
May the sun extinguish your embers!
May the son of Ea, the āšipu, cut off your "watcher!"
Which represent the utukku demon, the šēdu demon, the rābiṣu demon, the ghost,
The lamašhtu demon, the labāṣu demon, the aḫḫazu demon,
The lilû demon, the lilītu demon, the ardat lilī demon,
And anything evil that seizes mankind-
Dissolve, low away, drip away drop by drop!
May your smoke go up to heaven!
May the sun extinguish your embers!
May the son of Ea, the āšipu, cut off your "watcher!"
Still to come.... Setion II: Means to Efficacy