Cuneiform Magic: A Reference for want of Synthesis

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Thread Orientation: I try my hand here at submitting a key or reference for the various points at enenuru where something significant about the study of Mesopotamian Magic has been discussed.

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Mesopotamian Magic: A Reference

Inevitably when a certain subject is pursued over a long enough period and is also sufficently complex, notes begin to become diverse and scattered so that a reference such as this becomes desirable. There are two ways I hope the below will be helpful: To the newcomer, as our procedings could easily be difficult to engage. And secondly to the long term readers - when it comes down to it, Assyriologists tend to focus their articles and works on this or that isolated aspect of magic, or isolated incantation or series of incantations: they incline of course, toward focused textual analysis. Attempts at synthesis are secondary or glancing or completely avoided though exceptions such as Cunningham's unusual 1997 work do exist.
It is largely up to the researcher and the reader then to sample the diverse Assyriological offerings and assemble in their own mind a broader picture and a balenced understanding of this subject. With the below effort to tie all the information we have collected at enenuru together, or at least to reference it in an orgnaized fashion, I hope to move in that direction. I should be careful to mention however, that the work of note taking is hardly complete here, and there is so much more we should need to explore to achieve that balenced and complete (as possible) view.

Raw Materials: The Incantation Texts/



Each of the below segments dealing with Incantations texts is presented in an "as is" condition, meaning we have assembled as much information about each, and/or as many of the relevant translations as time permits. Of course, late contributions and additions are strongly encouraged.

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Early Dynastic Incantation Texts


Sargonic Incantations


Ur III Incantations



Utukkū Lemnūtu Incantations (information only)


[url=http://enenuru.proboards52.com/index.cgi?board=research&action=display&thread=123

[/url]Love Magic (see Reply# 12)[/url]


Medical Incantations


Ghost Incantations (needs continuation)


Maqlu texts


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The Structure and Categorization of an Incantation text

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Incipits and Rubrics

Falkenstein`s Categorizations (See reply 1 and 3)

Anatomy of a Marduk/Ea incantation


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What was Magic to the Mesopotamians? (Efficacy)
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Collins on Efficacious Principals

An example of Analogical Relation

Reply 3, Divine Legitimation

See reply 1, Divine Mediation, Juniper as Mediator

Kishkanu Tree as Mediator


The Poetics of Magic and Mediation

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The Sumerian (Magical) World View
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The Four Winds

The Shadow Side, and Ghosts from the Netherworld

Apotropaic Figures and Sacred Space

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Ritual Enactment and Materia Magica in Mesopotamia/


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Ur III Ritual and Ceremony

Figurine Magic

B. Goff (see reply 3 and 4 particularly)

Un-identified Exorcistic Material culture (see reply 3)

BUR-ZI / pursītu Vessel (Reply 9&10)
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Black Magic/

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Walter Farbor on Magic

Black Magic in Literature

[url=http://enenuru.proboards52.com/index.cgi?board=research&action=display&thread=123[/url]Love Magic (see Reply# 12, is Love Magic, Black Magic?)[/url]

Thomsen on Witchcraft and Sorcery

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Incantations in Literature/

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Literary Magic

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General/


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KAR 44

Magic Words

State of Field Research
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