Agents of illness - witches

[lilitudemon]

This is taken from delirium's realm which got its information from Essentials of Demonology: A Study of Jewish and Christian Doctrine by Edward Langston.


While most people tried to prevent demon possession if they could, once a person came under the influence of demons, an exorcism was the only remedy. In ancient times, the local exorcist was both a priest and a doctor. They were the intermediaries between the victims and the divine and had an arsenal of weapons to combat evil spirits. Here are some of the components of a Babylonian exorcism.


Magical Objects and Preparations
The exorcist would concoct magical preparations composed of animals, plants or minerals that were thought to contain various powers. Some of the materials used were meteoric iron or aerolites, tamarisks, reeds, flour and animal hair. Ravens and hawks were thought to possess supernatural powers while owls were associated with demons or evil spirits. Water symbolized the presence of the god of water, Ea, so it was often sprinkled on the victim during incantations to symbolize the cleansing of the victim from the demon's influence. Spittle also was thought to be potent against demons as a number of ancient texts refer to the sorcerer-priest as a "kassapu," which in Arabic, means "to poison." Its Sumerian equivalent means saliva or spittle - and can be used to mean the poison of serpents.

Incantations
Certain words, syllables and formulas were a large part of the cleansing process. Sorcerer-priests took great care in pronouncing words correctly and reciting specific word formulas. There are at least 6 distinct series of incantation rituals including:
Maklu ('burning') - Called so because it refers to the symbolic burning of images of witches and demons
Shurpu ('burning') - similar to Maklu
Labartu - named for the female demon who harmed mothers and their children
Utukku limnuti ('evil demon')
Ti'u ('head sickness')
Ashakku Marsu - Ashakku sickness
The make up of these incantations was similar. The sorcerer-priest would mention the name of the demon or witch thought to be tormenting the victim. (A witch in this context was the person through whom the demon chose to manifest itself.) He'd then ask that the demon either stop attacking the victim or depart from the victim altogether. Finally, he'd invoke the power of the gods or other divine entities.

Babylonians strongly believed that rituals and incantations were powerful because they were infused with some type of supernatural powers. The words and actions of sorcerer-priest alone weren't good enough for a successful exorcism. He'd have to invoke the name of a particular deity or object that was thought to have power over the evil spirit and in essence, become a vessel of the gods to channel their powers. For instance, many incantations end with the phrase "By Heaven be ye exorcized! By Earth be ye exorcized!" Others invoke the names of deities like water god, Ea, or fire gods Gibil and Nusku.

To the Babylonians, names were more than just a way to distinguish one god from another. They were a component of the deity's personality and a source of divine power. By properly reciting incantations, they believed they could tap into that power and compel the god to act on their behalf. This is similar to the Jewish concept of the divine name of God.


Sympathetic Magic
The belief in witches was prominent in ancient Babylonia. Witches could harness the power of demons to make people's lives miserable in a number of ways. These included giving people the Evil eye, using magical formulas and potions, reciting incantations, and by symbolic actions.

For instance,, if a witch wanted to strangle a victim or seal his mouth, he/she might tie knots in a rope while repeating a specific incantation. If he/she wanted to kill an individual, he/she might make an image of the person and burn or by it.

Sorcerer-priests would often try to combat such symbolic actions by forging an alliance with a more powerful supernatural being and symbolically undoing the actions the witch performed. For instance, sorcerer-priests might perform a ritual to loosen knots in a rope. Peeling off the skins of an onion also symbolized the release of power from a witch.

[lilitudemon]

In the book The religion of Babylonia and Assyria by Morris Jastow details some of the religious ideals attached to the idea of witches, demons, and exorcism.

To protect against demons and witches small images were made of protective household deities at the entrances of houses and people would carry amulets of protection with them. Tablets of religious doctrine may also be used to ward demons and hung around houses. [These tablets may have been hung during plagues especially as demons were thought to be responsible for illness.] This was what the layman would do.

But in cases of possession than it was one of the main functions of a priest was to exorcise the demons/witches. As priesthood evolved over time this became its own special class of priests. It was thought making countering images to witches and burning them would effectively get rid of the witch. The tying of knots that were then loosened over time to symbolize the loosening of the demon or witch, symbolizing the releasing of their claws so to speak, on the victim. It could also be symbolized by peeling the layering skin of an onion.

Its because the witches and demons were feared to be nocturnal in their pursuits that the incantations address gods of the night.

I call upon you gods of the night
With you I call upon the night; the veiled bride
I call at evening, midnight, and dawn

[Some suggest that the "veiled bride" referred to a night goddess. Or it could be that this is merely an epithet for the night that has its roots in the mythos of the affecting relationship of day and night.]

The fire god Nusku would often be addressed.

"Fire god; mighty and lofty of the gods
Who dost overpower the wicked and hostile
Overpower them [witches]so that I may not be destroyed
Let me thy servant live, let me
Unharmed stand before me
Thou art my god, though art my lord
Thou at my judge, thou art my helper
Thou art my avenger"

In another a victim explains of the pains of being bewitched:
I stand upright and cannot lie down.
Neither night nor day.
The witches have filled my mouth with their knots.
With the aid of the upuntu weed they have stuck up in my mouth.
The water that I have drink is diminished.
My joy is changed to pain, my pleasure to sorrow.


These are direct appeals to gods. Other incantations done by exorcizers show that the priests believe they have some control over the evil spirits and it is more of threats of the gods hurled at witches and demons if they continue their harm.

This incatation is hurling back what is throwing at them by the witches:

But I by the command of Marduk, lord of charms
by Marduk the master of bewitchment
Both the male & female witch
As the ropes I will entwine
As in the cage I will catch
As in cords I will tie
As in a net I will over power
As in a sling I will twist
As in fabric I will tear
and dirty water from a wall I will fill
As a wall throw them down


Specific rites would accompany this incantation, acting it out, through the use of symbols to hurl back at the witches. Herbs & weeds would then be used by the priest to give the bewitched or to pour on his body. They were chosen at what was effective.