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| Author(s): |
Patrícia Schlithler da Fonseca Cardoso
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Doctoral Thesis |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2023-08-08 |
| Examining board members: |
José Marcos Mariani de Macedo;
Pedro Barbieri Antunes;
Paulo Augusto de Souza Nogueira;
Fabiana Lopes da Silveira
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| Advisor: | José Marcos Mariani de Macedo |
| Abstract | |
This study explores the language of invocations within the corpus of the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM). The PGM are a collection of magical texts found in Egypt, dating from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD, particularly in the period between the 2nd century AD and the 4th century AD. This collection comprises numerous magical manuals, which provide detailed descriptions of rituals and incantations and showcase a notable post-classical syncretism with significant Egyptian influence. Invocations play a crucial role in these texts, as they are essential for capturing the attention of a deity before making a request for assistance. Invocations serve not only to identify the gods, but also to praise them, highlighting their attributes and qualities. In this study, \"invocation\" refers to all the language used to establish contact with a deity in an magical spell. Based on this, we divide the language of invocations into two main parts: nominal elements and verbal elements. Through the examination of the original texts, we have identified the main nominal resources used, such as names, epithets, magical words (voces magicae), and nominal compounds. The verbal elements, selected from the original texts and analyzed using the textual search tools of the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, have been divided into imperative verbs (\'come!\', \'listen!\') and declarative verbs (\'I call\', \'I invoke\'). As a framework for reflection and analysis, we have used the opposition between magic and religion based on an etic approach, which defines these two concepts externally to a specific culture, in this case, that of the practitioners of magic during that period. This approach opposes the manipulative and coercive attitude of magic to the propitiatory attitude of religion, associated with supplication. The analysis of the language used in invocations within this collection of magical texts actually indicates a predominantly propitiatory rather than coercive stance, closely resembling what would be expected from religion. Thus, the research findings suggest that the language of the PGM, although containing coercive elements, is largely laudatory when addressing the gods. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 17/25266-4 - The language of invocations in the Greek Magical Papyri |
| Grantee: | Patrícia Schlithler da Fonseca Cardoso |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |