KYP T-1325

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T1325

Manuscript:	M166
Sigla:	PCM 1 26 PCM I 26 P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 686
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	27
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	951 – 1000

Text position:	p. 17, ll. 3-6 (268)
Type of text:	Reconciliation or curse of banishment (?)(magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲓ̅ⲏ̅ ⸗ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ : ϣⲁⲛϭⲁⲓ ⲉⲣⲁⲕ
Original title (translated):	18. A man who condemns you
Conventional title:	A man who condemns you

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic with Middle Egyptian features
Script:	Coptic
Image:	https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/p_kopt_686/0001/thumbs

Text:

Translation:

p. 17
_________________________
3. [preceding recipe] ⲓ̅ⲏ̅ ⸗ ⲟⲩⲣⲱⲙⲓ : ϣⲁⲛϭⲁⲓ ⲉⲣⲁⲕ ⸗ ⲃⲓ
___________________________________________
4. ⲟⲩⲧⲏⲥ ⲛⲧⲏⲕ ⸗ ⲥϩ̅ⲁ̅ⲓ̅ ⲡⲥ̅ⲓ̅ⲩ̅ ⸗ ⲙ̇ⲁⲣⲉⲃ : ⲡⲙⲁϩϯ ⲛⲟⲩϫⲉ-
5. ϫ ⲛⲃⲏⲏⲛⲓ ⸗ ϩⲁⲗϥ ⲉⲃⲁⲗ ⲡϫⲱⲕ ⸗ ⲅ̅ ⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⸗ ⲙⲁ ⲛⲓ-
6. ⲙ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲣⲱⲙⲉ ⸗ ⲛϩⲏⲧϥ ⸗ ϣⲁⲃⲓ · ⲙ̇ⲛ ⲡϫⲉϫ ⲛⲃⲏⲛⲓ

[3] 18. A man who condemns you. Take [4] a piece of cloth that belongs to you. Draw the image. Bind it to the neck (?) of a swallow. [5] Bring (?) it outside. After three days, from (?) any place [6] in which the man is, he will go (?) with the swallow.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

3. ϣⲁⲛϭⲁⲓ i.e. Sahidic ⲉ-ϣⲁ⸗ϥ-ⲧϭⲁⲉⲓⲟ
4. ⲟⲩⲧⲏⲥ i.e. Sahidic ⲟⲩ-ⲧⲟⲉⲓⲥ | ⲛⲧⲏⲕ i.e. Sahidic ⲛⲧⲁ⸗ⲕ | ⲥ̅ⲓ̅ⲩ̅ l. ⲥ(ⲟⲧ)ⲓ(ⲟ)ⲩ(ⲛ) i.e. Greek ζῴδιον | ⲡⲙⲁϩϯ i.e. Sahidic ⲉ-ⲡ-ⲙⲟⲧⲉ : i.e. Sahidic ⲙⲁϩⲧ translate “entrails” (“Eingeweide”) Kropp, Meyer/Smith
5. ⲃⲏⲏⲛⲓ i.e. Sahidic ⲃⲏⲛⲉ | ⲡϫⲱⲕ l. ⲙ̅-ⲡ-ϫⲟⲕ ? : translate “completion” (“Die Vollendung”) Kropp, Meyer/Smith : Gardner does not translate | ⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅-ϩⲟⲟⲩ | ⲙⲁ i.e. Sahidic ⲙ̅-ⲙⲁ ?

Notes:

This text is numbered 268 in Kropp.
3. ϣⲁⲛϭⲁⲓ Kropp translates “someone who you dislike (someone who has been granted to you through a sentence?)” (“der dir missliebig ist [der dir durch Richterspruch zugesprochen ist ?]”); for the second possibility he may have considered a word related to ϭⲁⲩⲟⲛ (“slave”), and have understood this as a spell to return an escaped slave (cf., for example, PGM CIX (KYP M830)). Meyer and Smith translate “a person who is at odds with you”. Gardner translates “someone estranged (?) from you”.
5. ⲛⲟⲩϫⲉϫ ⲛⲃⲏⲏⲛⲓ Meyer/Smith and Kropp translate “swallow-sparrow” (“Schwalbenspatze”). Gardner translates “swallow or sparrow”; cf. Crum CD 40a. s.v. ⲃⲏⲛⲉ The Scala Magna, however, gives the Arabic meaning of the Bohairic form (ⲡⲓϭⲁϫⲙ̇ⲃⲓⲣⲓ) as simply السنونوا “swallow”; see Macomber 2020, 123.
5. ⲡϫⲱⲕ ⸗ ⲅ̅ ⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ For the use of ⲡϫⲱⲕ to mean “at the end of”, cf. The Life of Macarius “after end of three days, she died” (ⲡϫⲱⲕ ⲛⲅ̅ ⲛⲉϩⲟⲟⲩ ⲁⲥⲙⲟⲩ, Amélineau 1894, p. 240 l.10). Kropp and Meyer/Smith translate “Completion” (“Die Vollendung”), apparently understanding it to mark the outcome of the ritual.
6. ϣⲁⲃⲓ The usual translation of ⲉⲓ is “to come”, but the meaning would not be clear in this case; we understand this as a ritual to get rid of an enemy, so the outcome is that the victim “goes away” with the bird. Alternatively, we might understand that the bird returns to the client, bringing the target with it.

Bibliography:

Amélineau, Émile. Histoire des monastères de la Basse-Égypte. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1894.

Dosoo, Korshi, Edward O.D. Love, and Markéta Preininger. “The Coptic Magical Papyri Project: Progress Report.” Journal of Coptic Studies 24 (2022): 43–100.

Gardner, Iain. “An Archive of Coptic Handbooks and Exemplars for the Making of Amulets and the Enacting of Ritual Power from the Tenth Century (P. Heid. Inv. Kopt. 680–683 and 685–686)”, in Drawing Spirit: The Role of Images and Design in the Magical Practice of Late Antiquity, edited by Jay Johnston and Iain Gardner (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2022), 129.

Kropp, Angelicus. Der Lobpreis des Erzengels Michael (vormals P. Heidelberg Inv. Nr. 1686). Brussels : Fondation égyptologique reine Elisabeth, 1966.

Macomber, William F. The Scala Magna of Shams al-Riˀāsah Abū al-Barakāt. Volume I: Introduction, Text, Translation and Notes. Leuven: Peeters, 2020.

Meyer, Marvin W., and Richard Smith. Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power. Princeton (New Jersey): Princeton University Press, 1999, p. 326-341, no. 135.

Editor:

EL’s edition from the original (23/6/16; 27/2/20); team (20/12/2022)

How to cite:

Korshi Dosoo & Markéta Preininger (principal editors). "KYP T1325: A man who condemns you," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-1325. Accessed on 21/11/2025

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