KYP T-1677

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T1677

Manuscript:	M44
Sigla:	Cairo JdE 42573 Cairo, Egyptian Museum JdE 42573
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	16
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	901 – 1100

Text position:	p. 3, ll. 15-20
Type of text:	Curse of banishment (?) (magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲟⲩⲡⲱⲛⲉ
Original title (translated):	A removal
Conventional title:	Curse to turn someone away, change their mind, or kill them

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic (non-standard)
Script:	Coptic
Image:

Text:

Translation:

p. 3
————————————————————————
15. ⲟⲩⲡⲱⲛⲉ ϫⲓ ⲛⲁⲕ ⲛⲟⲩⲕⲉⲣⲙⲉⲥ [[ⲛ . ]] ⲛⲃⲓ ⲛϩⲉⲗ-
16. ⲗⲉⲛ · ⲙⲛ ⲕⲉⲙⲉⲥ ⲛⲧⲁ̣ϥ̣ⲡⲁⲧ ⲛⲟⲩⲛⲁⲙ ⲙ̣ⲛ̣ ⲍ̅
17. ⲛⲕⲓ̈ⲥ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩⲟⲩϩⲁⲣ ⲕⲁ̣ⲙⲉ · ⲙⲛ ⲍ̅ ϩⲛ ⲟⲩϩⲧⲟ
18. ⲕⲉⲙⲉ ⲛⲅⲧⲁⲁⲩ ⲉϩⲣⲁⲓ ϩⲛ ϩⲉⲛϫⲉⲃⲃⲥ ⲛϣⲉ ⲛ̣-
19. ⲧⲱⲣⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲣⲉ ϣⲏϣ ⲉⲧⲙⲉⲧⲉ ⲛⲧⲡⲉ · ⲡⲟϩⲧ
20. ⲙⲡⲕⲉⲣⲙⲉⲥ ⲉⲡⲣⲱ ⲙⲡⲉ̣ϥⲏⲓ ⲁϥϫⲟⲕ – – – –

[15] A removal. Take for yourself ash from a pagan tomb [16] and ash of his right foot and seven [17] bones from a black dog and seven from a black horse [18] and put them in some charcoal of willow wood [19] while the sun is humbled in the middle of the sky. Pour [20] the ash at the door of his house. It is finished.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

15. ⲕⲉⲣⲙⲉⲥ i.e. Sahidic ⲕⲣ̅ⲙⲉⲥ | [[ⲛ . ]] : [[ⲛⲉⲣ]] Chassinat, Drescher | ⲃⲓ i.e. Sahidic ⲃⲏ : i.e. Sahidic ⲃⲏ, ⲓⲃ, or ⲃⲱ ? Drescher : ⲉ̣ⲣ̣ⲛⲃⲓ i.e. Arabic أرنب ʾarānib “rabbit” (“lièvre”) Chassinat
16. ⲕⲉⲙⲉⲥ l. ⲕⲣ̅ⲙⲉⲥ | ⲛⲧⲁ̣ϥ̣ⲡⲁⲧ i.e. Sahidic ⲛⲧⲉϥⲡⲁⲧ
18. ϫⲉⲃⲃⲥ : ϫⲃⲃ̅ⲥ̅ Chassinat
19. ⲡⲣⲉ ϣⲏϣ : l. *ⲧⲣⲉϣⲣⲏϣ i.e. ⲧⲣⲉϣⲣⲉϣ “to become red” (“rubescere”) Chassinat | ⲉⲧⲙⲉⲧⲉ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ̅-ⲧ-ⲙⲏⲧⲉ | ⲡⲟϩⲧ i.e. Sahidic ⲡⲱϩⲧ
20. ⲕⲉⲣⲙⲉⲥ i.e. Sahidic ⲕⲣ̅ⲙⲉⲥ | ϫⲟⲕ i.e. Sahidic ϫⲱⲕ

Notes:

15. ⲟⲩⲡⲱⲛⲉ The literal meaning of ⲡⲱⲛⲉ is to “turn” or “change”. We might understand this as either a ritual for changing someone’s mind, turning them away from their home (cf. Chassinat), or perhaps to kill them. In p. 2 l. 6 (T1682) “removing a man from his work” seems to refer to making him impotent; this may suggest that this ritual aims at a more general incapacitation.
19. ϣⲏϣ Crum CD 606a suggests ϣⲏϣ as the qualitative of ϣⲱϣ “to make equal”, with the translation “full” in relation to the moon, but this seems unlikely; the usual way to express the moon being full is using ⲙⲟⲩϩ, and in the passage cited by Crum (Berlin P. 8109 recto l. 18, KYP M174/T1499) the moon is both ⲙⲟⲩϩ and ϣⲏϣ, suggesting that they must be two different things; a further description of the sun being ϣⲏϣ ( ⲉϥϣⲏϣ) occurs in the curse P. Macq. p. 14 l. 10-14 (M167/T1368); here “full” does not seem to be the correct translation. We translate “humbled”, understanding it as the qualitative of ⲥⲱϣ “to be despised, humbled” (Crum CD 375a). We understand this to refer to an astrological phenomenon, perhaps specifically the ταπείνωμα (“depression” or “dejection”, literally “making humble”), which occurs when a planet is in the zodiacal sign opposite its exaltation; for the sun this is in Libra (late September to early October).

Bibliography:

Chassinat, Émile. Le manuscrit magique copte no. 42573 du Musée égyptien du Caire. Bibliothèque d’études coptes. Vol. 4. Cairo: L’Institut français d’Archéologie Orientale, 1955, p. 95-97.

Drescher, J. “Review of Le Manuscrit magique copte No. 42573 du Musée Égyptien du Caire by É. Chassinat”. In The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 43 (1957): 121.

van der Vliet, Jacques. “Varia magica coptica.” Aegyptus 71 ½ (1991): 217.

Richter, Tonio Sebastian. “Texte und Riten in koptischer Schrift”. In Altägyptische Zaubersprüche, edited by Hans.-W, Fischer-Elfert. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam, 2005, 128, 175.

Editor:

From Chassinat, entered by KD (22/1/2020), checked with photograph of the original and given translation and apparatus by EL (17/3/2020); Team (21/4/2021); KD (21/7/2021)

How to cite:

Korshi Dosoo, Edward O.D. Love & Markéta Preininger (chief editors). "KYP T1677: Curse to turn someone away, change their mind, or kill them," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-1677. Accessed on 29/04/2024

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