Manuscript: | M121 |
Sigla: | PCM 1 7 |
Text no. ![]() | 1 |
Coptic Scriptorium: | |
Date: | 501 – 700 |
Text position: | Ro. ll. 1-38 |
Type of text: | Love spell (magical, formulary) |
Original title: | |
Original title (translated): | |
Conventional title: | Love spell containing Horus-Isis historiola-based charm |
Language: | Egyptian (Coptic) |
Dialect: | Sahidic (non-standard) |
Script: | Coptic |
Image: |
Text: | Translation: |
1. ⳨ ⲁⲛⲟⲕ ⲇͅⲇͅ ⲁⲓⲃⲱⲕ ⲉϩⲟⲩⲛ |
[1] ⳨ I, NN, went in [2] through a door of stone, I came out through a [3] door of iron. I went in headfirst, [4] I came out feet first. I found seven [5] maidens sitting by a [6] well of water. I desired, but they did not desire. [7] I was seduced but they were not seduced. I wanted to [8] love N, the daughter of N, but she, [9] she did not want me to kiss her. I fortified myself, I [10] stood, I cried, and I groaned until [11] ⟨the⟩ tears of my eyes covered ⟨the⟩ soles [12] of my feet. Isis replied, “What is wrong with you, O man, [13] O child of the sun, crying and groaning [14] until ⟨the⟩ tears of your eyes cover [15] ⟨the⟩ soles of your feet?” “Why, Isis, [16] do you not want me to cry? I went in [17] through a door of stone, I came out [18] through a door of iron. I went in [19] headfirst, I came out feet first. I found [20] seven maidens by a well [21] of water. I desired but they did not desire. I was seduced [22] but they were not seduced. I wanted to love N, [23] the daughter of N, but she, she did not want me to [24] kiss her.” “Why did you go in through a door of [25] stone, and come out through a door of [26] iron, and find seven maidens, [27] and desire, and they did not desire, want [28] to love N, the daughter of N, but she [29] did not want you to kiss her, ⟨why⟩ did you not [30] fortify yourself and stand up, and cast out seven [31] tongues, saying ‘Thētf’ seven ⟨times⟩, [32] ‘O great one among the spirits, I want to make [33] N, the daughter of N, spend forty nights [34] and forty days clinging [35] to me like a bitch under a dog, [36] like a sow under a boar, [37] for it is I who calls you, and you who [38] [does] the desire!” |
Tableau: | |
Tracing by: |
Apparatus: | 3. ⲛ̅ⲥⲁϫⲱⲓ̈ : ⲛⲥⲁϫⲱⲓ̈ Kropp |
Notes: | The present location of this papyrus is unknown. The only surviving image is printed in Kropp (AKZ I) as plate 1; this only contains ll. 1-20, and the leftmost parts of ll. 15-20 are hidden by the overlapping Schmidt 1. We accept Kropp’s readings in all cases for parts not visible in the image, except where he has restored text. |
Bibliography: | Blumell, Lincoln and Dosoo, Korshi. “Horus, Isis, and the Dark-Eyed Beauty: A Series of Magical Ostraca in the Brigham Young University Collection.” Archiv für Papyrusforschung 64 (2018): 199-259. |
Editor: | EL’s edition from photograph of the original, incorporating Kropp and Meyer/Smith (14/10/2018) (26/7/2021); edited by KD, EL and Roxanne Bélanger Sarrazin based on photo and Kropp (22/9/2021); minor correction of line number MPS (16/1/2023) |