Healing (magical, formulary)

Egyptian (Coptic)

Coptic

1. Perhaps restore “For a woman with blood under her” [ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲥϩⲓⲙⲓ ⲉⲗⲉⲡⲉⲥ]ⲛⲁϥ ϩⲁⲗⲁⲥ cf. PCM I 33 front l. 7 (KYP T210): “a [woman] who has blood under her” (ⲟ̣ⲩ̣[ⲥϩⲓⲙ]ⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲉⲥⲛⲟϥ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ); PCM I 36 col. 1 l. 1 (KYP T1244): ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲟⲩⲥⲛⲟϥ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ; BKU I 25 (KYP M174) front l. 13: [ⲉⲧⲃⲉ] ⲟⲩⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲉⲥⲛⲟϥ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ, P.Mich.Inv. 593 (Worrell 1930; KYP M9) p. 9 l. 3: ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲉⲥⲛⲟϥ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ (likewise P.Mich.Inv. 594 back l. 3, Worrell 1930; KYP M15). For another recipe with the goal of preventing uterine bleeding, see P.Vindob. K 11088 B ll. 4–7 (Hevesi 2015; KYP M374). For the description of blood being “under” someone as a way to express uterine bleeding, cf. e.g. Matthew 9.20 (Horner 1911: I 78) and Luke 8.43 (Horner 1911: II 160) “a woman with blood under her for twelve years” (ⲟⲩⲥϩⲓⲙⲉ ⲇⲉ ⲉⲣⲉⲡⲉⲥⲛⲟϥ ϣⲟⲟⲡ ϩⲁⲣⲟⲥ ⲙⲙⲛⲧⲥⲛⲟⲟⲩⲥⲉ ⲛⲣⲟⲙⲡⲉ). The same construction is used in Demotic, e.g., GEMF 16/PDM xiv (KYP M162) ll. 1197–1198: “a woman… whose blood is under her” (sḥm.t… ἰw pꜣ snf ẖr-r⸗s-s). For uterine bleeding and menstrual blood in Coptic magical papyri, see Preininger 2022, Preininger 2019 Preiniger 2022a: chapter 4, and compare curses to cause menstrual bleeding, discussed in the notes to PCM I 3 front col. 1 1–34 (KYP T610). | ⲃ̣ⲁ̅ⲱ̅ⲑ̅ The initial ⲃ is very uncertain. The name Baōth occurs also in P.Bad. V 123 (KYP M315) front ll. 34, 49, although in the latter case it may be understood as continutation of the previous name which ends at the end of the preceding line (i.e., ⲥ̅ⲁ̅ⲗ̅ⲁ̅ⲃ̅ⲁ̅ⲱ̅ⲑ̅). The name is reminiscent of, and probably derived from Sabaoth.
2. This passage finds conceptual parallels in two different textual traditions. The first is that of descriptions of deities sitting upon or set over various locations or abstract concepts (for which see the notes to PCM I 1 l. 1 (KYP T350)). The second conception is that of descriptions of cosmic beings whose magnitude is expressed in terms of stretching from heaven to earth. For further discussions of the first phenomenon, see Robert 1981, 9–14; Zellmann-Rohrer 2018, 107–112; Dosoo 2022, 524 n. 175. For discussions of the second, see Dosoo 2022, p. 502.
4. ⲡ̣ⲱ̣ⲧ̣ϩ̣̇ ⲡ̣ⲧⲉⲡ̣[ⲟⲥ] We are grateful to Ágnes Mihálykó for this suggestion, which would seem to fit the traces. This may mark an instruction to the reader to copy the amulet onto the sheet mentioned in l. 5, but the apparent use of the verb ⲡⲱⲧϩ (“to carve, depict”) for the action is surprising; more often we find ⲥϩⲁⲓ or γράφειν (both “to write, draw”).
5. [ⲡⲓ]ⲧ̣ⲁⲕⲓⲱⲛ The use of a sheet (πιττάκιον) as the support for an amulet is attested in P.Macq. I 1 (KYP M167), at p. 13 ll. 7, 9, 15, p. 15 ll. 12–13. In the first two cases it is bound (ⲙⲟⲩⲣ) to the beneficiary, as is the case here.
5. ⲙⲁ̣ⲗ̣ⲃ̣ ⲉⲗⲁⲥ “It” here refers to an amulet, probably consisting of the formula and the staurograms, which is to be bound to the woman’s body to treat her.
5. ⳨⳨⳨⳨⳨⳨⳨ Traces of two letters are visible after the seven staurograms. Although they are not sufficiently well-preserved to be certain, it is possible that there was a sequence of another seven shapes afterwards, such as 6-pointed stars. Compare the seven five-pointed stars found at the ends of fever amulets, such as P.Heid.Inv. Kopt. 564a (KYP M513) l. 11; P.Stras. Copt. 6a (KYP M102) ll. 7–8; P.Stras.Copt. 6b (KYP M103) ll. 7–8.

EL’s transcript from Stegemann (1934: p. 16) and Till (1935: p. 203) (4/1/19); minor edits KD (23/2/2020); new transcript produced by the team, added by MPS together with apparatus and translation, previous transcripts deleted (12/5/2020); MPS corrections (14/5/2020); EL checked (14/7/2020); team (14/10/2020); updated to PCM version by SG + KD (22/7/2026); JS (9/1/2023)