KYP T-917

KYPRIANOS DATABASE OF ANCIENT RITUAL TEXTS

KYPRIANOS T917

Manuscript:	M15
Sigla:	P. Mich. Inv. 599 + 594 + 603 + 596 + 598 + 597 + 595
Text no. Position of the text within the manuscript.	14
Coptic Scriptorium:
Date:	501 – 700

Text position:	p. 3 (P. Mich. Inv. 594, ro) ll. 13-14
Type of text:	Healing from ‘worm’ (magical, formulary)

Original title:	ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲁ ⲉⲟⲩⲛ ⲟⲩⲃⲉⲛ̅ⲧ ⲛϩⲏⲧϥ
Original title (translated):	For one who has a worm in him
Conventional title:	For one who has a worm in him

Language:	Egyptian (Coptic)
Dialect:	Sahidic (non-standard)
Script:	Coptic
Image:	http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599r.tif & http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/apis/x-2616/599v.tif

Text:	Translation:
p. 3 (P. Mich. Inv. 594, ro) → 13. [preceding text] ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲟⲩⲁ ⲉⲟⲩⲛ ⲟⲩ- 14. ⲃⲉⲛ̅ⲧ ⧹ⲛϩⲏⲧϥ⧸ ⲧⲁⲩⲟⲥ ⲉϫⲛ̅ ⲟⲩϩⲁⲕⲓ̈ⲛ̅ ⲛ̅ⲥ̅ⲧⲟⲓ̈ ⲛ̅ⲅⲁϥ ⲛ⧹ⲟⲩ⧸ⲕⲗⲟⲙ ⲉϫⲱϥ [following text]	[13] For one who has a [14] worm in him. Recite it over some spearmint and make it into a crown for his head.

Tableau:
Tracing by:

Apparatus:

13. ⲉⲧⲃⲉ ⲃ corrected from ⲉ by overwriting
14. ⲟⲩϩⲁⲕⲓ̈ⲛ̅ ϩ corrected from ⲟ by overwriting | ⲟⲩϩⲁⲕⲓ̈ⲛ̅ i.e. Sahidic ⲟⲩ-ϩⲁϭⲓⲛ | ⲛ̅ⲅⲁϥ i.e. Sahidic ⲛ⸗ⲅ-ⲁⲁ⸗ϥ : ⲛⲅⲁⲁϥ Worrell | ⲛ⧹ⲟⲩ⧸ⲕⲗⲟⲙ large dot of ink above ⲛ, may conceal a supralinear stroke

Notes:

Parallel text: P. Mich. inv. 593, p. 7 ll. 7-10 (KYP M9, T875)

14. For worms as agents of disease in Coptic magical texts, see Dosoo 2022, 525-527
14. ϩⲁⲕⲓ̈ⲛ̅ ⲛ̅ⲥ̅ⲧⲟⲓ̈ cf. Crum CD 744b, who notes it translates ἡδύοσμον, green mint (= spearmint).
14. ⲛ̅ⲅⲁϥ ⲛ⧹ⲟⲩ⧸ⲕⲗⲟⲙ ⲉϫⲱϥ For the use of crowns, cf. P. Macq. I 1 (KYP M167; KYP T634) p. 11 ll. 20-21: ⲧⲓ ⲟⲩⲕⲗⲟⲙ · ⲙⲱⲣⲥⲏⲛⲏ · ⲉϫⲱ·ⲥ · ⲧⲓ ⲕⲉⲩⲁ ⲉϫⲱⲕ · (”Put a crown ⟨of⟩ myrtle upon it. Put another one on you”); PCM I 12 (KYP M283; T359) p. 1 ll. 1–3: ⲉⲕⲫⲟⲣⲓ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲕⲗⲟⲙ ⲛ̅ⲟⲩⲉⲣⲧ (“while (you are) wearing a crown of roses”). C.Pharm.Copt. 32 (KYP M941; KYP T1992) l. 330: ⲕⲗⲟⲙ ⲛ̅ϣⲉⲗⲗⲉⲧ (“a bridal crown”). Cf. Preininger 2026, 46-47.

Bibliography:

Dosoo, Korshi. “Suffering Doe and Sleeping Serpent: Animals in Christian Magical Texts from Late Roman and Early Islamic Egypt”, in Korshi Dosoo and Jean-Charles Coulon (eds.), Magikon Zōon: Animal et magie dans l’Antiquité et au Moyen Âge | Animal and Magic from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Paris-Orléans: Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes, 2022, 495-544.

Meyer, Marvin W., and Richard Smith. Ancient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual Power. Princeton (New Jersey): Princeton University Press, 1999, p. 304–310, no. 133.

Mirecki, Paul. “The Coptic Wizard’s Hoard.” The Harvard Theological Review vol. 87 no. 4 (1994): 435–460.

Preininger, M. The Magical Body: Embodiment in Coptic Magical Papyri. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 202. Leiden: Brill, 2026.

Worrell, W. H. “A Coptic Wizard’s Hoard.” The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 46 no. 4 (1930): 239–262.

Editor:

KD, MPS, RBS (23/7/2026)

How to cite:

[Editor names]. "KYP T917: For one who has a worm in him," Kyprianos Database of Ancient Ritual Texts and Objects, Korshi Dosoo, Markéta Preininger, & Roxanne Bélanger Sarrazin (principal editors), www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/text/kyp-t-917. Accessed on 10/10/2026
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