...an existing relationship between witchcraft and the realm of the dead... For neutralizing bewitchment, one should repeat the same magical gestures in reverse, like Maurice Vieyra wrote. But I believe that the spoken words are even more efficient than the gestures for undoing bewitchment. The performative character of the incantations is clear: by describing a phenomenon, the ritual expert wishes to fix it in reality and, at the same time, he suggests to the gods the way to act. When bewitchment is undone, the ritual expert holds it off either by nailing it down and burying it or by burning it. The first two techniques illustrate the chthonian character of impurity, as several scholars have already noticed. Impurity is one of the main consequences of bewitchment. Therefore, its relation with the underworld is worth underlining. It may be considered as an indirect testimony of an existing relationship between witchcraft and the realm of the dead. This relationship is very well attested in other ancient societies like Egypt, Greece and Rome (think of the famous defixio technique involving a dead spirit in an enchantment) and I would not be surprised to find it clearly mentioned in a Hittite text one day. Although I have not yet found any example, note that a magical bond related to witchcraft and existing between a living person and a dead spirit is however mentioned in the oracular report KBo 2.6 edited by Theo van den Hout. If I am correct, bewitching someone means attracting him irresistibly to the underworld. We should remember the expression taknaz da- « take/remove from the earth » of the substitution rituals. This expression has a very concrete meaning in such a context. The bewitched person is, against his will, in a betwixt and between situation. He is in what the anthropologists call in liminal state, which is considered as a dangerous situation: he has started entering the realm of the dead without being included completely. So the magical bond that paralyzes him and ties him to the sorcerer must be cut in order to prevent him from being snapped up by the Dark Earth. Hittite Witchraft Dr. Alice Mouton
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:35:12 +0000
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