Magic in the Ancient Greek World (Blackwell Ancient Religions)

222 Pages·2008·1.13 MB·english

by  Derek Collins

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Magic in the Ancient Greek World
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Blackwell Ancient Religions
Ancient religious practice and belief are at once fascinating and alien for
twenty-first-century readers. There was no Bible, no creed, no fixed set
of beliefs. Rather, ancient religion was characterized by extraordinary
diversity in belief and ritual.
This distance means that modern readers need a guide to ancient religious
experience. Written by experts, the books in this series provide accessible
introductions to this central aspect of the ancient world.
Published
Magic in the Ancient Greek World
Derek Collins
Religion in the Roman Empire
James B. Rives
Ancient Greek Religion
Jon D. Mikalson
Forthcoming
Religion of the Roman Republic
Christopher McDonough and Lora Holland
Death, Burial and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt
Steven Snape
Ancient Greek Divination
Sarah Iles Johnston
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Magic in the Ancient
Greek World
Derek Collins
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© 2008 by Derek Collins
blackwell publishing
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The right of Derek Collins to be identified as the author of this work has been
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or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional
should be sought.
First published 2008 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd
1 2008
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Collins, Derek.
Magic in the ancient Greek world / Derek Collins.
p. cm. — (Blackwell ancient religions)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–1–4051–3238–1 (hardcover: alk. paper)—ISBN 978–1–4051–3239–8
(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Magic, Greek. I. Title.
BF1591.C57 2008
133.4′30938—dc22
2007027073
A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Abbreviations ix
Introduction xi
1 Magic: What Is It and How Does It Work? 1
Frazer and Tylor 3
Malinowski 5
Magic as Communication 5
Lévy-Bruhl 7
Evans-Pritchard 11
Sympathetic Magic 14
Magic and the Extended Person 16
Magic and Analogy 17
Beyond Frazer 20
Tambiah and Persuasive Magic 21
Conclusion 24
2 A Framework for Greek Magic 27
Magic and the Gods 27
Divinity and Nature 31
The Hippocratics: Magic, Divination, and Epilepsy 33
Plato and Greek Psychology 42
Magic and Causality 44
Greek Magicians 49
Magoi 54
Gorgias, Mageiaand GoBteia 58
Other Magical Terms 60
Conclusion 62
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vi Contents
3 Binding Magic and Erotic Figurines 64
Binding the Gods 67
Divine Agents 69
‘Characters’ 73
Body Parts and Health 78
Erotic Magic 88
Figurines 92
ErDtes 97
4 Homeric Incantations 104
Pythagoras and Empedocles 105
The Mechanics of Homeric Incantations 108
Obstetrics and Gynecology 109
Verse Combinations and the Power of Metaphor 114
Intoxication, Choking, and Gout 118
Incantations and Divination 122
Neoplatonic Theurgy and Homer 125
Conclusion 131
5 Magic in Greek and Roman Law 132
Magic in Greek Law and Legal Imagination 133
Trials for Erotic Magic 135
Theoris, the Lemnian Witch 136
Plato’s Laws Against Magic 139
Magic in Roman Law and Legal History 141
The Twelve Tables 142
The Lex Cornelia 145
Magiaand Maleficium: Magic and Witchcraft 148
Apuleius the Magus 150
The Opinionsof Paulus and Later Law Codes 159
Interpretationes Christianae 162
The Medieval Inheritance 164
6 Conclusion 166
Notes 170
Select Bibliography 191
Index 198
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Acknowledgments
It is a pleasure to thank those who have contributed in large and small
ways to the development of this book. I will never remember everyone,
for which I apologize in advance. But in particular I would like to thank
Jan Bremmer, Radcliffe Edmonds III, Christopher Faraone, Michael
Gagarin, Fritz Graf, Albert Henrichs, Richard Janko, Sarah Iles Johnston,
Gregory Nagy, C. Robert Phillips III, William Race, and James Rives.
Several of these scholars were not involved directly in the preparation of
this book, but over the years have been involved either in helping me to
publish my earlier research on Greek magic, or have in other ways gen-
erously lent their time and knowledge. In no way should any of these col-
leagues be held responsible for any errors or imperfections in this book.
Various portions of the research presented here began their life as lec-
tures. I cannot name here all of the participants in those lectures whose
stimulating comments helped me to sharpen my views, and correct my
errors, so I will content myself by thanking their institutions. They
include: Bryn Mawr College, the University of Chicago, the J. Paul Getty
Museum in Los Angeles, the University of Michigan and its Institute for
the Humanities, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ohio State
University, and Yale University. In 2003–4, I was a Junior Fellow at the
Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, DC, during which time
I completed a substantial part of the research for this book. I would like
to thank the Director and Staff for their tireless support, and the
University of Michigan for granting me a leave during that academic year.
I owe a separate acknowledgment to the two anonymous readers of the
original manuscript provided by Blackwell Publishing. They furnished
me with astute and penetrating criticism, which has only helped to
strengthen the final version. I am also especially indebted to Al Bertrand
at Blackwell. The impetus for this book began with Al, over a cup of
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viii Acknowledgments
coffee at the annual meeting of the American Philological Association in
New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. Were it not for his suggestion, and his
patience over the intervening years, the book would not have seen the light
of day.
Finally, I dedicate this book to my parents and my sons, Adam and Bryan
Collins, who still cannot quite believe that their father studies magic as
opposed to practicing it. Boys, may you never lose that sense of wonder.
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Abbreviations
AJP American Journal of Philology
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (Berlin, 1972–)
ARW Archiv für Religionswissenschaft
CA Classical Antiquity
CML Corpus Medicorum Latinorum
CQ Classical Quarterly
DT A. Audollent, Defixionum tabellae(Paris, 1904)
DTA R. Wünsch, Defixionum tabellae atticae, Inscriptiones
Graecae3.3 (Berlin, 1897)
FGrH F. Jacoby, Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker(Berlin,
1923–)
GRBS Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies
HThR Harvard Theological Review
IG Inscriptiones Graecae(Berlin, 1873–present)
JHS Journal of Hellenic Studies
LSJ Liddell, Scott, Jones et al., eds., A Greek–English Lexicon
(9th edition, with revised Supplement, Oxford, 1996)
MD Materiali e Discussioni
MDAI Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts
(Athenische Abteilung)
OLD P. G. W. Glare, ed., Oxford Latin Dictionary(Oxford, 1996)
PG J. P. Migne, Patrologia Graeca(Paris, 1857–89)
PGM K. Preisendanz and A. Henrichs, eds., Papyri Graecae
Magicae: Die griechischen Zauberpapyri(2nd edition,
Stuttgart, 1973–74)
RE A. Pauly and G. Wissova, eds., Real-Encyclopädie der
classischen Altertumswissenschaft (Stuttgart, 1894–)
REG Revue des Études Grecques