Hi Nadia & All,
I've been only skimming the posts lately, but thought to suggest this text
(which may very well have been suggested to me via this listserv!):
Leonard W. King, Babylonian Magic and Sorcery, BiblioLife
eg., prayer to the moon god and goddess, page 6 verse 27: "Istar the
heroine, strong among goddesses! Lady (?) of heaven and eartah, the splendor
of the four quarters! . . . . . the first-born of Sin, offspring of Ninngal!
. . . . . . O Istar, over these heavens dost thou rule."
eg., prayer to Istar for prosperity, page 43 verses 7-13: "I have borne thy
yoke: do thou give consolation! I have . . . . thy head: let me enjoy
success and favour! I have protected thy splendor: let there be good fortune
and prosperity! I have sought thy light: let my brightness shine! I have
turned towards thy power: let there be life and peace! Propitious be the
favourable sidu who is before thee: may the lamassu that goeth behind thee
be propitious! That which is on thy right hand increase good fortune: that
which is on thy left hand attain favour!" [. . .] verses 16-17: "Let health
of body and joy of heart be my daily portion! My days prolong, life bestow:
let me live, let me be perfect, let me behold thy divinity!"
eg., prayer to Marduk and a goddess, page 46 verses 16-18: "May my god
stand at my right hand! May my goddess stand at my left hand! May my god,
who is favourable, stand firmly at my side."
eg., prayer for healing, page 84 verses 17-19: "May my god stand at my right
hand! May my goddess stand at my left hand! May the favourable sidu, the
favourable lamassu . . . with me!"
The term incantation is also applied to these prayers.
Kathryn
Kathryn LaFevers Evans
Independent Researcher
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nadia Linder" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 8:02 AM
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Golden Dawn origins?
Thank you very much, Aaron! After a bit of searching around, I found the
relevant book in the Weidner library of our institute.
In case anyone is interested, it's R. Campbell Thompson 1903, 'The Devils
and Evil Spirits of Babylonia. Being Babylonian and Assyrian Incantations
against the Demons, Ghouls, Vampires, Hobgoblins, Ghosts and Kindred Evil
Spirits, which Attack Mankind.', Luzac's Semitic Text and Translation Series
Vol. XIV.
After looking into the introduction, I suddenly got a hunch where most of
the internet "sources" on Mesopotamian material on non-physical entities got
their 'Ekimmu' and a few others from. Looks like an interesting book, I'll
certainly use it for my uni-stuff.
Anyways, back to the possible origins of the LBRP.
The 'Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia' is an early edition of the series
'utukkû lemnūtu', the most recent edition of which is Markham J. Geller's
edition in the SAACT series (State Archives of Assyrian Cuneiform Texts).
The series is for exorcists dealing with the titular demons, usually in the
form of diseases and/or strange behaviour. I am in the library right now,
but that edition is still not down here; however, I have a copy at home and
will cite the stuff from there. What I can offer here is that it's
apparently from the beginning of Tablet IV. Readable in Thompson's edition:
Tf. IV, obv.:
143' {d}UTU IGI-ĜU10 KU {d}NANNA(ŠEŠ.KI) [EĜER-ĜU10 KU]
144' {d}Šamaš ina pa-ni-ia {d}EN.ZU ina ar-[ki-ia]
Utu/Šamaš is placed in front of me (lit. 'in front of my eye'),
Nanna(r)/Su'en/Sîn is placed behind me (lit. 'in my back').
145' {d}NE.URU.GAL Á-ZI-DA-[ĜU10]
146' {d}Nergal ina im-ni-[ia]
Nergal (is) to my right hand.
147' {d}NIN-URTA Á-GUB-BU-[ĜU10]
148' {d}MIN ina šu-me-li-ia
Ninurta (is) to my left hand.
(pp.15ff in Thompson 1903)
For those who don't have the associations of the Mesopotamian deities in
their head: Utu/Šamaš is the deity of the sun and justice; Nanna(r)/Su'en
resp. Sîn is the moon deity, Nergal the lord of the netherworld and
originally a war god, and Ninurta (sum. Ninĝirsu) is the classical 'young
hero'-type of deity. Correspondence ideas, anyone?
The part with lamassu and šēdu is a bit confusing in the Thompson edition
and the cuneiform not really that readable, I'll check it at home (Geller
also has an index, thank the Gods).
...maybe someone can use this. :)
- Nadia
-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:46:37 -0700
> Von: Aaron Leitch <[log in to unmask]>
> An: [log in to unmask]
> Betreff: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Golden Dawn origins?
> I dont' have the book at hand at the moment (so I can't give you a page
> reference), but I believe the Babylonian exorcism in question is found in
> "The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia" by R.C. Thompson.
>
> I likewise suspect this is the ultimate origin of the Jewish bedtime
> prayer from which the LBRP's "Evocation of the Archangels" was adapted.
>
> LVX
> Aaron
>
> --- On Mon, 8/23/10, Morgan Leigh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > From: Morgan Leigh <[log in to unmask]>
> > Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Golden Dawn origins?
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Date: Monday, August 23, 2010, 5:26 AM
> > Me too. :)
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Morgan Leigh
> > PhD Candidate
> > School of Sociology and Social Work
> > University of Tasmania
> >
> >
> > On 23/08/2010 3:08 AM, Nadia Linder wrote:
> > > Hello Khem,
> > >
> > > thanks for this interesting list; however, could you
> > point me in the direction of where to find the Babylonian
> > reference you gave (with Šamaš, Nergal, šedu and lamassu
> > respectively)? I'm writing about lamassu and would be very
> > grateful for information where to find this interesting
> > little snippet. :)
> > > Thanks in advance,
> > >
> > > Nadia
> >
> > --
> >
>
>
>
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