Magic in the Ancient Greco-Roman World

Terms and Definitions

Etic approach intuitive - magic and pornography analytical substantivist - what, where/when functionalist - who, how, why

Emic approach self-definition - active magic other definition - accusations positive and negative definitions of magic

Scholars:

Hermann Usener (1834-1905)

Albrecht Dieterich (d. 1908)

James George Frazer (1854-1938) The Golden Bough (1890, 1912-5)

Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942)

Emil Durkheim (1858-1917)

Marcel Mauss (d. 1950)

Stanley J. Tambiah (1929- )

Theories and Principles of Magic:

The Grand Dichotomies - relation of magic to religion and science

Intention - concrete individual goals vs. intangible long-term goals

Attitude - manipulative/coercive vs. submissive

Action - impersonal action vs. personal interaction

Social Evaluation - anti-social vs. cohesive

positive magic (sorcery) vs. negative magic (taboo)

Impersonal Action

Principle of Sympathy

law of similarity (homeopathy)

law of contagion (contact)

mana or dynamis

Personal Interaction

Prayer vs. Compulsion

Performative Language

persuasive vs. predictive analogy

father : children :: employer : workers

instrumental vs. symbolic action

empirical vs. non-empirical ends

causality vs. participation

verification vs. validity

Terminology:

Greek	Roman
magos mageia agurtes mantis goes goetia epaoide pharmakon pharmakeus/pharmakis telete katadesmos	magus magica carmen cantio excantare incantare veneficium veneficus haruspex defixio devotio

isopsephia

α 1	β 2	γ 3	δ 4	ε 5
ς 6	ζ 7	η 8	θ 9	ι 10
κ 20	λ 30	μ 40	ν 50	ξ 60
ο 70	π 80	90	ρ 100	σ 200
τ 300	υ 400	φ 500	χ 600	ψ 700
ω 800	900	αβρασαξ = 1 + 2 + 100 + 1 + 200 + 1 + 60 = 365

Questions for discussion

1- What – what is the magical ritual or object

2 - Who – who is performing the ritual, using the magical thing?

3 - Where – where or when does the ritual take place? where is the object used?

4 - Why – what is the motivation for the use of magic? what does the practitioner hope to achieve?

5 - How – how does the effect work? what is the source of the power? by what means does it operate? difference between perspective of practitioner and modern analyst?