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)

Principle of Sympathy

law of similarity (homeopathy)

law of contagion (contact)

mana or dynamis

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

magos

mageia

agurtes

mantis

goes

goetia

epaoide

pharmakon

pharmakeutria

telete

katadesmos

Roman

magus

magica

carmen

cantio

excantare

incantare

veneficium

veneficus

haruspex

defixio

devotio

isopsephia

aÄ 1	bÄ 2	gÄ 3	dÄ 4	eÄ 5
wÄ 6	zÄ 7	hÄ 8	yÄ 9	iÄ 10
kÄ 20	lÄ 30	mÄ 40	nÄ 50	jÄ 60
oÄ 70	pÄ 80	qÄ 90	rÄ 100	sÄ 200
tÄ 300	uÄ 400	fÄ 500	xÄ 600	cÄ 700
vÄ 800	QÄ 900

abrasaj = 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?