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“May Their Limbs Melt, Just as This Lead Shall Melt…”: Sympathetic Magic and Similia Similibus Formulae in Greek and Latin Curse Tablets (Part 1)
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SYSNO ASEP 0506674 Document Type J - Journal Article R&D Document Type Journal Article Subsidiary J Článek ve WOS Title “May Their Limbs Melt, Just as This Lead Shall Melt…”: Sympathetic Magic and Similia Similibus Formulae in Greek and Latin Curse Tablets (Part 1) Author(s) Franek, Juraj (FLU-F)
Urbanová, D. (CZ)Source Title Philologia Classica. - : Sankt-Peterburgskii Gosudarstvennyi Universitet - ISSN 0202-2532
Roč. 14, č. 1 (2019), s. 27-55Number of pages 29 s. Publication form Print - P Language eng - English Country RU - Russian Federation Keywords Curse Tablets ; Defixiones ; Ancient Magic ; Sympathetic Magic ; Similia Similibus ; Greek and Latin Epigraphy Subject RIV AA - Philosophy ; Religion OECD category Religious studies R&D Projects GA19-02741S GA ČR - Czech Science Foundation (CSF) Method of publishing Open access Institutional support FLU-F - RVO:67985955 UT WOS 000473314800004 DOI 10.21638/11701/spbu20.2019.103 Annotation The paper presents a corpus of similia similibus formulae attested in ancient Greek and Latin curse tablets or defixiones. The simile formulae, attested in about 80 tablets in widely differing states of preservation and legibility, are introduced in the context of sympathetic magic and, in contradistinction to literary similes, as performative utterances that are based on a persuasive analogy. This analogy operates in the general form of “just as X possesses property P, so let also Y possess property P”, in which Y is the target or victim of the curse, while X and P are variables that change in accordance with the intended results. We provide a provisional taxonomy of simile formulae, offer new readings and interpretations of some defixiones, and compare Greek and Latin documents. Due to its length, the paper has been divided into two parts. In the first part, presented here, we focus on comparata that reference the materiality of the tablet itself and comparata referencing corpses or ghosts of the dead. Second part will appear in the next issue of Philologia Classica. Workplace Institute of Philosophy Contact Chlumská Simona, chlumska@flu.cas.cz ; Tichá Zuzana, asep@flu.cas.cz Tel: 221 183 360 Year of Publishing 2021 Electronic address http://hdl.handle.net/11701/15906
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