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Chapter 2 - All Sides of the Moon

A Greek Incantation from Late Antique Egypt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2024

Corinne Bonnet
Affiliation:
Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
Ian Rutherford
Affiliation:
University of Reading
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Summary

A Greek hymn is selected among other examples in the corpus of Greek ‘magical’ papyri written in Egypt during the Roman Imperial time. Addressed to the Moon goddess in a plurality of forms and names, it draws a complex portrait of a powerful divinity for love affairs. The incantation weaves innovative denominations together with a poetic and ritual tradition in order to enact power. The poet realised a technical ‘tour de main’ to picture a many-faced goddess, tying heavenly and shining traits to the gloomiest and the deadliest, and entangling anthropomorphic characteristics to a patchwork of animal features. The poetic mastery over names and figures offers tools for the making of the divine inside the ritual performance, with the effect of rendering a vivid perception of the Moon goddess encompassing all her aspects.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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