古埃及爱情咒语初探

A Preliminary Study on Ancient Egyptian Love Spells

法老时代的古埃及爱情咒语现存只有一例,而在罗马时期的“希腊魔法纸草”中却发现有大量同类咒语。发现于埃及境内的希腊魔法纸草,其中的咒语在形式与内容上都有着古埃及的影子,甚至法老时代爱情咒语的孤例也可以在其中找到“直系后裔”。在文本内容分析的基础上,以咒语中唤起的神祇、语言中运用的动物类比手法与为确保效果而对神祇进行的威胁三点为线索,可以找出魔法纸草中与法老时代爱情咒语关系最为紧密的例子,继而梳理出古埃及爱情咒语在法老时代之后的变化。可以看到,古埃及爱情咒语在后期明显受到了希腊方面的影响。爱情咒语植根于古埃及多样的魔法文化,历史悠久,法老时代资料的稀缺或许可以归因于咒语的日常性。

This paper offers a preliminary study of Ancient Egyptian love spells,a previously neglected subject in the existing scholarship.Although only one love spell from pharaonic period survived,we found a considerable number of love spells in the so-called Papyri Graecae Magicae from Roman period discovered in Egypt.The form and content of the spells in the Papyri Graecae Magicae echoed that of Ancient Egypt,and there is even evidence of spells descended directly from the single piece of pharaonic love spell.In order to locate the love spells that were mostly connected with the pharaonic case and demonstrate subsequently how love spells changed in Egypt after the pharaonic period,this paper examines three key clues embedded within the texts:the reference to deities in the spells,animal analogy in the language,as well as the use of threats against deities.It can be seen that Egyptian love spells in the later period were clearly affected by Greek culture.Egyptian love spells had its roots in the diverse magic culture of Ancient Egypt and enjoyed a long history.Their quotidian nature,however,might explain the scarcity of existing materials on this subject in pharaonic Egypt.