Voces magicae

Short description: Ancient Roman magic words

Magic tablet from Pergamon with Greek voces magicae surrounding each of the figures

Voces magicae (singular: vox magica, "magical names" or "magical words") or voces mysticae[1] are pronounceable but incomprehensible magical formulas that occur in spells, charms, curses, and amulets from Classical Antiquity, including Ancient Greece , Egypt, and Rome.[2]

These formulas may include alternative names of gods or other unusual phrases which may have been intended as the secret, authoritative true name of certain gods.[3][4] As an example: in the Greek Magical Papyri, the first spell of the first papyrus intended to summon a daimon assistant and included the phrase (in translation) "[This] is your authoritative name: ARBATH ARBAOTH BAKCHABRE".[5]

The voces magicae have been said to be related to the Greek Ephesia Grammata.[2]

## See also

* Magic in the Greco-Roman world
* Magical formula

## References

1. ↑ John G. Gager (1999) Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World. Oxford University, 278 pages. ISBN 9780195134827
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Versnel, H. S. (2012). "Magic". The Oxford Classical Dictionary (4 ed.).
3. ↑ Wilburn, Andrew T. (2012). Materia Magica : The Archaeology of Magic in Roman Egypt, Cyprus, and Spain. University of Michigan Press. p. 71.
4. ↑ Dieleman, Jacco. "The Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri". Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic. Brill. pp. 283–321.
5. ↑ The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation including the Demotic Spells (Volume One: texts) (2 ed.). University of Chicago Press. 1992. pp. 3–4.

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voces magicae. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Unsolved:Voces_magicae&oldid=23631"