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Perceptions of the Serpent in the Ancient Near East: Its Bronze Age Role in Apotropaic Magic, Healing and Protection

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Perceptions of the Serpent in the Ancient Near East: Its Bronze Age Role in Apotropaic Magic, Healing and Protection PERCEPTIONS OF THE SERPENT IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST: ITS BRONZE AGE ROLE IN APOTROPAIC MAGIC, HEALING AND PROTECTION by WENDY REBECCA JENNIFER GOLDING submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the subject ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR M LE ROUX November 2013 Snake I am The Beginning and the End, The Protector and the Healer, The Primordial Creator, Wisdom, all-knowing, Duality, Life, yet the terror in the darkness. I am Creation and Chaos, The water and the fire. I am all of this, I am Snake. I rise with the lotus From muddy concepts of Nun. I am the protector of kings And the fiery eye of Ra. I am the fiery one, The dark one, Leviathan Above and below, The all-encompassing ouroboros, I am Snake. (Wendy Golding 2012) ii SUMMARY In this dissertation I examine the role played by the ancient Near Eastern serpent in apotropaic and prophylactic magic. Within this realm the serpent appears in roles in healing and protection where magic is often employed. The possibility of positive and negative roles is investigated. The study is confined to the Bronze Age in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Syria-Palestine. The serpents, serpent deities and deities with ophidian aspects and associations are described. By examining these serpents and deities and their roles it is possible to incorporate a comparative element into his study on an intra- and inter- regional basis. In order to accumulate information for this study I have utilised textual and pictorial evidence, as well as artefacts (such as jewellery, pottery and other amulets) bearing serpent motifs. KEY TERMS amulet; Apophis; Ašerah; Bašmu; Brooklyn Papyrus; chaos; deity; Eve; healing; healing serpent; Inanna; Isis; Ištar; Leviathan; magic; magician; medicine; mušhuššu; Nehuštan; Ningizzida; protection; protective serpent; serpent; snake; snake charmer; snake priest; staff; Tiamat iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this dissertation has been an exciting journey for me. The journey has been a lonely one at times as one cannot expect that everyone is as excited about the topic as the student is! Nevertheless there are those who have provided support and stood by me as I explored the realm of the ancient Near Eastern serpent. Firstly, I must express my gratitude to UNISA for the student bursary that has enabled me to follow my passion for learning and to complete this study. Secondly, thanks must go to my dissertation supervisor, Professor Magdel le Roux. Your enthusiasm for my project has kept me going and the guidance is much appreciated. Many other individuals have contributed in various ways, enabling me to complete my study. Dr Tony Phelps: with gratitude for allowing me to use your wonderful pictures of Naja palida and Cerastes gasperetti. I am also grateful for what I learned about the snake on your course offered by the Cape Reptile Institute, the opportunity to handle snakes, venomous and non- venomous alike and the appreciation I gained for the snake. Christine Nutter: for the Friday night French lessons and glasses of wine; and your invaluable help in translating sections from Sauneron’s Un traité Égyptien d’ophiologie. Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm. Francis Hay: with thanks for being another set of eyes and going over my work, and your valuable comments and support. iv My mother, Pat Golding: with thanks for painstakingly checking my work for errors, and your understanding and support throughout my studies. To family and friends: thank you for standing by me as I have embarked on this journey, and for listening to my endless sermons on the serpent. Your encouragement and belief in my ability to complete this work has been much appreciated. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. v List of illustrations .............................................................................................................. xxi List of tables ........................................................................................................................ xxvi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 1 1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................ 3 1.2.1 Research problem .......................................................................................... 3 1.3 HYPOTHESIS ................................................................................................. 4 1.4 AIMS OF STUDY ........................................................................................... 5 1.5 A BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................ 6 1.5.1 Primary sources .............................................................................................. 6 1.5.2 Secondary sources .......................................................................................... 7 1.6 METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................ 9 1.6.1 Research design and approach ..................................................................... 9 1.6.1.1 Theoretical framework ..................................................................................... 10 1.6.1.2 System of tables ................................................................................................ 10 1.6.1.3 Cross-cultural and interregional study ............................................................ 10 1.6.2 Delimitations and limitations of the study ................................................... 11 1.6.2.1 Delimitations .................................................................................................... 11 1.6.2.2 Limitations ....................................................................................................... 11 1.6.3 Structure of the dissertation and outline of chapters ................................. 12 CHAPTER TWO MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST 2.1 DEFINING MAGIC ........................................................................................ 16 2.2 THE FUNCTIONING OF MAGIC ................................................................. 18 2.2.1 Egypt ............................................................................................................... 19 2.2.1.1 Magic and religion ........................................................................................... 19 vi 2.2.1.2 Magic as a tool against evil and illness ........................................................... 20 2.2.1.3 Negative ailments and entities ......................................................................... 20 2.2.1.4 Spells ................................................................................................................ 21 2.2.2 Mesopotamia ................................................................................................... 21 2.2.2.1 Magic for the gods and humankind .................................................................. 21 2.2.2.2 Suffering and the gods ...................................................................................... 22 2.2.2.3 Suffering and the ancestors .............................................................................. 22 2.2.2.4 Omens ............................................................................................................... 23 2.2.2.5 A holistic approach .......................................................................................... 23 2.2.3 Syria-Palestine ................................................................................................ 23 2.3 APOTROPAIC MAGIC AND AMULETS ..................................................... 24 2.3.1 The meaning of ‘amulet’ ................................................................................ 25 2.3.2 The purpose of amulets .................................................................................. 25 2.3.3. The functioning of amulets ............................................................................ 26 2.3.4 Objects as amulets .......................................................................................... 27 2.3.4.1 Sumerians ......................................................................................................... 27 2.3.4.2 Egyptians .......................................................................................................... 28 2.3.4.3 Syria-Palestine ................................................................................................. 29 2.3.5 Words as amulets ........................................................................................... 29 2.3.5.1 Mythology as an amulet ................................................................................... 30 2.4 MAGIC PRACTITIONERS AND SNAKE HANDLERS .............................. 30 2.4.1 Practitioners in ancient Egypt ...................................................................... 31 2.4.1.1 Magicians and medicine .................................................................................. 31 2.4.1.2 Priestly magicians ............................................................................................ 32 2.4.1.3 Training of physicians .....................................................................................
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