THE SACRED DOMAIN: A SEMIOTIC AND COGNITIVE ANALYSIS OF RELIGION AND MAGIC IN THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Adria Haluszka, M. A. Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Professor Sarah Iles Johnston, Advisor Professor Fritz Graf Professor Carolina López-Ruiz Copyright by Adria Haluszka 2010 ABSTRACT Throughout the corpus of texts scholars have decided to call the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM), most simply defined as a ―recipe-book‖ for ancient magicians, there are many spells describing the manufacture and use of sacred images that, by the end of the ritual actions incorporated throughout the spell, become invested with essences and traits that are not necessarily ontologically apparent or natural. For example, there are statues invested with social agency that can perform all manner of fantastical feats. There are engraved rings that are ritually invested with great powers and come to be specifically described in terms of adjectives such as ―beneficent,‖ ― merciful,‖ ―sexually pleasing,‖ and so forth. This dissertation takes a close look at the specific ritual actions that allow for objects in the profane world – such as clay or stone, for example – being ascribed these kinds of powers and abilities. For this purpose, I use cognitive and semiotic frameworks to draw out deeper meanings, analyses, and typologies of ritual action. I use the PGM as my primary source, although part of the semiotic theory that I incorporate also involves looking at how these images fit into a wider conception of the portrayal of divine interaction in literature and iconography in the ancient world. A second important aspect of this dissertation is a closer look at the practitioner of magic himself as a figure who also has (or comes to ii have, through the course of the ritual action) an inner essence that bestows upon him special and divine powers. An essential contribution of semiotic domain theory to this topic is the manner in which it allows us to analyze the practitioner of magic as a ―specialist‖ thinker within the domain of religion. In this way the practitioner of magic can be compared to other ―specialists‖ who also create new content within the semiotic domain of religion, such as the figure of the poet. Both of these figures create new content, however one happens to create very marginalized content, in the form of magic, while the other creates what is commonly interpreted as more normal ―religious‖ content, in the form of epic and hymns about the gods. I use semiotic domain theory to offer an explanation as to why this is the case. How is it that the way magic ―works,‖ on semiotic and cognitive levels, especially, results in it being something specifically marginalized in terms of what defines religious action? The theories I present and the topics under discussion help to explain this, thus fitting my dissertation into the ever-present debate about the definitions of magic and religion. iii To my family, for their love. To my mother, for her spirit. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My interest in ancient religion began when I was an undergraduate at the Ohio State University and took an introductory mythology class with Sarah Iles Johnston. It was this class, and Sarah Johnston‘s enthusiasm for the subject material in particular, that sparked my determination to study Classics in an official manner, and thus began a journey that has led me to this dissertation. The seeds of this particular project were sown during a joint seminar between the Department of Art History and the Department of Greek and Latin, led by Fritz Graf and Mark Fullerton, that had as its topic Sacred Images. Thus what began as a seminar paper on sacred images in the Greek Magical Papyri, through the thoughtful insights and ever- present help of my instructors, developed into an article. The research and topics of this paper-turned-article ultimately provided the springboard to this dissertation. I am especially grateful to Sarah Iles Johnston for her feedback, patience, and inspiration both through this endeavor, and also through my entire graduate career. She has provided unyielding support and the best introduction to the study of religion a graduate student could ever hope for. I am also especially grateful to Fritz Graf for the astute insight that has never failed to challenge my assumptions and keep me thinking, as well as for the unswerving commitment to providing support and aid to graduate students like myself in his role as department chair. v I owe a debt of gratitude to many more: to Carolina López-Ruiz for reading drafts and providing both insight and support; to all of my professors at the Ohio State University for their thought-provoking teaching and moments of inspiration; to my fellow graduate students at OSU and elsewhere for their friendship and feedback; and to my own students of various Classics and Latin courses who have never failed to provide a reminder of why I love doing what I do. Most importantly, I am especially thankful to my friends and family, for their laughter, love, support and confidence. Last but certainly not least, my mother, who has taught me hard work and sincerity, to think and to dream without limits, and to push myself beyond what I thought possible. It is to them I dedicate this dissertation, a small gift for many received. vi VITA 2003…………………………………………………B.A. Ancient History and Classics, minor in Anthropology, The Ohio State University 2005…………………………………………………M.A. Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University 2002-Present…………………………………………Graduate Teaching Assistant, The Ohio State University PUBLICATION Haluszka, Adria. ―Sacred Signified: The Semiotics of Statues in the Greek Magical Papyri,” Arethusa 41.3, (2008) 479-494. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Greek and Latin Ancient Mediterranean Religion, Greek and Latin epic, Semiotic theory vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ...................................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................v VITA ................................................................................................................................ vii TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................viii LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................xi INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1........................................................................................................................7 Mind Your Magic!: Introduction Ancient Magic through Semiotics and Cognition..........7 i. Chapter introduction.............................................................................................7 ii. The Greek Magical Papyri..................................................................................8 iii. Definitions of Magic.........................................................................................12 iv. Semiotic Domain Theory..................................................................................18 v. Chapter introductions.........................................................................................25 CHAPTER 2..................................................................................................................... 30 The Power of Words and Power In Words: Semiotics and the Linguistic Blend............. 30 i. Chapter introduction ......................................................................................... 30 ii. Indices and Icons ............................................................................................. 36 iii. Blended Space ................................................................................................ 41 iv. Blended ritual space ........................................................................................ 47 v. Counterpart connecters .................................................................................... 52 vi. Empirical example of connectors by way of Apollo ...................................... 58 vii. The semiotics of ―magical‖ language ............................................................ 64 viii. Conclusions and Looking Forward ............................................................. 70 CHAPTER 3. ................................................................................................................... 73 Sacred Images I: How Ritual Objects in the PGM Facilitate Blended Space .............. 73 i. Chapter introduction ........................................................................................ 73 ii. Typology of evidence ..................................................................................... 75 iii. Images as Icons and Indices ........................................................................... 84 iv. Generic space of the conceptual blend...........................................................