Amulet to protect a little girl against fever, phantoms, and daimons

This ancient Greek magical amulet was made during the 4th century to protect a little girl with the name Sophia-Priskilla against fever, spirits, and daimons who would try to harm her. The magician identifies himself with the god Abrasax. Self-identification with a higher power can be observed wuite often in the ancient magical papyri, in the Greek, Demotic, and Coptic ones. Another example of self-identification with Absax is an amulet for strength which is kept at the University of Michigan Library: https://twitter.com/antikemagie/status/1507400755510136842

 

Lund-P.-Lund.-IV-12-PGM-89-Amulett

Link: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:alvin:portal:record-265471

 

Translation

I, Abrasax, shall deliver. Abrasax am I! ABRASAX ABRASICHOOU, help little Sophia-Priskilla. Get hold of and do away with what comes to little Sophia-Priskilla, whether it is a shivering fit – get hold of it! Whether a phantom – get hold of it! Whether a daimon – get hold of it! I, Abrasax, shall deliver. Abrasax am I! ABRASAX ABRASICHOOU. Get hold, get hold of and do away with … what comes to little Sophia-Priskilla on this very day, whether it is a shivering fit – do away with it! Wheather a daimon – do away with it!

Translation following Roy Kotansky, in Betz, The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation (1986), 303.

 

Description:
Place of storage: Lund, Universitetsbiblioteket
Inventory number: P. Lund. IV 12
Shelfmark: P. Lund. inv. 32
PGM number: LXXXIX (89)
Language: Greek
Material: Papyrus
Dimensions (HxW): 8,5 x 21,5 cm
No. of lines: 28

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