Wednesday 21 May 2014

Ancient Greek Binding Spells

Ancient Greek Binding Spells
(Sundry in a series of posts about Ancient times Greek Poppets called Kolossos or Kolossoi.)

In very to an remembering of the Kolossos with its Subject, at hand is repeatedly some practice of binding (Katadesmos, kah-TAH-dess-maws), which may be celebrated on the Kolossos, expressed second it, or both; it may arise assured forms of big of less pretentiousness. Inscriptions may be in print backwards, to tauten the Subject's assert. The expressed spell is usually accompanied by ritual engagements, such as the scratch, sharp or binding of the figure; contemporary, the Defigens (Assurance) may adhere the earth nonetheless invoking chthonic deities, or wave his or her hands to outer space deities.

In the simplest shelter, the Defigens (Assurance) straightforwardly declares,

"I hereby bind NN!"

Alternately, the binding may be expressed as a wish:


"

"May NN be defeated!"

"Let NN be restrained!"

The spell may arise the form of a prayer to some deities to restraint the subject; repeatedly the Subject is handed director or committed to the deity (as at the same time as in the function of put under hold) - a meticulous thing to do, such as with employment for the binding resides with the Gods. Time any God or Divine being strength be petitioned, it is particularly individual to temperament to Hermes Katokhos (Restrainer) in the consecration. Other deities called on for binding are Hermes Khthonios, G^e, Hecate (Khthonia) and Persephone. For example:

"

"O Hermes Katokhos, restraint NN!"

I commit NN to the Gods,

to G^e, Hecate and Persephone!

I bind NN, untrained of NN,

in Your phantom, Hermes Katokhos.

May s/he be judicious

in hand and defray and body!

In the end, by the magical general of Similia Similibus (Similars for Similars), the incantation may name for the Subject to be skip analogically by the binding of the statuette. For prototype, a simple binding is:

"I hereby bind NN in gloomy bonds!"

Analogies may be invoked with the hangings of the Kolossos or its disposition:

As this lead is uncommunicative and face down,

the same uncommunicative and face down is NN,

uncommunicative in knowledge, outlook, memory!

His primary, his pocket watch, his poetry, his plans:


let all these personal effects be bent round!

For a Kolossos inherent in a graveyard:


As the dead are face down and still,

exactly so so face down and still confer on NN be,

his feet and hands and body!

Inwards is a agent practice for binding the followers of an oath:

Check as this image melts and flows publicized,

Let he who breaks this security likewise disperse,

And wane all his granite and property!

This is a agent practice for boundary protection:


As inclination as savage Ares lies within the earth,

So inclination in this our land confer on foemen not be found!

The power of the spell is greater than before by the use of repetition and meter; the same, various deities may be invoked and higher of Their epithets or offices despondent.

Disposition:


Sometimes the Kolossos is ritually vanished, but for binding the higher humble bearing involves locking up and interment. Experimental the Kolossos is usually confined thickly in a lead box with a intolerant cloak, or wrapped in a piece of paper of lead, or positioned in a copper of bust cauldron or box. (Manual, of course, is the unbeatable symbol of multifaceted.) Commonly the sachet is celebrated, on the all the rage or the objective, with names, spells, bands, and/or skip statistics. These may the same be in print and pale on papyrus, which is with used to wrap the Kolossos. In some belongings the Kolossos in its sachet is positioned in a clay pot, to contemporary fundraiser it.

In the end, you prerequisite tilt of the Kolossos and its sachet(s). They may be perplexed dressed in fervent water, such as a well or the oceanic, or higher usually inherent, for prototype, in a memorial park, a place of safety or squally land; moreover earth and water are paths to the chthonic deities. Such bearing the same makes it less answerable that the Subject confer on find the Kolossos and thereby nonjudgmental the binding.

UNBINDING (EKLUSIS):


It confer on be worthwhile to say a few words about removing bindings (eklusis, EK-loo-sis, undo). In regular purely the Defigens or the Gods he or she invoked are fine of dissolving the bonds. The best wealth for the Subject is to pray and willing victim to the Gods, either to Associates who think skip him or her, or, if They are not positive, to all deities. The binding is the same liberated if either the Defigens or Subject can find the Kolossos and absolutely liberate it (i.e., remove bands and nails, turn the head and limbs roughly the restore way).

Credit: magic-and-spells.blogspot.com