Magical Roman Prayers

 

Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BCE)

 

De Agricultura CLX:

 

To cure a dislocation by a charm: If any joint is dislocated it will be made well by this incantation.  Take a green reed four or five feet long, split it in half and let two men hold the halves at their hips.  Begin to sing a charm:

 

MOTAS VAETA DARIES DARDARES ASTATARIES DISSUNAPITER

 

Sing until the halves come together. Keep tormenting them with a tool of iron.  When they have come together, and one half reed touches the other, seize them in the hand and cut them off to the right and left, bind them on the dislocation or fracture, and it will be cured.  However, go through the form of incantation daily over the man who has suffered the dislocation.  Or else use this form of spell:

 

HUAT HAUT HAUT  ISTASIS TARSIS ARDANNABOU DANNAUSTRA

 

Or else say:

 

HUAT, HAUAT, HAUT, ISTA PISTA SISTA DAMNABO DAMNA USTRA

 

I pray he may be healthy, I pray his troubles cease; I will harm what harms you.

 

 

C Plinius Secundus Maior (23-79 CE)

 

Naturalis Historia XXVII 131

 

            Do not come, Illness, remain behind, for you do not know, do not know, why this chicken will be in need of roots, neither head nor feet does he have.

 

Reseda, morbis resida, scisne scisne quis hic pullus egerit radices; nec caput nec pedes habeant.

 

 

 

Marcellus Empiricus

 

De Medicamentis

 

10.35

            Stupid went atop the mountain; Stupid was struck senseless by a lightning bolt.  I adjure you womb, may you not undertake this angrily.

 

Stupidus in monte ibat; stupidus stupuit; adiuro te matrix, ne hoc iracunda suscipias.

12.46

            Hirundus, I say unto you, just as this (water) repeatedly passes beneath the prow, thus will my teeth no longer hurt for a whole year.

 

Hirundo tibi dico, quomodo hoc in rostro iterum non erit, sic mihi dentes non doleant toto anno.

14.67

            Neither blood nor bile the ant has, chase him away from these ovaries, (that) the cancer will not consume you.

 

Formica sanguinem non habet nec fel, fuge uva, ne cancer te comedat.

 

15.11

Synanche

(To cure a sore throat)

 

Come forth! Today Daughter, the One before the Daughter

Today created, before she was created,

This sickness, this disease,

This pain, this swelling, this redness,

This goiter, these tonsils,

This tumor, these little tumors,

This swelling gland, these swelling little glands,

With pious rite I call out, I summon; I entice with songs that You come forth

From these limbs, from these bones, (from this body).

 

EXI, <SI> HODIE NATA, SI ANTE NATA

SI HODIE CREATA, SI ANTE CREATA;

HANC  PESTEM, HANC PESTILENTIAM,

HUNC DOLOREM, HUNC TUMOREM, HUNC RUBOREM,

HAS TOLES, HAS TOSILLAS,

HUNC PANUM, HAS PANUCLAS,

HANC STRUMAM, HANC STRUMELLAM,

HAC RELIGIONE EVOCO DUCO ExCANTO

DE ISTIS MEMBRIS MEDULLIS.

 

Note: Although Macellus wrote at the beginning of the fifth century, the formulaic expression here is much earlier.The alliterative pestem…pestilentiam is related to Catullus’ pestem perniciemque (76.20), repeated by Cicero (Rab, Perd. 2) and Cicero’s pestem ac perniciem civitates against Catiline (Catal. 1.33).  The evoco, duco, excanto is related by Appel to demando, devoveo, desacrifico of a defixio (see no. 54 below). 

 

29.35

            Go away, go away, little Hare, and with you carry off this pain of distaff.

 

Fuge, fuge, lepuscule, et tecum aufer coli dolorem.

 

36.70

            Chase away, chase away, gout and all the pains of the sinews from my feet and from all my limbs.

 

Fuge, fuge, podagra et omnis nervorum dolor, de pedibus meis et omnibus membris meis.

 

51

            Tiber cyst, may you not bring pain, may you not cause harm, no tumors may you form but may you melt like salt dissolves in water.

 

Albula glandula, nec doleas, nec noceas, nec paniculas facias sed liquescas tamquam salis in aqua.

 

 

 

M. Terentius Varro Reatinus (116-27 BCE)

 

Rerum Rusticarum de Agricultura I 2.27

 

If your feet hurt: “I think of you; heal my feet.  May Terra restrain plague. May health remain in my feet.”  Nine times must you recite this (charm), touching the earth, and then spit on the ground.  This must be recited in due seriousness.

 

EGO TUI MENINI; MEDERE MEIS PEDIBUS. 

TERRA PESTEM TENETO.  SALUS HIC MANETO IN MEIS PEDIBUS

 

 

 

Defixiones

 

De Romanorum Precationibus, G. Appel, 1909, citing from Defixionum tabellae quotquot innotuerunt, A. Audollent, Paris, 1904.

 

Appel no. 53: Against bath house thieves:

 

Proserpina, Goddess who is called Atacina in Turibrigia, through your majesty I ask, I pray, I implore that you vindicate me of each and every theft that is made against me, whosoever has altered my life, violated me, lessened me by taking these things that I have listed below: six tunics, … two cloaks, on of these being of Indian linen …I do not know (who took them). May you call down upon him the worst possible death.

 

Dea Atacina Turibrig(ensis) Proserpina, per tuam maiestatem te rogo oro obsecro, uti vindices, quot mihi furti factum est; quisquis mihi imudavit involavit minusve fecti eas [res], q(wae) i(nfra) s(criptae): tunicas VI [pa]enula lintea II, in[dus]ium cuius I c v …m ignoro ia … [eum tu pessimo leto adficias (vel simile quid)].

 

Appel no, 54:

 

This I put before Your numen, I hand over to You, I consecrate to You, I sacrifice to You this ravenous wolf, this pimp who is called Caucadius, who is the son of Salusties, a bastard of Venus by a whore of Venus, in order that You, raging hot Water, with You Nymphs, who I call upon with whatever name You wish to be addressed, that You may destroy him, You may kill him within a year’s time.

 

Letinium Lupum qui et vocatur Caucadio, qui est fi[lius] Salusti[es Vene]ries sive Ven[e]rioses, hunc ego put vostrum numen demando devoveo desacrifico, uti vos Aquae ferventes, siv[e v]os Nimfas [si]ve quo alio nomine voltis adpe[l]lari, uti vos eum interematis interficiatis intra annum itsum.

 

Appel no. 59:

 

            I pray to You who reigns over the infernal regions, to You I commend Julia Faustilla, daughter of Marius, that You may quickly carry her off, abduct her to the nether regions and there may You count her among the spirits of the dead.

 

Te rogo, qui infernales partes tenes, commendo tibi Iulia Faustilla, Marii filia, ut eam celerius abducas et ibi in numeru tu abias  .

           

 Appel no. 56:

 

            Gods of this Earth, to you I commend, if anyone (else) would propose holy rites or seek bonds of marriage with dearest Ticene, no matter what he may propose, may you put an end to all he says.  Gods of this Earth, to you I commend these limbs, her complexion, her figure, head, and hair, her shadow, brain, brow, eye lashes, mouth, nose, chin, cheeks, lips, her speech, her breath, her neck, her sense of humor, shoulders, heart, lungs, intestines, stomach, arms, fingers, hands, navel, viscera, female organs, blood, ankles, the top of her feet, down to her toes.  Gods of this Earth, if these I see begin to waste away, then a sacrifice I’ll gladly make on the anniversary to you gods of our fathers - may you waste (her) property.

 

Di inferi, vobis, comedo, si quiccua sactitates hebetes ac tadro Ticene Carisi, quodquod agat quod imcidant omnia in adversa. Dii inferi, vobis comedo ilius memra, colore figura caput capilla umbra cerebru frute supercilia os nasu mentu bucas labra verbr alitu colu iocur umeros cor fulmones intestinas ventre bracia dititos manus ubblicu visica femena genua crura talos planta titidos.  Dii iferi, si vider tabescente, vobis sactu ilud libens ob anuversariu facere dibus parentibus ilius …ta peculiu tabescas.

 

 

 

Herbae

 

            Prayers addressed to the spirits in herbs in order to release their healing powers.

 

Appel  no. 105

 

            Proserpina’s herb, king Horcus’ daughter, in the same way as you have blocked off the birth of a she-mule, thus may you hold back this water and blood.

 

Herbula Proserpinacia, Horci regis filia, quomodo clausisti mulae partum, sic claudas et undam sanguinis huius.

 

Note: possibly penny royal

 

Appel no. 109

 

            Vettonica, who first was discovered by Aesculapius, I pray, may you attend these prayers; of all the herbs will you be called great for this, that he has command you to be created and many remedies to offer. These you will think worthy to be forty-two.

 

Herba vettonica, quae prima inventa es ab aesculapio, his precibus adesto, peto; magna hebarum omnium diceris per hunc, qui te iussit creari et remediis plurimus adesse. His numeris XLII adesse digneris.

 

Note: Iberian foxtail betony

 

Appel no. 110

 

            Holy herb Chrysocanthus, among the herbs discovered by Asculapius, I ask that you may come cheerfully hither to me, with great effect, and excel in what I ask of you in good faith.

 

Sancta herba chrysocanthos, per Aesculapium, herbarum inventorem, te rogo, ut venias huc ad me hilaris cum effectu magno et praestes quae a te fidus posco.

 

Appel no. 111

 

            Herb Eriphia, come to my begging and may your glad powers be close at hand, and by her, who Aesculapius or else the centaur Chiron, the great doctor of medicine, discovered in you, will all be most healthy.

 

Herba eriphia, ut adsis me rogante et cum gaudio virtus tua praesto sit et ea omnia persanes, quae Aesculapius aut Chiron centaurus, magister medicinae, de te adinvenit.

 

Note: possibly lesser centaury