Aetius of Amida on the Choking Cure of St. Blaise

“[Treatment] for swallowing of a bone and for removing things that are stuck in the throat. Hold on to the patient with them sitting opposite you, and make them hold on to you. Say: ‘Come up, bone—whether you are a bone or a twig or anything else—just like Jesus Christ brought Lazarus up from the grave, and like Jonah was brought up out of the sea monster.’ Another. Cover the throat of the patient. Say: ‘Blaise, the martyr, the servant of god, says, ‘either rise up, bone, or go down.’”

Πρὸς ὀστοῦ κατάποσιν καὶ πρὸς ἀναβολὴν τῶν καταπειρομένων εἰς τὰ παρίσθμια. προσέχων τῷ πάσχοντι ἀνθρώπῳ ἄντικρυς καθεζομένῳ καὶ ποιήσας αὐτὸν προσέχειν σοι λέγε· ἄνελθε, ὀστοῦν, εἴτε ὀστοῦν ἢ κάρφος [<ϛ>] ἢ ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν, ὡς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Λάζαρον ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου ἀνήγαγε, καὶ ὡς Ἰωνᾶν ἐκ τοῦ κήτους. Ἄλλο. κατέχων τὸν λάρυγγα τοῦ πάσχοντος λέγε· Βλάσιος ὁ μάρτυς ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ θεοῦ λέγει· ἢ ἀνάβηθι, ὀστοῦν, ἢ κατάβηθι.

Aetius of Amida, Libri Medicinales 8.54

A Myrrh and Iron Gall Ink from the Magical Greek Papyri

A spell to make everyone love you, and one of the earliest recipes for iron gall ink. From Leiden Papyrus J 384, PGM 12 in Preisendanz’ collection of Magical Greek Papyri, perhaps 2nd or 3rd century CE.

“To be attractive and loveable forever. Take a root of pasithea or wormwood, and [on it] write this name in a holy way:

“Carry it and you will be attractive, loveable and extraordinary to those who look on you.

“The formula:

• 1 drachma of myrrh

• 4 drachmai of misy

• 2 drachmai of vitriol

• 2 drachmai of oak galls

• 3 drachmai of gum arabic.”

προς επιχιρειαν[1] καὶ φιλεὶάν[2] δια παντος λαβων ριζαν πασιθεαν η αρτεμισιαν επιγραφε το □[3] τουτο αγνως [see image] και φορει και εση και επιχιρεις[4] και προσφιλης και θαυμαστος τοις ορωσι σοι.

ἡ ἀναγραφή· ζμύρνης δραχμὴ αʹ, μίσυος δραχμαὶ δʹ, χαλκάνθου δραχμαὶ βʹ, κηκίδων δραχμαὶ βʹ, κόμεως δραχμαὶ γʹ.

[1] ἐπιχάρειαν Pr. [2] φιλίαν Pr. [3] ὄνομα Pr. [4] ἐπίχαρις Pr.

P. Leid. J 384, col. 12, 24,13–16 Daniel = PGM XII 397–400 = old Leiden Papyrus V (English here)

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Notes

For the first part of the text, I’ve transcribed Daniel’s edition (no accents for the most part or punctuation), but I’ve used Preisendanz’ edition for the formula. There’s some debate about what μίσυ (misy) and χάλκανθος (khalkanthos) refer to.

Misy. In Betz’ collection, Martin translates μίσυ as “truffle.” There is a kind of truffle called μίσυ mentioned in LSJ; but Preisendanz and Christiansen both suggest it refers to a substance found in mines, the misy mentioned by Dioscorides (5.100) and Pliny (34.121–122). Preisendanz translates as “Vitriolerz” (vol, 2, p.83), one term given in Pape, and which makes more sense. In a recent article, Thomas Christiansen (p. 184) suggests misy might be the decomposed iron sulfide contained in chalco-pyrites (CuFe₂).

Khalkanthos. The word comes from χαλκός (copper) + ἄνθος (bloom). Pliny says it is prepared in Spain by collecting water from wells or mining pits, boiling it down, then putting it into a wooden reservoir and leaving cords to hang down into the water. Glass-like growths form on the cords and the are collected (34.123–124, English). He says it is known as atramentum sutorium in Latin, “shoemaker’s black,” and suggests the Greek term is evidence the substance is related to copper. Dioscorides also mentions there are different kinds of χάλκανθος, one of which, known as ἐφθόν (“boiled”) and prepared in Spain, was used to dye leather black. Christiansen (p. 182) points out this may indicate some confusion in the history of vitriols (sulfate compounds named after their glass-like appearance). After Razi, vitriols are distinguished into two kinds: blue and green. Blue vitriol corresponds roughly to copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO₄·5H₂O) and green vitriol corresponds to iron (II) sulfate heptahydrate (FeSO₄·7H₂O). Before Razi, however, it seems they were not systematically distinguished either conceptually or physically. The substance is called “shoemaker’s black” because when combined with the tannin from oak galls used in tanning leather, the iron (II) would form a complex with the tannic acid, ferrous tannate, a black soluble pigment. When it dries, the complex reacts with oxygen in the air to form insoluble ferric tannate. This is the same reaction that makes iron gall inks so permanent. There’s a good wiki about this and lots online. I wrote about a different use of gall ink here: to write secret messages on eggs.

The first known occurence of a recipe for an iron gall ink is for an invisible ink. It’s from Philo of Byzantium, who writes about how to get secret messages out of a city under siege:

“The letters (sent by those under siege) are written in a new hat on the skin after crushing oak galls and soaking them in water. When dried, the writing becomes invisible, but if flower of copper is ground like ink in water and a sponge is soaked with it, when wiped with the sponge, they become visible.”

γράφονται δ' αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ εἰς καυσίαν καινὴν εἰς τὸν χρῶτα κηκῖδος θλασθείσης καὶ ὕδατι βραχείσης· ξηρανθέντα δὲ τὰ γράμματα ἄδηλα γίνεται, χαλκοῦ δὲ ἄνθους τριφθέντος ὥσπερ ἐν ὕδατι τὸ μέλαν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ σπόγγου βραχέντος, ὅταν ἀποσπογγισθῇ τούτῳ, φανερὰ γίνεται.

Philo of Byzantium, Belopoeica, ed. Diels and Schramm, 79

The AlchemEast team has written a great piece detailing their experiments replicating this recipe using blue and green vitriols.

Other observations

Myrrh. Christiansen thinks the myrrh here is not the raw resin, but ash from burnt resin. Burnt resins were used to make carbon inks, and this may be the case here; however, there is no mention in the recipe that the myrrh is burnt.

The Reaction. The reaction itself is pretty striking. Here's an example:

Oak gall and khalkanthos

Dream Spells: Dream Spell of Three Reeds

Here is a dream spell from the collection of Magical Greek Papyri. This one is to summon dream sending demons to give you a dream.

Dream Spell of Three Reeds

The picking of the reeds is before sunrise. After sunset, while raising the first reed and facing East, say three times:

“Maskelli Maskello Phnoukentabao Oreobazagra, Rhexikhthon, Ippokhton, Puripeganyx, aeēiouō, Lepetan Azarakhtharo: I pick you so that you might bring me a dream.”

Then, while raising the second reed to the South, say the “Maskelli” spell again, then the vowels, then “Throbeia”,* and while raising the reed whirl yourself around. Facing North and West, say the same words three times, those of the second reed. And raising the third reed, say the same words and the following: “Ie Ie, I pick you for such a deed.”

Here is what is to be written on the reeds: on the first, “Azarakhtharo”; on the second, “Throbeia”; on the third, “Ie Ie”.

Then taking a lamp, one that has not been painted with red ochre, fill it with pure olive oil; and taking a clean strip of cloth, write down all the words. Utter the same things to the lamp seven times. Let the lamp be facing East, let it be placed next to a censer in which you make an incense offering of uncut frankincense. Then once you have prepared the reeds, bound them together with fibres from a date palm and made them into a kind of tripod, set the lamp on it. Let the head of the one performing the spell be crowned with olive branches.

Preparation of the ink with which one must write on the reeds and the lamp wick: Single-stemmed wormwood (?), yellow birdsfoot, 3 pits from Nikolaos dates,** 3 Carian dried figs, goldsmith soot, three young branches of a male date palm, sea foam.

What is written and recited is the following: “I conjure you dream-sender, because I want you to enter into me and show forth to me about the relevant matter: Ieroiethedien Throu, Khaora, Arpebo, Endalela.

*i.e., after saying the vowels aeēiouō, instead of “Lepetan Azarakhtharo,” say “Lepetan Throbeia” (or maybe just “Throbeia”).

**a kind of large date from Syria, cf. Athenaeus Deipnosophistae VII 4, Moralia 723A-724F.

Ὀνειροθαυπτάνη τρικαλαμαία. ἔστιν ἡ ἄρσις τῶν καλάμων πρὸ ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς· μετὰ δυσμὰς ἀνασπῶν τὸν πρῶτον βλέπων πρὸς ἀπηλιώτην λέγε τρίς· ‘μασκελλι μασκελλω φνουκενταβαω ὀρεοβαζάγρα, ῥηξίχθων, ϊπποχθων, πυριπηγανύξ· αεηϊουω λεπεταν αζαραχθαρω, αἴρω σε, ἵνα μοι ὀνειροθαυπτήσῃς.’

καὶ τὸν δεύτερον ἀνασπῶν τῷ νότῳ πάλιν λέγε τὸν ‘μασκελλι’ λόγον καὶ τὰ φωνάεντα καὶ ‘θρωβεια’, καὶ κρατῶν τὸν κάλαμον περιστρέφου· πρὸς τὸν βορρᾶ καὶ τὸν λίβα βλέπων τρὶς τὰ αὐτὰ ὀνόματα λέγε, τὰ τοῦ δευτέρου καλάμου. καὶ τὸν τρίτον ἀνασπῶν λέγε τὰ αὐτὰ ὀνόματα καὶ ταῦτα· ‘ιη ιη, αἴρω σε ἐπὶ ποιὰν πρᾶξιν.’

ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τὰ γραφόμενα ἐπὶ τοῖς καλάμοις. ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου· ‘αζαραχθαρω,’ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου· ‘θρωβεια,’ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ τρίτου· ‘ιη ιη.’

εἶτα λαβὼν λύχνον ἀμίλτωτον γέμισον ἐλαίῳ καθαρῷ, καὶ λαβὼν ῥάκος καθαρὸν κατάγραφε τὰ ὀνόματα ὅλα. τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπίλεγε πρὸς τὸν λύχνον ἑπτάκις. ἤτω δὲ ὁ λύχνος τῇ ἀνατολῇ βλέπων, παρακείσθω δὲ θυμιατήριον, ἐν ᾧ ἐπιθύσεις λίβανον ἄτμητον, καὶ ποιήσας τοὺς καλάμους, δήσας αὐτοὺς ἐφ' ἓν νεύροις φοίνικος, ποιήσας αὐτοὺς εἰς τύπον τρίποδος, ἐπίθες τὸν λύχνον. ἐστέφθω δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ πράττοντος ἐλαΐνοις.

σκευὴ μέλανος, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ γράφειν τοὺς καλάμους καὶ τὸ ἐλλύχνιον· ἀρτεμισία μονόκλωνος, κατανάγκη, ὀστᾶ φοινίκων Νικολάων γʹ, Καρικαὶ ἰσχάδες γʹ, αἰθάλη χρυσοχοϊκή, θαλλοὶ φοίνικος ἀρσενικοῦ γʹ, ἀφρὸς θαλάσσης.

ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τὰ γραφόμενα καὶ διωκόμενα ταῦτα· ‘ὁρκίζω σὲ τὸν ὑπ<ν>αφέτην, ὅτι ἐγώ σε θέλω εἰσπορευθῆναι εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ δεῖξαί μοι περὶ τοῦ δεῖνος πράγματος, ιερωρϊεθεδιεν θρου· χαωρα· αρπεβω· ενδαληλα.’

PGM IV 3172–3208, 1.176 Preisendanz

Dream Spells: a spell from Pachrates given to Emperor Hadrian

“Pachrates, the prophet of Heliopolis, who exhibited the power of his divine magic to the Emperor Hadrian. For it caused attraction in one hour; it caused illness in two hours; it caused destruction in seven hours; and it sent dreams to the Emperor himself while he was testing the complete truth of his magic. And because he was amazed at the prophet, he ordered that twice the pay be given to him.

“Take a field-mouse that’s been made divine with spring water; and take two moon beetles made divine with river water; also: a river crab, the fat of a spotted virgin goat, feces of a dog-faced baboon, two ibis eggs, two drachms of storax, two drachms of myrrh, two drachms of saffron, four drachms of Italian sedge, four drachms of unbroken frankincense, a single onion.

“Throw all these into a mortar with the field-moue and the rest, and having ground them up well keep them ready for use by storing them in a lead box. And whenever you want to perform [sc. the magic rite], take a little bit, light a coal, climb up on the roof, and burn the offering while saying this spell as [the moon] is rising, and immediately she will come.

“Spell: [i’ve omitted it]

“Therefore, let this not be done heedlessly, unless it is necessary that you perform it. It also has a protective charm against you falling, for the goddess is accustomed to make those who perform this spell without a protective charm airborne and throw them from the roof to the ground. For this reason, then, I figured it necessary that a precaution be made in the form of a protective charm, so that you can perform it without hesitation. Keep it secret.”

Παχράτης, ὁ προφήτης Ἡλιουπόλεως, Ἁδριανῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπιδεικνύμενος τὴν δύναμιν τῆς θείας αὑτοῦ μαγείας. ἦξεν γὰρ μονόωρον, κατέκλινεν ἐν ὥραις βʹ, ἀνεῖλεν ἐν ὥραις ζʹ, ὀνειροπόμπησεν δὲ αὐτὸν βασιλέα ἐκδο<κ>ιμ<ά>ζοντος αὐτοῦ τὴν ὅλην ἀλήθειαν τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν μαγείας· καὶ θαυμάσας τὸν προφήτην διπλᾶ ὀψώνια αὐτῷ ἐκέλευσεν δίδοσθαι.

λαβὼν μυγαλὸν ἐκθέωσον πηγαίῳ ὕδατι καὶ λαβὼν κανθάρους σεληνιακοὺς δύο ἐκθέωσον ὕδατι ποταμίῳ καὶ καρκίνον ποτάμιον καὶ στῆρ ποικίλης αἰγὸς παρθένου καὶ κυνοκεφάλου κόπρον, ἴβεως ὠὰ δύο, στύρακος δραχμὰς βʹ, ζμύρνης δραχμὰς βʹ, κρόκου δραχμὰς βʹ, κυπέρεως Ἰταλικῆς δραχμὰς δʹ, λιβάνου ἀτμήτου δραχμὰς δʹ, μονογενὲς κρόμμυον·

ταῦτα πάντα βάλε εἰς ὅλμον σὺν τῷ μυγαλῷ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς καὶ κόψας καλλίστως ἔχε ἐπὶ τῶν χρειῶν ἀποθέμενος εἰς πυξίδα μολιβῆν. καὶ ὅταν βούλῃ πράττειν, ἀνελόμενος ὀλίγον καὶ ποιήσας ἀνθρακιὰν ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ δώματος ὑψηλοῦ ἐπίθυε λέγων τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἀνατολῆς οὔσης, καὶ παραχρῆμα ἥξει. λόγος· […]

μὴ οὖν εὐχερῶς πράσσῃς, εἰ μὴ ἀνάγκη σοι γένηται. ἔχει δὲ φυλακτήριον πρὸς τὸ μή σε καταπεσεῖν· εἴωθεν γὰρ ἡ θεὸς τοὺς ἀφυλακτηριαστοὺς τοῦτο πράσσοντας ἀεροφ<ερ>εῖς ποιεῖν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ῥῖψαι. διὸ οὖν ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην καὶ τοῦ φυλακτηρίου τὴν πρόνοιαν ποιήσασθαι, ὅπως ἀδιστάκτως πράσσῃς. κρύβε.

PGM IV 2443–2508

More dream spells

A Dream-Sender. Make a hollow hippopotamus out of red wax. Into this hippopotamus’* belly, place gold, silver and the ‘Ballatha’ of the Jews. Dress it in clean linen and set it on a clean windowsill. Then, take a piece of hieratic papyrus and with myrrh-ink and the blood of a baboon write on it what you want to send. Roll it up into a wick and use it to light a new, clean lamp. Put the foot of the hippopotamus onto the lamp, say the name, and it sends the dream.

ὀνειροπομπόν· ποίησον ἱπποπόταμον ἐκ κηροῦ πυρροῦ κοῖλον καὶ ἔνθες εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ τοῦ βιεβετνεησι καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ τὸ καλούμενον βαλλαθὰ τὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ στόλισον αὐτὸν λίνῳ καθαρῷ καὶ θὲς ἐπὶ θυρίδος καθαρᾶς καὶ λαβὼν χάρτην ἱερατικὸν γράψον εἰς αὐτὸν ζμυρνομέλανι καὶ αἵματι κυνοκεφάλου, ἃ βούλει πέμψαι, καὶ εἰλήσας εἰς ἐνλύχνιον καὶ ἐνλυχνιάσας λύχνον καθαρὸν καινὸν ἐπίθες ἐπὶ τὸν λύχνον τὸν πόδα ἱπποποταμίου καὶ λέγε τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ πέμπει.

PGM XIII, col. vii 47 - viii 7 (lines 312-319)

*alternatively, going with what comes next, ‘from the metals of the miners’, following a note in the scanned copy at Heidelberg. See right: βιεβεσνεητι “Metall des Erzarbeiter”, but I cannot make out the reference.

Dream spells

Here are some dream spells from the collection of magical Greek papyri: one in case you want someone else to have a dream, one in case you want to have a dream.

“If you wish to appear to someone in dreams during the night, say to the lamp that gets used every day, say to it often: Cheiamôpsei, Erpebôth: Let so-and-so, daughter of so-and-so, see me in her dreams, now, now, quickly, quickly. Then the usual, whatever you’d like.”

Ἐάν τινι ἐθέλῃς [ἐ]μφανῆναι διὰ νυκτὸς ἐν ὀνείροις, λέγε πρὸς τὸν λύχνον τὸν καθημερινόν, λέγε πολλάκις· ‘χειαμωψει: ερπεβωθ: ἰδέτω με ἡ δεῖνα, ἣν ἡ δεῖνα, ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις, ἤδη ἤδη, ταχὺ ταχύ.’ καὶ κοινά, ὅσ’ ἂν βούλῃ.

PGM VII 405-411

“Request for a dream. Draw the god Hermes, upright and Ibis-faced, as accurately as possible on a scrap of linen cloth using quail’s blood, then, using myrrh, write his name above and say the words: Come to me, here, quickly, you who have the power. I call to you, the god of gods who is set over the spirits, to show me this in my dreams. By your father Osiris and Isis, your mother, I summon you to show me some image of you and reveal what I wish to know. By your name, Êiiouathi, Psrêpnousa Nertêr, Diokhasbara, Zarakhô, whom they call Balkham, reveal this, reveal everything that I ask.”

Ὀνείρου αἴτησις· Ἀκριβὴς εἰς πάντα γράψον εἰς βύσσινον ῥάκος αἵματι ὀρτυγίου θεὸν Ἑ[ρ]μῆν ὀρ[θ]όν, ἰβιοπρόσωπον, ἔπειτα ζμύρνῃ ἐπίγραψον καὶ τὸ ὄνομα καὶ ἐπίλεγε τὸν [λό]γον· ‘ἔρχου μοι ὡδὶ αἶψα, ὁ ἔχων τὴν ἐξουσίαν. ἐπικαλοῦμαί σε τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν [πν]ευμάτων τεταγμένον θεὸν θ(εῶν), δεῖξαί μοι καθ’ ὕπνους τόδε. ἐξορκίζω [σε]κατὰ [τ]οῦ πατρός σου Ὀσίριδος καὶ Ἴσιδος, τῆς μητρός σου, δεῖξαί μοί τι[να] μορφήν σου, καὶ περὶ ὧν θέλω, χρημάτισον. ὄνομά σοι· ‘ηιιουαθι, ψρηπνου̣α̣ νερτηρ, διοχασβαρα, Ζαραχω’, ὃν καλοῦσι Βαλχάμ· χρημάτισον περὶ τοῦδε, περ[ὶ π]άντων, <ὧν> πυνθάνω.’

PGM XII  144-152