Syriac Written Charms: from Functions to Types

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Syriac Written Charms: from Functions to Types

P. 405–429.

This paper purports to open a new direction in the study of Syriac charms. It is still welcome to publish hitherto unedited manuscripts, but it is more important to classify and typologize these texts. The objective of this paper is to present one of the possible ways to classify Syriac charms. This classification is primarily functional, but it takes into account the specific typology of Syriac magical texts. The introductory part of the article presents the background of modern Syriac charms as documents of lived religion in Syriac Christian communities. In the main body of the paper two case studies are discussed: the functional categories “protecting against dogs” and “loosening game (and fish)”.

Language: English

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