Hedvig Győry: Mélanges offerts a Edith Varga „Le lotus qui sort de terre” (Bulletin du Musée Hongrois des Beaux-Arts Supplément 1. Budapest, 2001)

ATTILA MÁRTON FARKAS: A Magical Plaque from Budapest

could have a protective or apotropaeic power by means of "the magical doctrine of similars". Namely, these were objects resembling the evil which might have been there to repel the attacks of the malignant spirits or evil forces of diseases, animals, etc. on the basis of similarity and therefore saved the owner. The image of Apep, Seth or the Enemy in general, depicted on an amulet, can derive its magical power from its destructive character on the magical principle of identity or similarity as a way of "homeopathic magic". In this way the images of Seth carry away the sethian evil, images or symbols of Apep destroy the force of Apep, etc. This method is well known elsewhere in Egyptian magic, when, for example a magical serpent figure or image can protect the owner from the bite of a real serpent. A typical formula of magical texts repelling snakes or scorpions is the sentence "mouth against mouth, teeth against teeth".

n A magical spell from Papyrus Chester-Beatty is a very good example for this method based on the principle of "with similar against similar". In this text a clay scorpion was made by the magician guards against the real scorpions or their poisons.

12 It is important to mention, in connection with an "amulet-function", that the limestone plaques were not pierced, so there is no indication to show that they could have been worn. Nevertheless, the best example of this principle would be the role of Nkjw-mnjt in the Litany of Ra. Here the demonic figure is one of the 75 forms of Ra. The God can punish the condemned ones by virtue of this shape in the Underworld. In other words: Nkjw-mnjt as bodily fonn of Ra is a magical instrument for the sun-god to destroy his enemies.

13 Through their symbolism, the magical plaques embody the essence of certain Egyptian magical-religious rituals. We can say, that these magical objects can be considered as an extended usage of the meaning of "Annihilating of Enemy", or more specifically: "Slaying Apep" or "Overthrowing Seth". Thus, such an application might have been a private form of Egyptian "bewitching" or execration sorcery. It is evident that the execration ritual in ancient Egypt included not only " Among others in the piece AEIN 974 of Ny Carlsberg Glyptotck and BM 190 see J. Osing, Zu einigen magischen Texten. In: The Intellectual Heritage of Egypt. Studies Presented to László Kúkosy by Friends and Collègues on the Occasion of his 60th Birthday. Edited by U. Luft, SÄ XIV, Budapest 1992, p. 478. Or: pChester-Beatty VII. (18) Rt. 7, 5; A. H. Gardiner, Chester Beatty Gift. 2. vols. HPBM, vol. 3, London 1935, p. 60. Otherwise, this method was used by Moses too. when he had a copper-serpent made for healing the bite of the real snakes of the desert. See IV. Moses 21,9. ,: Thus the magician says to the scorpion in this spell: "I have made of clay, and a base ofturquise I have placed on... of the hdn-plant, to be secret fisher of the body. Come hither at my utterance according as I say. I am Horus, who made thee! Flow forth, thou scorpion!" pChester-Beatty VII. (18) Rt 7, 5. Gardiner, op. cit. (note 10), p. 60. 13 E. Hornung Das Buch der Anbetung des Rc im Westen II, Basel-Genève 1976, p. 62 note 36-37.