Ancient Egyptian Book of Spells Deciphered

[Still Waters]

Researchers have deciphered an ancient Egyptian handbook, revealing a series of invocations and spells.

Among other things, the "Handbook of Ritual Power," as researchers call the book, tells readers how to cast love spells, exorcise evil spirits and treat "black jaundice," a bacterial infection that is still around today and can be fatal.

The book is about 1,300 years old, and is written in Coptic, an Egyptian language. It is made of bound pages of parchment - a type of book that researchers call a codex.

http://www.livescien...deciphered.html

[questionmark]

20 pages for $65? Guess the marks don't die out....

[theotherguy]

I wonder if the translators tried using any of the spells. You know, whip up a love spell for "academic purpose" after the kids are in bed.

[Kenemet]

I wonder if the translators tried using any of the spells. You know, whip up a love spell for "academic purpose" after the kids are in bed.

I'm pretty sure they didn't. Ancient spells can be pretty funky and are powered by a lifetime of belief in the deity and powers. All cultural context is lost, so calling on Baktiotha. These have a lot in common (it seems) with some of the medieval magical spells that I've seen from the time of Roger Bacon.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

In other, entirely unrelated news, Egypt is currently experiencing a number of "unexplained" murders, all seemingly involving shuffling chaps swathed in bandages.

Authorities are stumped.

[questionmark]

I'm pretty sure they didn't. Ancient spells can be pretty funky and are powered by a lifetime of belief in the deity and powers. All cultural context is lost, so calling on Baktiotha. These have a lot in common (it seems) with some of the medieval magical spells that I've seen from the time of Roger Bacon.

Naturally they do, the guild of quacks has not changed its recipe since Sumeria until von Daniken.

[Grandpa Greenman]

A book of spells usually only works for the practitioner that makes the book. But it is historically a really cool find.

[kartikg]

A book of spells usually only works for the practitioner that makes the book. But it is historically a really cool find.

What did you mean by that? Was that sarcasm? Or something myth related to book of spells.

[pallidin]

Interesting find to be sure.

[Zero Fox FK]

"Kanda… Es-trada.. Montos… Ea-grets… Gat… Nos-feratos… Kanda… Amantos… Kanda."

Time to chop off my hand and replace it with a Chainsaw.

[Lumpino]

Ancient Egyptian? Text in the picture looks like from Greece.

[Lumpino]

Ancient Egyptian? Text in the picture looks like from Greece.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

It's all Greek to me ...

[Erowin]

Why was it so hard to read? I thought Coptic was a language known to scholars?

[jaylemurph]

I wonder if the translators tried using any of the spells. You know, whip up a love spell for "academic purpose" after the kids are in bed.

*cough cough*

I may have tried to summon up the devil once or twice using Renaissance texts. Old Nick never showed up, but it did summon up Them of the Drooly Excresences.

Or maybe they were just walking by and heard me execrating the name of the Lord.*

--Jaylemurph

*Doctor Faustus joke