Demon Things Swansea 21 – 24 March 2016

 

 

 

 

Demon Things International Conference on Ancient Egyptian

Manifestations of Liminal Entities

Swansea 21 – 24 March 2016

Swansea University & the Egypt Centre, Wales, UK

WITH AN INTRODUCTION

BY PROF MARTIN STRINGER

PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR OF SWANSEA UNIVERSITY

PAPER ABSTRACTS

WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE “DEMONBASE”

BY KASIA SZPAKOWSKA

DIRECTOR OF “THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DEMONOLOGY PROJECT: 2K BCE”

 

 

 

 

 

WITH A CORDIAL

THANK YOU TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE

CONFERENCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The College of Arts and Humanities, «www.swansea.ac.uk/artsandhumanities»

The Egypt Centre, «www.egypt.swan.ac.uk»

Interpreting Egypt’s Past in Wales and the World

The Leverhulme Trust, «www.leverhulme.ac.uk»

Research Institute for Arts and Humanities, «www.swansea.ac.uk/riah»

South West Wales Classical Association, «swwclassicalassociation.weebly.com»

Swansea University, «www.swansea.ac.uk»

 

 

 

 

 1 

 

Ladislav Bareš 

Underworld Demons in the Decoration of the Large Late Period Shaft Tombs at Abusir

InthedecorationofthelargeshafttombsatAbusir,datedtolateDyn.26/earlyDyn.27,several

seriesoftheunderworlddemonscanbefound.Theyappear

indifferentpositions–eitherseparatelyasontheinner

sarcophagusofIufaaandontheouterwoodencoffinof

Nekau(buriedinoneofthelesserburialchambersinthe

tombofIufaa),oraspartoftheBookoftheDeadchapter

144onthesideoftheburialchamberofMenekhibnekau

(seealsothepaperbyJ.JanákandR.Landgráfová).Another

seriesofdemons–fortechnicalreasonsmostlyinaccessible

–seemstoexistontheinnersarcophagusofMenekhibnekau.Inthispaper,eachofthoseseriesof

demonsistreatedinrespecttoitspositioninthedecorationoftheentireburialchamber.In

additiontothat,severalquestionconnectedtotheirpositionanduseinthetombsarediscussed.

Ladislav Bareš 

Czech Institute of Egyptology 

Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 

Photo: Iufaa by K. Vodera

 

 

 2 

 

Susanne Beck 

Demons in Mesopotamia and Egypt: Sāmānu as a Case Study

ThedemonSāmānuisattestedbynumerousmagicalandmedicalsourcesintheancientNear

EastandEgyptfromthe3rdmillenniumtothe2nd

centuryB.C.InMesopotamia,Sāmānuisknownasa

widespreadevilseizinggods,men,animals,plants,as

wellasrivers.InEgypt,Sāmānuisdescribedonlyas

illnessofhumankinds.Itisnotablethatbothcultures

haddistinctconceptionsaboutdemons.Therefore,the

talkhighlightsthesimilaritiesanddifferences

betweenEgyptianandMesopotamiandemon’s

depictionsingeneral,andmorespecificSāmānu’s.

Susanne Beck 

Department of Egyptology, Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies (IANES) 

Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany 

Image provided by S. Beck 

   

 

 

 3 

 

Zuzanna Bennett 

Anatomy of a Coffin Text Demon

IntheMiddleKingdomCoffinTexts,demonicentitiesarevividlydescribedandsometimes

intricatelyillustrated.Thesedescriptionsanddepictionsareofa

networkofsupernaturalbeingsconsistingofindividualswith

distinctcharacters,attributesandforms.Demonicappearancescan

varysubstantially,ranginginsizefromsmalltogigantic,in

structurefromanthropomorphictozoomorphic,andinanatomy

frombovine‐headedtolong‐nailedentities.Themostfrequent

formsofthesedemonswillbefigurativelydissectedandeach

componentexaminedtoidentifywhichanimalspeciesareutilised.

Theanatomyofdemonscanalsobelinkedtotheirotherattributes,

assisting,enablingorinspiringthemtoperformparticularfunctions

orbehaviours.Thevarietyandcomplexityofthephysical

appearancesofCoffinTextdemonsnotonlydemonstratestheirimportanceasmanifestationsofthe

AncientEgyptianhopesandfears,butcouldalsobeakeytounderstandingthefunctionsoffunerary

demons.

Zuzanna Bennett 

Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE 

Swansea University, United Kingdom 

Photo: Coffin of Gua, BM EA 30839, courtesy of The British Museum, London

 

 

 4 

 

Erin E. Bornemann and Stuart Tyson Smith

Liminal Deities in the Borderlands: Bes and Pataikos in Ancient Nubia

DuringtheNewKingdomPeriod(1550–1069BC)andextendingintotheNapatanPeriod(750–

332BC),apotropaicdeitieswereespeciallypopularinthe

household,and—whenrepresentedintheformofamulets—

becamefixturesinthedailylivesofwomenandchildren.Thispaper

examinesamuletsintheformsoftheliminalgodsBesandPataikos,

asrepresentedinthearchaeologicalassemblagefromthesiteof

Tombos,whichislocatedatthe3rdCataractinUpperNubia.Bes

andPataikosoccupyaninterestingspacewithinthescopeof

AncientEgyptianandNubianhouseholdreligion,giventheirhighly

protectivedispositions,liminalnatures,andconsistentlygrotesque

representations.Whenweexaminetheseamuletsunder

anthropologicalandarchaeologicalconceptionsofmateriality,we

arenotonlyabletolinktheseobjectstotheindividualsthatwould

havecomeincontactwithandusedthem,butwearealsoableto

connectbothobjectandindividualbackintothelargercontemporarysocialsphereofwhichthey

wouldhavebeenanactivepart.Tombosprovidestheprimarycasestudyexaminingtheseamuletic

forms,andexamplesfromthissitewillbecomparedtoothersfromsitesinbothEgyptandNubia.

ThispaperaimstoexaminesimilaritiesanddifferencesiniconographicrepresentationsofBes/et

andPataikosinconjunctionwiththerespectivearcheologicalcontextofeach.Particularattention

willbepaidtowardvariationsintheiconographyofthesedeities,aswellasthepresenceofthese

dailylifeobjectswithinfunerarycontextswheretheyoftenmadethetransitionintodeathwith

theirowners.Thispaperexemplifiestheutilityofmaterialitystudiesasappliedtoarchaeological

investigationsofthedailylivesanddeathsofindividualsinAncientEgyptiansocietyandhopesto

fosterfurtherdiscussionofamuleticformsthatmadethetransitionfromlifeintodeath.

Erin E. Bornemann and Stuart Tyson Smith 

Department of Anthropology  

University of California Santa Barbara, USA 

Image provided by E. Bornemann and S. Smith

 

 

 5 

 

Amr Gaber 

MnH, ‘the Butcher’: A Benevolent Demon and Lord of Demons

Thisworkisconcernedwithademon,i.e.MenehwhoisattestedinAncientEgyptsincethe

MiddleKingdomuntiltheGraeco‐RomanPeriodaccordingtothe

epigraphicandiconographicevidence.Despitehisaggressiveness,

fiercenessandviolence,heuseshisforcesonlyagainstenemiesshowinga

benevolenttemper.Beingmentionedinreligioustextsdealingwiththe

afterlifeandsubsequentlynotonlyhadhiscultintheGraeco‐Roman

temples,buthavinghisownsonaswell.Hence,thisworkstudieshis

differentaspectsinextenso.Additionallyhisconnectiontothebutcher

demonsisestablishedviaanewproposedreadingoftwohisepithets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amr Gaber 

Swansea University, United Kingdom 

Image provided by A. Gaber

 

 

 6 

 

Amy Hammett 

The Clay Balls of Ancient Egypt: A Symbolic Defence against Apophis?

The“strikingoftheball”ritual,datedfromtheNewKingdomtotheLatePeriod,isdepictedona

numberoftemplewalls.ThescenedepictsthePharaoh,armedwitha

cluborstick,hittingballsbeforeadeityoragroupofdeities.The

inscriptionswhichaccompanythesescenessuggestthatthey

representthe“evileyeofApophis”,andthattheyaredestroyedto

protectthesungodRe.Ithasbeensuggestedthattheseballsmayhave

beenmadefromclay,andthispaperwilldiscusswhythistheoryis

supportableandwilldiscussthepossibilitythattheclayballswere

usedasaformofweaponagainstApophisandtheevilherepresented.

Clayballshavebeenexcavatedfromhomesandburials,andaredecoratedwithinscriptions,seal

impressions,orpainteddesigns.Thefactthattheseartefactshavebeenfoundinhousesdoesnot

entirelyruleitoutasbeinganaccompanimenttothe“strikingoftheball”ritual,becauseitis

possiblethatancientEgyptianroyalritualsadopteddomesticritualsandviceversa.Inadaytoday

settingApophiscouldhaverepresentedtheveryrealthreatofsnakestotheaverageEgyptianandit

ispossiblethatthe“strikingoftheballritual”haditsoriginsinthehome.Similarly,equippingone’s

tombwithclayballscouldhaveprovidedaformofdefenceintheafterlife.

Amy Hammett 

University of Kent, United Kingdom 

Image: Temple of Luxor, reproduced from Gayet (1894), pl. LXXIV 

   

 

 

 7 

 

Jiří Janák and Renata Landgráfová 

Guardians of Gates: An Unusual Assemblage of Demons in Menekhibnekau‘s Book of the Dead Chapter 144

TheSaite‐PersianshafttombnecropolisatAbusirisarichsourceoftextsandimagesattestingto

thecontinuityandchangeofEgyptian

funerarybeliefs.Whilethetextually

richestofthesetombsisthatofIufaa,

theburialchamberoftheroughly

contemporarytombofthehigh

dignitaryMenekhibnekauisliterally

filledwithtextsandrepresentations,

andincludes,onitssouthernwall,a

representationofthesevengatesofBookoftheDead144withagroupofthreenameddemons

pertainingtoeach.Thetextofthechapterthenfollowsincolumnsunderneaththese

representations,whichfilltwolargeregistersofthearchofthewall.Theaimofthispaperisto

investigatethenatureofthesedemonsandthereasonsfortheirinclusioninBookoftheDead144,

thevignetteofwhichusuallyincludesgateswithoneortwogenericdemonfigures,andnotthe

highlydifferentiatedandindividualistic,aswellasnamed,demonsthatappearinMenekhibnekau.

Inthisconnection,itisimportanttonotethatthesarcophagusofPsusennesprovidesalinkbetween

Menekhibnekau’sgateguardiansanddemonprocessionsofLatePeriodsarcophagi(suchastheone

appearingontheinnerbasaltsarcophagusofIufaa,whichwillbepresentedbyL.Bareš),ashis

demonsbearnamesknownfromBookoftheDead144.Thus,alsotheconnectionsbetweenBookof

theDeadChapter144andguardiandemonprocessionswillbeinvestigatedinordertointerpret

Menekhibnekau’sunusualdemontriplets.

Jiří Janák and Renata Landgráfová 

Czech Institute of Egyptology  

Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 

Photo: Demons of the Second Gate from Chapter 144 of the Book of the Dead of Menekhibnekau; provided by J. Janák and R Landgráfová 

 

 

 8 

 

Panagiotis Kousoulis 

Rebellious Identities and Demonic Diversity: Name vs. Function of the msw-bdSw and the Apophian

Associates

AcentralissueinthestudyoftheAncientEgyptiandemonicdiscourseisthevarietyofformsand

namesinwhichtheunseenintervenesandis

recognized.Thesemanifestationsrangefrompositive

tonegativeandviceversa.Thisisespeciallytruefor

collectivegroupsofenemieswhicharecategorised

underthegenerictermmsw-bdS(t)ormsw-bST.Inthe

mythologicaldiscourse,msw-bdStareregardedasa

comparativebodyofliminalhostileentities,which

usuallyrefertoApepandhisoffspringorassociates,

ortoanygroupofrebels.Thus,itcanbetranslatedas“childrenofrebellion”,“childrenof

impotence”,“childrenofthefeeble”,or“childrenoftherebelliousone”.Thetermmayalsobe

viewedasdenotingasingleserpentinebeing,asinthespell17fromtheBookoftheDead,inthe

scene69fromtheBookofGates,orinLatePeriodmaterial.Thescopeofthispresentationisto

presentandexemplifytheformativeaxiomsandApophianattributesofthiscollectivegroupof

hostileentities.Atthecoreofthisresearchliestheverycomplicatedissueofthefunctionvs.

representationvs.name/functionnameintheontologicalandperformativeconceptionofthe

demonicinAncientEgyptianthought.DoesidentityofthevariousApophiannamesidentifythe

archenemyofthesungodparexcellence,whenthefunctionsaredifferent?Doesidentityofthe

multipleApophianfunctionsidentifythesamemalevolententity,whenthenamesaredifferent?

Howcouldthepolarityandconceptualdevelopmentofa“demonic”or“anti‐god”entitybeframed

anddefinedintheEgyptianbeliefsystemanddiscourse?

Panagiotis Kousoulis 

Department of Mediterranean Studies 

University of the Aegean, Greece 

Photo: The First Recording of Apep’s Name, Tomb of Ankhtifi, Mo’alla, ca. 2100 BCE; by P. Kousoulis 

 

 

 

 

 9 

 

Nika Lavrentyeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova 

Liminal Sources of Dangerous Powers: A Case of the Black Ram. A comparative analysis of demonological

representations

TheCoffinTextcapturesadevelopedsystemofideasaboutthedangerousinhabitantsofthe

Netherworldmanifestedmainlyintheirnamesandiconography.Anessentialcontactwithchaos

andborderbetweenchaosandcosmoshasadecisiveinfluence

onthenatureandbehaviourofdemonsofthecoffins.This

connectionisdistinctlyreflectedintheimageofthetworoads

oftheBookofTwoWaysandtheirdangerousenvironmentof

fireandwaterrepresentedbytheguards.Inthepyramidssuch

depictionsarequiterarebutitisintriguingthataPharaoh

himselfcouldberegardedasadangerousinhabitantofthe

Netherworld,threateningthecosmicorder.Thesourceofhis

destructivepowerisalsotheliminalstate,inthiscase

expressedasdamagetotheEye.

Anexampleoftheintersectionofthesetwo“demonicsystems”istheimageofthe“Lord‐of‐

Power”representedinbothPyramidTextandCoffinText.OnthevignettesoftheBookofTwoWays

heisshownintheformofaBlackRaminthe“chamberofjudges”.Thesituationofatrialwhenthe

deceasedclaimsaplaceintheNetherworldandthegodssatisfythisdemandapparentlyisoneof

thewaystoappeasethedangerousenergy.ThusinthePyramidText,Pharaohthreatenstodestroy

theexistingcosmosbythepowerofhisdamagedEyeifheisnotgrantedaplaceinanotherworld.

ThesuccessfulintegrationofthedeceasedintheNetherworldis,therefore,ameantoappeasehim

andtorestorethecosmicbalance.

Nika Lavrentyeva 

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Educational Art Museum 

Russian Endowment for Science and Education, B.A. Turaev Egyptological Centre, Moscow, Russia 

Ekaterina Alexandrova 

Russian Endowment for Science and Education 

B.A. Turaev Egyptological Centre, Moscow, Russia 

Drawing by N. Lavrentyeva

 

 

 10 

 

Aris Legowski 

What is the Evil within Demons? Exploring the Egyptian Semantic Field of Evil

ThroughoutallperiodsofAncientEgyptianhistoryliminalentities,ordemons,playeda

significantroleinculturallife.Theycanberegardedasconcrete

manifestationsofuniversalforcessuchasgoodandevil.Analogouslyto

theirliminalnature,demonscanpossesseitherbenevolentormalevolent

powers,orinsomecasesboth.Appearinginvariousformsandonawide

rangeofdifferentsourcesdemonsconveythevividdiscoursesaboutgood

andevil.Repellingandovercomingdemonicevilforceswasfundamental,as

itwasoftenexpressedinbothliteraryandfigurativeform.Quitefrequently,

indeed,theprincipleofgoodwasvirtuallydefinedthroughtherenunciation

andrejectionofevil.

Lookingintoparticularcasesofdemonsandtheiractions,severalwords

describingevilhavebeenattributedtothem.Yettheirverynatureand

purposearenotalwaysobvioussincethereisnosingleandsimple

definitionofevil.Aspartofabroaderstudyonthesemanticfieldsofevil,

thispaperwillanalysethemeaningofevilinthecontextofdemonsby

comparingattributesofevilwithinalargerscopeofdifferentgenres.The

focuswillbeonthesemanticfieldsofwordsalsoappearingasabstracta,hencethesebearahigher

significanceinregardtoacomprehensionofdiachronicandinter‐genericdiscourses.

Thisapproachaimsforamoredistinctunderstandingoftheevilascribedtodemonsandfor

sheddinglightonthenatureofthoseliminalentities,whosecharacterisnotimmediatelyevident

fromtheircontext.

Aris Legowski 

Department of Egyptology, Institute for Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology 

Rheinische Friedrich‐Wilhelms‐Universität Bonn, Germany 

Photo: P. Cairo S.R. VII 10249, TM 134481, courtesy of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo  

 

 

 11 

 

Rita Lucarelli 

Baba and the Demonic Aspects of the Baboon - Since the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom through the Temple

Texts of the Graeco-Roman Period

Althoughneverdepicted,afewtextssuggestthatthisgodmanifestshimselfasababoonwitha

ratherdangerousanddreadfulcharacterandfunction

towardsothergodsandhumankind;however,Baba’s

whereaboutsinrelationtohisbaboonmanifestation

havenotbeenthoroughlyinvestigatedyet.Thispaper

willreviewtheexistingsourcesonbaboonswith

demonicaspectsattestedinmagicalandmortuarytexts

andillustrationsofPharaonicandGraeco‐RomanEgypt,

atthesametimeattemptingtobetterdefinetheroleof

BabawithintheAncientEgyptianpantheon.

 

Rita Lucarelli 

Department of Near Eastern Studies 

University of California Berkeley, USA 

Image provided by R. Lucarelli

 

 

 12 

 

El Zahraa Megahed and Laure Pantalacci 

The Demoniacal Manifestations of Winds in Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days

CalendarsofLuckyandunluckydaysinpCairoJEno.86637andpSallierIV(pBM10184)include

clearindicationstotheroleofwindsasbearersofdemonsanddemoniacaldiseases.

Thetwotroops@rytywand@nTtywappearaspersonifiedwindsonIAxt4,IIAxt24,IIAxt25andIII

Smw24.Inthosefourdays,demonicpersonifiedwindsmanifesttoaffectthelivesofpeopleon

earth;theycausediseaseandperturbnavigationintheNilestream.ParalleldaysinCopticand

Arabicalmanacsincludeclearcitationsforsimilareffects.Diseasesspreadbywindsatthepresent

timearealsosimilartothoseinthecalendars.

Theroleofdemonsaspersonifiedwindsintheformerdaysregardsthemasemanationsor

reflectionstotheconflictbetweenReandApophisintheNetherworld.Demonsareassociatedin

calendarswiththenorthernwinds.Thenorthernwindsaredominantduringmostoftheyear;they

arealsothestrongestandthemostdangerous.Thestrengthofnorthernwinds,whichiscompatible

withtheeast,agreeswiththesupernaturalpoweroftheagentsofRewhoresideintheEastreadyto

attacktheenemiesofReinthewest.

Onanotherday(I Prt 19),winds(TAw)figureasembodieddemons(nTrw aAw)tospreaddemonical

inflictions(jAdt rnpt).Apartfromcalendars,thePrt seasonisconnectedinothertextswith

dangerousexhalationsofthesoil.Duringthosedays,exhalationsareimpliedtocomefromcarcasses

ofanimalsthatdrownbytheNileflood.Inthatcontext,thequestionof#Atywasequivalenttothe

miasmasofGalenoraccuratelyasexhalationsorgaseousemanationsfromcadavers(XAt)affected

bysepsis(xAyt)isanswered.Apartfromcalendars,itiscertainthatwinds,breaths,exhalationsand

eventhespitthatgoesoutfrommouthsofdemonsbyspittingareallpathogenic.

El Zahraa Megahed and Laure Pantalacci 

Institute Maison d'Orient 

University of Lyon 2, France

 

 

 13 

 

Maria Nilsson 

Symbolae Sacrae – Symbolic Formulae for Protection and Adoration within

the Sandstone Quarries of Gebel el Silsila

WithinthegrandsandstonequarriesofGebelelSilsilaisavastamountofuniquesymbolic

representations;stylizediconographicandpseudo‐

scriptedsignsandmarksthattosomeextentsignify

deitiesandtheirprotectionagainstdemons,eviland

mishaps.Likewrittenprotectiveformulae,these

markswereplacedwithinthequarriesto

symbolicallysafe‐keepthequarryworkers,andfor

expressinggratefulnessoncetheworkhadbeen

completed.Forsuchreasonasinglequarryface/wall

couldbeincisedwithmorethan300markswithnoapparentorderofdistribution;somecarved

immediatelyadjacentadorationtextsordedications.Intotal,thusfar,some5000quarrymarks

havebeendocumentedandanalysedbythecurrentarchaeologicalconcession(LundUniversity).

Thispaperaimstopresentaselectionofquarrymarksthatcanbeassociatedwiththe

metaphoricalworldoftheancients(chieflyearlyRoman)withfocusonassignedprotectivedeities

(eg.Bes,Min,Horus,Amun,butespeciallythelocalAgathodaimonPachimesen);theever

assimilatingdaemonShaï;apotropaicfigures(anguipedes,akephaloi,Harpocrates,Tutu);andmarks

usedforprotection,adoration,respectandgratefulness.Itisanattempttobroadentheperspective

oftraditionallyacceptedancientapotropaia,andincorporatesuperstitiousrepresentations

communicatedbyagroupofhardworkingmenwithinthequarriesofGebelelSilsila.Thematerial

presentedisbasedonpreliminaryconclusions.

Maria Nilsson 

Department of Archaeology and Ancient History 

Lund University, Sweden 

Photo: “A Guardian of the Quarrymen” by M. Nilsson, courtesy of the Gebel el Silsila Project

 

 

 14 

 

Arnaud Quertinmont 

Anubis as a Demon?

ThegatesoftheUnderworldarewatchedoverbywhatwecall“demons”.Theseguardians,who

canprovetobeaggressiveorprotective,areoften

armedwithknives.Ingeneral,theyareonlyknownfor

thisspecificpurposeanditisrelativelyraretofindthem

inafunctionoutsidetherealmofthedead–though

someexceptionscanbenotedintheOracularAmuletic

Decrees.Ifitisrecognisedthatdemonshavelimited

powerandcan’tactasadeity,canthereversebe

acknowledged?Canagodactasademon?

Anubis,duetohisroleastombkeeper,isthefirstdeitytoberepresentedinthemastabasofthe

OldKingdom,whilsttheothergodsareleftout.Indeed,itisnotuncommontofindarepresentation

ofthisgod’snameattheentrancetothechapel,onthejambofthecentraldoor.Itthenpresentsa

canidimage‐surpassingotherhieroglyphicsinsize‐thatplaysboththeroleofdeterminativeinthe

inscriptionandincarnationofthedivineentity.

Itismostlikelythisparticularfunctionofguardian,keeperofthetombandofthedeceased’s

body,whichexplainstheparticulariconographyofAnubisthatcanbefoundinNakhtamun’stomb

(TT335).OverthedoorofroomBaretworepresentationsofthegodeasilyidentifiablebyAnubis’

traditionalepithets.Locatedbeneathacanopy,heisfeaturedinbothfigurationsasademonwitha

humanbodyandcaninehead,inaseatedpositionandarmedwithaknife.Theyseemtowatchover

Osiris’name.CouldthisiconographybeanemphasisontheroleofguardianoftheUnderworldand

ofOsiris’body?Canthisbesufficientastoexplainthisgod’sparticularform?

Arnaud Quertinmont 

Museé royal de Mariemont, Collection Égyptiennes 

Morlanwelz, Belgium 

Photo: TT 335; provided by A. Quertinmont

 

 

 15 

 

Danielle Sass  

Slaughterers, Knife-Bearers and Plague-Bringers: A Study of the Role and Significance of the xA.tyw in Ancient

Egyptian Thought

Thispaperwillpresentthefindingsofastudyfocusedonaparticulargroupofliminalbeingsthat

areconceptualisedinAncientEgyptianthoughtasbelongingtotherealmofthedivine.Theyare

identifiedinthewrittenrecordbythedesignationxA.tywinthefirstthreephasesoftheEgyptian

Languageorasxt.winthefourthstage(Demotic).ThexA.tywaremanifestedprimarilythrough

textualsources,withthecorpusintermsofdate,context,media,languagephaseandscriptbeing

extensivelyvariedinnature.Whilethedocumentationspansalargetime‐frameofEgyptianhistory

fromtheOldKingdomtotheendoftheGreco‐RomanPeriod,onlyaverylimiteddatasetcanbe

derivedfromthehistoricalperiodsbeforethebeginningoftheNewKingdom.Theincreasedlevelof

attestationforthexA.tywfromtheNewKingdomonwardsismostlikelytheresultofachangein

religious‘decorum’;withthedisintegrationofbarriersbetweenindividualanddeityfromthis

periodonwards,weaccordinglyhavemoreevidenceforinstanceswheretherewasdirect

accountabilitytodeitiesanddivineinvolvementinanindividual’slifethatcouldbebenevolentor

malevolentinnature.Thispaperaimstoprovideanoverviewoftheorthographyandetymologyof

thedesignationxA.tyw,theformandappearanceofthexA.tyw,thepositionandsubordinationofthe

xA.tywwithinthehierarchyofthepantheon,thecelestialnatureofthexA.tyw,andfinallytheroleof

thexA.tywasbearersofdisease.Anexaminationofthismaterialwillcontributetoagreater

understandingoftheagencyofthistypeofdivinebeingwhooperatedatbothstateandpersonal

levelsofreligion,andfurtherscholars’understandingofEgyptianworld‐viewandsocietyasawhole

onaccountofthedualisticnatureofthexA.tywthatencompassescomponentsofbothma’atand

isfet.

Danielle Sass 

Macquarie University 

Sydney, Australia 

Image: Papyrus DeM. I, vso, reproduced from J. Cerny, Papyrus hiératiques de Deir el‐Medineh (Cairo, 1978‐1986), pl. 15

 

 

 16 

 

Renata Schiavo 

Ghost and Ancestors in a Gender Perspective

Inanimpressivenumberofapotropaicdocuments,maleandfemaledeceasedareoften

associated.Infact,theyarelistedinpairs(Ӡh /Ӡh.t, mwt/mwt.t,etc.)in

ordertostrikeasmanypreternaturalenemiesaspossible.Thus,at

firstsight,itcouldseemthatadistinctionbasedongenderdidnot

playanactiveroleinreligiousbeliefsrelatedtoghostsand

ancestors.However,anin‐depthanalysisoftheso‐calledlettersto

thedeadcouldhighlightsomeinterestingaspects.Thesepeculiar

documentsweremainlywrittentoobtainthehelpoftheancestors

inordertosolveexistentialcrises.However,arestrictednumberof

letterswerewrittentoappeasetheangerofmalevolentspirits,anditissurelysignificantthatin

mostcasesthislattertypeofdocumentwassenttofemaledeceased.Thetransformationofan

ancestorintoamalevolentspiritcouldberelatedtoseveralcauses,predominantlythe

transgressionofacomplexpactofmutualaidbetweenthelivingandthedead.Forthe“male‐

sphere”,therulesofthisalliancewerestronglyinfluencedbyaspecificcodeofconductwithclear

connectionswiththeLoyalistInstructions,whereas,fortherelationshipbetweenthelivingandthe

femaledeceasedotherfactors,whichplayedarelevantrole,mayberecognized;mostimportantly,

theconnectionofwomenwithinthesphereofprocreationandhersocialroleaswifeandmother.

Renata Schiavo 

Leiden University (LIAS), The Netherlands 

Image provided by R. Schiavo

 

 

 17 

 

Wael Sherbiny 

Between Texts and Images: Representations of the Supernatural Entities in the

so-called Book of Two Ways

Althoughtextualdescriptionsofallsortsofsupernaturalentitiesareattestedinthereligious

textsasearlyasthePyramidTexts(ifnotearlier),

thevisualexpressionsabouttheseentitiesare

scarceinthedocumentsbearingreligioustexts

antedatingtheelaboraterepresentationsfrom

theNewKingdomonwards(suchastheBookof

theDead,theAmduat…etc).Agreatdealofthe

iconographicinformationattestedwithinthe

CoffinTextsproperontheinsidesofthe

decoratedMiddleKingdomcoffinswasdeemedsecondarybytheeditorsofthecelebratedCoffin

TextsProjectoftheOrientalInstitute(‐TheUniversityofChicago).Thistextuallybiasedapproach

resultedinomittingseveraliconographicdetails.Sincealmostallofthesecoffinswerenever

scientificallypublishedasarchaeologicalobjects,onlythepublishedtextsasappearedinThe

EgyptianCoffinTextsformedthebasisforallthesubsequentstudies.Thecompositionoftheso‐

calledBookofTwoWaysoffersthebestexamplesofhighlyelaboraterepresentationsof

supernaturalentitiesintroducedintothecorpusoftheCoffinTexts.

Duringmyintensiveresearchonthecompositionoftheso‐calledBookofTwoWayswhichhas

beengoingonforthepastseventeenyears,Idiscovered,tomysurprise,alargenumberof

iconographicdetailsinthesupposedly‐publishedmaterialthatweresimplyskippedbytheCoffin

Textseditors.Theseincludeinteraliaanumberofnewpictorialrenderingsofvarioussupernatural

entities.InmypaperabriefreferencewillbemadetoimagesofthesupernaturalentitiesI

discoveredontheoldestsurvivingleatherrollfromAncientEgypt(2300‐2000B.C.),thediscovery

ofwhichIannouncedinthelastInternationalCongressofEgyptologistsinFlorence.

Wael Sherbiny 

Independent Scholar 

Leuven, Belgium 

Image provided by W. Sherbiny

 

 

 18 

 

Kasia Szpakowska 

The Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: 2K BCE “DemonBase” Launch

Inboththemodernandancientworld,intangibleentitiesembodyandareblamedforahostof

physicalandpsychological

afflictions,aswellasbeing

calledupontoaidthesufferer.

Thesebeingsareknowninmany

culturesbymanynames.A

sampleoftermsincludes:

gremlins,imps,faeries,ghosts,

daemons,genies,Mischwesen,

monsters,smallgods,angels,andinvisibilia.AlthoughtheAncientEgyptiansthemselveshadno

specificall‐encompassinggenericlabelforthislargecategoryofbeings,theyweredescribedintexts

andimagery.Fortheordinaryperson,theyplayedvitalrolesasmechanismsforcopingwithand

manifestingabstractstress,afflictions,andfears.

WhileliminalentitieswerefamiliartotheAncientEgyptians,findinginformationonthemtoday

isdifficult.Thereiscurrentlynosinglesourceforthescholarorinterestedpersontoconsultfor

furtherinformationonthem.Anumberofgeneralencyclopaediasofgodsexist,aswellas

specializedresourcesondivinenamesandepithets,butnotfor"demons".Toremedythisgap,our

projecthascreatedadatabaseoftheseentities.

Ourapproachcombinesphilological,iconographic,andarchaeologicalanalysisofCoffinTexts,

earlyBookoftheDeadmanuscripts,ivorywands(apotropaia),anddecoratedheadrests.Weinclude

textsandimagesinasingledatabase.Thefocusisoneachindividualbeing,categorizedbyits

structural,functional,andessentialcharacteristics.Twodatabaseshavebeencreated:onefor

researchersthatcanbeaugmentedandexpandedbyotherscholars,andonethatservesasan

interactiveportalforthepublictolearnabouttheseentities.Theformerwillbeformallylaunched

attheconference.

Kasia Szpakowska 

Department of History & Classics 

Director of the Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE 

Swansea University, United Kingdom 

Photo: File view from the DemonBase by K. Szpakowska 

 

 

 19 

 

Marie Vandenbeusch 

Following Seth’s Path? The Ambivalent Nature of Ancient Egyptian Donkey-Headed Deities

Egyptiangodsarewellknownfortheirabilitytotakevariousshapes,inparticularanimalforms.

MostanimalslivinginEgyptareinvolvedinthesetransformations.

Amongstthem,thedonkeyisoftenassociatedwiththegodSeth,

knownforhismalevolentandambivalentnature.Thisassociationis

mostapparentduringthePtolemaicPeriod,whenSethintheshape

ofadonkeyisshownbeingkilledinnumeroustemplereliefs,

especiallyinEdfou.Thisconnectionisalreadyclearearlier,

especiallyduringtheNewKingdom,whendonkey‐headedgods

seenattheprowofthesolarbarkdefenditfromattackers.These

scenesassociatethedonkeywithSeth,whoisalsoknownforhis

protectiveroleinthesolarjourney.However,notallofthe

representationsofdonkey‐headedgodsareclearlylinkedtoSeth,nordotheynecessarilypresent

evilqualities.

Thistalkwillpresentthevariousfunctionsofthedonkey‐headedfiguresinreligioustextand

imagery,whichpopulatethefuneraryworld,fromtheirfirstappearancetotheGraeco‐Roman

Period.ItwillshowthatwhilsttheassumptionthatthedonkeyisequivalenttoSethisoftentrue,

therearesomesignificantexceptions,whichshowtheambiguityandtherichnessoftheEgyptian

religiousworld.

Marie Vandenbeusch 

The British Museum 

Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan 

London, United Kingdom 

Photo: Shrine of Tutankhamun; reproduced from Piankoff, pl. 39

 

 

 20 

 

John Richard Ward 

Akephalos: A Demon’s Origins and Transformation into

‘the Headless One’

TheaimofthispaperistoexplorethepossibleoriginsandlateradaptationsoftheAncient

EgyptianAkephalos,ademonalsoknownas‘theHeadless

One’.Itscharacteristics,attributesandfunctionsare

primarilyportrayedwithintheMagicalPapyrusPGM

V.96‐172,andlaterbecamesubjectwithinvarious

modernmagicalformulae.

SincethetranslationofaGraeco‐Egyptianpapyrus

fragmentintheBritishMuseumbyCharlesWycliffe

Goodwinin1852,theHeadlessOnehasbeen

amalgamatedintovariouslate19thandearly20thcenturies’magicalformulae.Thisadaptationof

anancientdemonorprotectivedeityisattheheartofthisdiscussion.Whatwastheintendedroleor

functionoftheHeadlessOneduringtheancientperiod?Howwidespreadwasit'sappealwithin

superstitiouscommunitiesoftheGraecoRomanPeriod?Wasthisapparentreligiousidentification

utilizedoutsideoftheAncientEgyptianborders?

Thispaperfurtheraimstodiscusstheseeminginclusionofaheadlessdeity–AbTuat–andhis

counterpart–ApTuat–withinthe4thDivisionoftheDuat,asdescribedbySirE.A.WallisBudgein

TheEgyptianHeaven&Hell,andwhetherthiswidelyacclaimedmaterialhadanybearingor

influenceonthere‐interpretationoftheoriginalAkephalosasademoncalledupontoassistthe

exorcismofapossessedperson(asdescribedinPGMV.96‐172).WastheworkofBudge

instrumentaltocontemporaneousoccultists’appealorwerethereotherdefiningcatalystsor

componentsforitswidespreadusage?

ConcludingwithaexplorationofhowtheHeadlessOnehasbecomeentrenchedwithinmodern

dayspiritualmovements(GoldenDawn,Theosophy,practitionersofThelma,etc.)thispaperwill

exploreiftheoriginalfunctionoftheAkephalosremainedunchangedorifitwasadjustedinthe

multitudeoftranslationsandinterpretationstofitthemoderncalluponancientspiritsintimeof

need.

John Richard Ward 

The Gebel el Silsila Epigraphic Survey Project 

Luxor, Egypt 

Image provided by J. R. Ward

 

 

 21 

 

Felicitas Weber 

The “Demon Code”

Book of the Dead manuscripts form one of the largest corpora of funerary

literature fromAncient Egypt and hence provide a unique insight into diversified

privatepersonalbeliefs.ResearchonselectedNewKingdommanuscriptsbuildsthe

fundamenttoanalyzetheroleofdemonicentitieswithinthedivinecontextwhich

the deceased encounters after death. It is not only of interest how the latter

approachesthem,butalsohowtheyinteractwitheachother,sincetheentitiesnot

onlyhaveanimpactonthedeceased,butthedeceasedhimselforherselfalsoaffects

the demonic beings when confronted with them. Furthermore, this paper will

illuminate the characteristics, qualifications and functions liminal entities are

assignedto,whatpowerstheycanexercisetowhatextent,andwhatexceedstheir

abilities.

Theattentionwillbeturnedinparticulartothediegeticinformationthatcanbeextractedfrom

thecompositionofeachindividualentityandalsofromthecompilationofgroupedarrangements

andlists.Gatheredtogether,demonsoftengenerateacompletelynewlevelofpotencywhichcan

differconsiderablyfromsoleappearances.WhenanentityisincludedintotheBookoftheDead‐

“narrative”itaddsindividualcharacteristicstoitbydisplayingcertaininformationsuchasname,

functionorappearance.Agangofdemons,however,mightchannelthisdiegeticinformationintoa

totallydifferentandnewdirectioncoveringaspects,duetotheliaison,thatcouldnothavebeen

touchedbyasinglebeing.ThethoroughstudyofBookoftheDead‐manuscriptsinregardto

demonicentitiesanddiegeticlistsallowsaconcentratedviewnotonlyonthenatureofAncient

Egyptiandemonsbutalsoontheiruniversalimportance.

Felicitas Weber 

Ancient Egyptian Demonology Project: Second Millennium BCE 

Swansea University, United Kingdom 

Drawing: from P. Paris Louvre N. 3073, TM 134306, by F. Weber

 

 

 22 

 

John Wyatt 

A Demonic and Angelic Bestiary?

On‐goingzoologicalresearchintothevariousanimalspeciesdepictedin/ontombs,coffins,head

rests,wandsandBooksoftheDeadforaDemon/AngelBestiaryispresentlyraisingmorequestions

thananswers.Mostdemonshavebothaggressiveandprotectivefunctionssuggestingthatattackis

thebestformofdefence.Howdoesthisrelatetowhyparticularspecieswerechosenfordepiction?

Whatarethoseanimalsanddoesaccurateidentificationofthemdowntospecieslevelactually

matteror,asformanyhieroglyphs,isitaparticularfeatureoraspectoffamilialbehaviourwhichis

ofmoreimportance?ThethreesmalldesertfoxesofAncientEgypt‐Fennec,AfricanSand(now

Pale)andRuppell’s‐arestrictlynocturnalandsimilarinbreedingbehaviour.Anyonewouldhave

beenequallysuitabletoappearonaheadrest,sowhywasonlyoneofthemapparentlyused?Why

dosomeselectedspecies,forexamplemice,apparentlyoccurnowhereelseinEgyptianart?And,

wheretheydo,aswiththecrocodile,whyisthedepictionsometimessubtlydifferent?TheCrocodile

hieroglyphshowsafemalecradlingher“nest”whilethedemonicversionisfullhead‐upassault.Are

therealsoanysubtlenuancesinthedepictionsofthesamegod/goddessandhis/herdemonicentity

whenusedinthedifferentcontexts,forexamplethoseofBesandTawaret?Thispaperbeginsto

examineeachofthesequestionsandtoputforwardsomeinterimsuggestions.

John Wyatt 

Berkhamsted, United Kingdom 

Photo: Magic Wand, MMA 30.8.218, courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York  

   

 

 

 23 

 

Notes    

 

 

 24 

 

Notes 

 

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: ZUZANNA BENNETT, WENDY GOODRIDGE, CAROLYN

GRAVES-BROWN, KASIA SZPAKOWSKA, FELICITAS WEBER

Homepage: http://www.demonthings.com E-mail: demonThings@swansea.ac.uk