A study of the remains of the native religious literature of ancient
Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the
belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and
spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures,
and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by
the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results,
formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. And it is
certain that, notwithstanding the continuous progress which the
Egyptians made in civilization, and the high intellectual
development to which they eventually attained, this belief
influenced their minds and, from the earliest to the latest period of
their history, shaped their views concerning things temporal as well
as spiritual in a manner which, at this stage in the history of the
world, is very difficult to understand. The scrupulous care with
which they performed their innumerable religious ceremonies, and
carried out the rules which they had formulated concerning the
worship of the divine Power or powers, and their devotion to
religious magic, gained for them among the nations with whom they
came in contact the reputation of being at once the most religious
and the most superstitious of men. That this reputation was, on the
whole, well deserved, is the object of this little book to shew.
Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and
prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the earth, and the
underworld, and the air, and the sky were peopled with countless
beings, visible and invisible, which were held to be friendly or
unfriendly to man according as the operations of nature, which they
were supposed to direct, were favourable or unfavourable to him. In
-nature and attributes these beings were thought by primitive man to
closely resemble himself and to possess all human passions, and
emotions, and weaknesses, and defects; and the chief object of magic
was to give man the pre-eminence over such beings. The favour of
the beings who were placable and friendly to man might be obtained
by means of gifts and offerings, but the cessation of hostilities on the part of those that were implacable and unfriendly could only be
obtained by wheedling, and cajolery, and flattery, or by making use
of an amulet, or secret name, or magical formula, or figure, or picture
which had the effect of bringing to the aid of the mortal who
possessed it the power of a being that was mightier than the foe who
threatened to do evil to him. The magic of most early nations aimed
at causing the transference of power from a supernatural being to
man, whereby he was to be enabled to obtain superhuman results
and to become for a time as mighty as the original possessor of the
power; but the object of Egyptian magic was to endow man with the
means of compelling both friendly and hostile powers, nay, at a later
time, even God Himself, to do what he wished, whether the were
willing or not. The belief in magic, the word being used in its best
sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is certain that a
very large number of the Egyptian religious ceremonies, which were
performed in later times as an integral part of a highly spiritual
worship, had their origin in superstitious customs which date from a
period when God, under any name or in any form, was unconceived
in the minds of the Egyptians. Indeed it is probable that even the use
of the sign which represents an axe, and which stands the
hieroglyphic character both for God and “god,“ indicates that this
weapon and. tool was employed in the performance of some
ceremony connected with religious magic in prehistoric, or at any
rate in predynastic times, when it in some mysterious way
symbolized the presence of a supreme Power.
Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the
belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and
spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures,
and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by
the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results,
formed a large and important part of the Egyptian religion. And it is
certain that, notwithstanding the continuous progress which the
Egyptians made in civilization, and the high intellectual
development to which they eventually attained, this belief
influenced their minds and, from the earliest to the latest period of
their history, shaped their views concerning things temporal as well
as spiritual in a manner which, at this stage in the history of the
world, is very difficult to understand. The scrupulous care with
which they performed their innumerable religious ceremonies, and
carried out the rules which they had formulated concerning the
worship of the divine Power or powers, and their devotion to
religious magic, gained for them among the nations with whom they
came in contact the reputation of being at once the most religious
and the most superstitious of men. That this reputation was, on the
whole, well deserved, is the object of this little book to shew.
Egyptian magic dates from the time when the predynastic and
prehistoric dwellers in Egypt believed that the earth, and the
underworld, and the air, and the sky were peopled with countless
beings, visible and invisible, which were held to be friendly or
unfriendly to man according as the operations of nature, which they
were supposed to direct, were favourable or unfavourable to him. In
-nature and attributes these beings were thought by primitive man to
closely resemble himself and to possess all human passions, and
emotions, and weaknesses, and defects; and the chief object of magic
was to give man the pre-eminence over such beings. The favour of
the beings who were placable and friendly to man might be obtained
by means of gifts and offerings, but the cessation of hostilities on the part of those that were implacable and unfriendly could only be
obtained by wheedling, and cajolery, and flattery, or by making use
of an amulet, or secret name, or magical formula, or figure, or picture
which had the effect of bringing to the aid of the mortal who
possessed it the power of a being that was mightier than the foe who
threatened to do evil to him. The magic of most early nations aimed
at causing the transference of power from a supernatural being to
man, whereby he was to be enabled to obtain superhuman results
and to become for a time as mighty as the original possessor of the
power; but the object of Egyptian magic was to endow man with the
means of compelling both friendly and hostile powers, nay, at a later
time, even God Himself, to do what he wished, whether the were
willing or not. The belief in magic, the word being used in its best
sense, is older in Egypt than the belief in God, and it is certain that a
very large number of the Egyptian religious ceremonies, which were
performed in later times as an integral part of a highly spiritual
worship, had their origin in superstitious customs which date from a
period when God, under any name or in any form, was unconceived
in the minds of the Egyptians. Indeed it is probable that even the use
of the sign which represents an axe, and which stands the
hieroglyphic character both for God and “god,“ indicates that this
weapon and. tool was employed in the performance of some
ceremony connected with religious magic in prehistoric, or at any
rate in predynastic times, when it in some mysterious way
symbolized the presence of a supreme Power.
