The Agathos Daimon in Greco-Egyptian religion PDF

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The Agathos Daimon in Greco-Egyptian religion João Pedro Feliciano Abstract The Agathos Daimon, or ‘Good Spirit’, was a multifaceted deity of ancient Mediterranean religion, usually depicted as a serpent, having its origins in the notion of the household god. The Good Spirit was honoured in both Gre...

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The Agathos Daimon in GrecoEgyptian religion João Feliciano

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The Agathos Daimon in Greco-Egyptian religion João Pedro Feliciano Abstract The Agathos Daimon, or ‘Good Spirit’, was a multifaceted deity of ancient Mediterranean religion, usually depicted as a serpent, having its origins in the notion of the household god. The Good Spirit was honoured in both Greek and Roman religions, depicted as a serpent on Roman shrines and lararia, and honoured as a harbinger of luck among the Greeks. However, his most developed form flourished in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt, where the Agathos Daimon became an exalted deity, far beyond the status of a household god, becoming associated with Shai and Kematef, the Egyptian creator gods, who were similarly depicted as serpents in the extant iconography, as well as taking on solar attributes and becoming conflated with Prê and Helios as a result of late Egyptian theological innovations. This new syncretistic deity is a central figure of the Greek Magical Papyri, wherein numerous rituals, prayers, and theological material directly related to the Agathos Daimon abound.

I. Introduction The aim of this paper is to analyze an important, but often overlooked divine figure of late-antique Greco-Egyptian religion, the Agathos Daimon (Greek: agathos daimôn; also agathodaimôn), the ‘good spirit’, a typically serpentine deity who originated as a genius loci1 in traditional Greek religion, and was also invoked during banquets. A variant of this deity was Zeus Meilichios (invoked in Orphic Hymn 73, to Zeus as the Daimon2), an old serpentine aspect of Zeus associated with fortune3. Roman religion had a cognate genius figure as well, evidenced by the traditional snakes found on Roman domestic shrines and lararia4. The origins of the guardian serpent archetype may be traced to the fact that snakes could protect a house from vermin, such as rodents, and consequently became associated with guardian spirits early on; this notion of the beneficent ‘house snake’ is found in several different cultures5.

1

2

Ugo Bianchi, M. Maarten Jozef Vermaseren, La soteriologia dei culti orientali nell'impero romano (BRILL 1982), 140 Apostolos Athanassakis, The Orphic Hymns (SBL 1977), 97

3

Gerald V. Lalonde, Horos Dios (BRILL 2006), 117, note 47

4

On this see Helène Whittaker, In Memoriam (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2011), 146

5

Daniel Ogden, Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds, Oxford (2013), 303

As a direct consequence of the religious flowering which swept the Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and Roman periods (rooted in Egypt and Asia Minor, where the main intellectual centers were located), the Agathos Daimon became a truly universal God with manifold characteristics. A patron of Alexandria depicted on Roman coins, a solar deity, a Demiurge immanent in the cosmos and nature, and a consort of Agathe Tyche\Renenet were just a few of the roles and facets of this deity. These developments, however, were not simply a natural outcome of the syncretism prevalent at the time, but had solid theological foundations which can be traced back to both Egyptian and Greek religions. Primary sources on the Agathos Daimon include especially: the Greek and Demotic magical papyri (henceforth PGM\PDM), the Hermetica (wherein he is an occasional protagonist), late Egyptian religious literature, and the rich iconography which has come down to us from Roman Egypt. II. Shai: Egyptian religion and the origins of Agathodaimon In the latter periods of Egyptian religion, the Hermopolitan creation myth was further built upon by adding a primordial creator deity preceding all others. This God, called Shai or Pshai (with the Egyptian definite article p added) represented the old Egyptian notion of fate, as well as more specifically free will and predestination6. Shai was also a type of personal genius, a power inherent in man, as well as a part of the soul similar to the Ka, an animating life-force of sorts7. It appears that initially he was not a divinity, but closer to a concept or archetype, much like Ma’at was for truth and justice. With time, Shai solidified into a specific God, culminating in the Agathodaimon of Roman Egypt. The aforementioned creation myth is found in the so-called Tebtunis Cosmogony, written in Demotic around the 2nd century A.D , and other related Demotic fragments from the same period, discovered in the Fayyum8. The story set forth in these texts can be resumed as follows: in the beginning was the primeval ocean or Nun, the abyss wherein Shai dwelt as the first God. He sets himself on a sand-bank in the midst of it, and a reed plant grows from the abyss and comes to rest at the spot where Shai is. Upon the thicket of reeds that has spread, Shai then ejaculates his seed, whence the creator God Ptah emerges. Ptah then fashions 8 eggs, which hatch into the Ogdoad (8 Gods in 4 pairs, representing the properties of the Abyss), and these 8 reunite into a 2 fold aspect, a

6

J. Quaegebeur, Le dieu égyptien Shaï dans la religion et l'onomastique (Peeters, 1975), 123

7

Quaegebeur, 124

8

M Smith, ‘A New Egyptian Cosmology’ in Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Egyptologists (Peeters, 1998) pp. 1075-1080; On the Primaeval Ocean (Museum Tusculanum Press 2002)

black bull and cow, which then unite again into the God Amon. He fashions the 4 winds, which merge into one, separating the earth from heaven, and thus allowing for the creation of the cosmos. After this, a key event takes place, which is an important pillar of the Agathodaimon theology we find in the PGM: Amon fertilizes an egg from which Pshai is then reborn as the sun-God Prê. The latter then creates Thoth. The remainder of the myth is not as relevant, so this summary will suffice. I will return to these various mythological elements later, when discussing Agathodaimon in the context of the PGM and PDM. The association of Shai with the reborn sun is a later innovation in Egyptian religion; however, a linking between the solar disk and Shai (as one’s lifespan or destiny in this case) is already found during the Amarna era (1400-1300 BC), where a text refers to the sun as “Master of Shai, who sets the span of life”9. Also merged with the later Agathodaimon was the Egyptian serpent God Kematef, an aspect of Amon associated with creation, and an approximate equivalent of Pshai in the Theban cosmogony of the New Kingdom. In this myth, Kematef was the primeval creator, who gave birth to Irta, another serpent who was to create the earth, and beget the Ogdoad10. As we will later see, Kematef, rendered into Greek and Coptic as Kmêph or Knêph11, occurs frequently in the PGM as one of the holy names of Agathodaimon, and in the Hermetica referenced by Iamblichus (in Book VIII of his work on the Mysteries)12, he is the noeric intellect, and possibly a solar demiurge. In the Ptolemaic era, when the Agathodaimon cultus first flourished in Egypt, one of the earliest references to the God occurs in the Oracle of the Potter, an Egyptian end-times prophecy (recalling that of the Hermetic Asclepius), originally written in Demotic, but surviving in a Greek translation dated around 130 BC. It is a polemical work against the Greek presence in Egypt; the part that concerns us recounts the departure of the Gods from Alexandria 13: “And then Agathos Daimon will abandon the city being established and will enter Memphis, and the foreign city which will be built will be emptied. And these things will take place at the conclusion of 9

Quaegebeur, 100

10

Karol Myśliwiec, The Twilight of Ancient Egypt: First Millennium B.C.E. (Cornell, 2000), 95

11

Hans D. Betz, The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells Chicago University Press (1996), 338

12

13

Emma C. Clarke, Iamblichus, De Mysteriis, (Society of Biblical Literature 2003), 305

Allen Kereslager,. The Apology of the Potter: A Translation of the Potter's Oracle Jerusalem Studies in Egyptology (1998), p. 67-79.

the evils when the falling of the leaves occurs in the Egypt of the foreigners. The city of the girdlewearers will be laid waste as in my furnace, because of the unlawful deeds which they executed in Egypt. The statues transferred there will return to Egypt. The city by the sea will become a drying place for fishermen because Agathos Daimon and Knephis will have gone to Memphis, so that some who pass through will say: ‘This city, in which every race of men dwelt, was all-nourishing.’” The inclusion of the Agathodaimon in such a work, especially considering its critical, anti-Ptolemaic nature, may indicate that Egyptians used the term in reference to the native deity Shai, and not the Greek import. The eventual syncretism, however, was inevitable. Another relevant source from the 2nd century BC is the account of a dream by a certain Ptolemaios of Memphis, which refers to the ‘daimon Knephis’: “On the 14th I dreamed that I was in Alexandria on top of a great tower. My face was beautiful and because of its beauty I did not want to show it to anyone. And an old woman sat beside me and there was a crowd to the north of where I was and to the east. They shouted out that a man had been burned to a cinder with much [lacuna] and she said: 'Stay for a little and I will lead you to the daimon Knephis, so that you can bow down before him.' And I seemed to say to an old man: 'Father, don't you see the vision that I have seen?' I told him about it. He gave me two straws. When I looked I saw Knephis” 14 III. Symbolism and iconography A rich number of statues and bas-reliefs of Agathodaimon have survived, through which we can obtain a fairly accurate picture of his attributes. In the available corpus of material, Agathodaimon is primarily depicted as a serpent (bearded in most instances), or as a snake with a human head, that of Serapis with whom he was associated (as a result of either of their common solar aspects, or the fact that Serapis was a form of Zeus, and thus as Meilichios, was an aspect or variant of Agathos Daimon). His serpentine form is occasionally depicted as that of a cobra, but most of the time it is a viper-like animal. One peculiar formula found in a magical papyrus, describes him bearing another God seated upon his head: “...I conjure you by him who is seated in the fiery cloak on the serpentine head of

14

William Vernon Harris, Dreams and Experience in classical Antiquity, Harvard (2009), 105

the Agathos Daimon, the almighty, four-faced, highest daimon, dark and conjuring, Phôx” (PDM XIV, 107) One of the most common depictions of Agathodaimon shows him coupled with Agathe Tychê, or ‘Good Fortune’, a Goddess who in Egypt became associated with Renenet and Isis (in PGM VII, 490, Agathodaimon is said to have permitted Isis to rule the whole of Egypt). A good example is the stunning relief on the previous page, now housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (F 1960/9.1; its exact date is unknown, but 1st-3rd centuries A.D. is a reasonable estimate), where IsisHermouthis\Agathetyche is shown with Sarapis-Agathodaimon, both human headed and crowned, with their tails intertwined, and between them is Osiris in vase form (Osiris Hydreios), an aspect of the God associated with the Nile Waters. This is particularly interesting, as it shows that although Serapis and Osiris were closely associated (including in their watery associations), they were not always viewed as identical. Other similar triadic depictions often have Harpocrates instead of Osiris, between the two serpents15. In many stelae, Agathodaimon is depicted on or near altars, alongside other figures (sometimes deities, other times adoring worshippers, the latter especially in Greek depictions of Zeus Meilichios16). One bas-relief from Delos17 shows him as the typical bearded serpent, partly curled up on an altar, the latter flanked by two torch-bearing human figures (most likely Agathe Tyche and Serapis), male and female, each wearing the kalathos headdress. Other iconographic evidence reveals a connection between Agathodaimon and Hermes. On roman coins, the god was often depicted with a caduceus, the traditional symbol of the Greek Hermes 18 and the entrance portico to the catacombs of Kom esh-Shuqafa in Alexandria is flanked by 2 Agathodaimones, each wrapped around a caduceus. Just above them, and seemingly crowning them are round solar-like disks, in the midst of which is carved a Medusa face, presumably to guard the tombs against intruders19. Agathodaimon was furthermore linked with Asclepius (Asclepius’ serpentine rod, like the caduceus is a point of convergence, as well as Serapis’ association with Asclepius and healing). This is well shown in this stele now housed in the Museum of Leptis Magna in Lybia, bearing a relief and bilingual 15

Ogden 306

16

Ogden, 300

17

Ogden 300

18

19

Ogden, Drakon, 300 James Charlesworth, The Good And Evil Serpent, Yale (2010), 85

(Greek and Latin) inscription, offered by a certain Marmorarius of Nicomedia20. The stele depicts a stylized shrine propped up on two pillars. On top is a bust of Serapis, and in the lower section is a bearded serpent rising before a pinecone-topped sceptre, which was a variant of Asclepius’ staff, the pine cone being associated with healing and also present on depictions of Asclepius21. Both Agathodaimon and Agathetyche are mentioned in the inscription, alongside Asclepius. The sceptre\caduceus association to Agathos Daimon becomes even more convincing in light of a reference in the magical papyri (PGM IV, 2373-2440) to a statue to be created by the magician: a man holding a staff around which is coiled a snake. A series of magical names are to be written on strips of papyrus, and presumably affixed to various parts of the figure, or written on them directly. The names attributed to the snake are those of Agathos Daimon. In conclusion, we can mention a particularly curious and unusual depiction of Agathodaimon22, on a talisman of red jasper, wherein he is depicted as a serpent riding a horse. The purpose of said talisman is unclear. IV. Agathodaimon in the Magical Papyri: Theology and praxis The Agathos Daimon is a fairly ubiquitous figure in the PGM, wherein he is solidly anchored to his Egyptian origins as Pshai, and thereby often associated with the Greek sun God Helios, this on account of the Egyptian myth previously mentioned. Before delving into his associations, it will be worthwhile to go over a few of the names by which he is known in these texts. By far the most common magical formula used to call the Agathos Daimon is a series of seven names23 (varying but slightly according to the source): HARPONKNOUPHI, 20

21

Gloria Ferrari, Il commercio dei sarcofagi asiatici, (Studia Archeologica nº 7, 1969) 20 Patricia Cox Miller, Dreams in Late Antiquity: Studies in the Imagination of a Culture, Princeton (1997), 33

22

E. Zwierlein-Diehl, Magische Amulette und andere Gemmen des Institituts für Altertumskunde der Universität zu Köln (Opladen, 1992), 60, no. 5. 23

See for instance: Betz (1996), PGM I, 26, 139; IV 2200; VII 1024; XXXVI, 220; PDM XIV, 465.

BRINTANTÊNÔPHRI, BRISSKULMA, ARAOUAZARBA, MESENKRIPHI (or MESINTRIPHI), NIPTOUMI, KHMOUMAÔPHI. Their etymology is not fully known, but plausible hypotheses for some of the names have been proposed. HARPONKNOUPHI may conceal an epithet of Horus24 (who also had solar associations), perhaps derived from ‘Horus-Kneph’ or even Horus-Khnum. It should be noted that the variant KHNOUBI, or KHNOUMIS is the name of a decanic serpent God often found on Greco-Egyptian talismans25. BRINTANTÊNÔPHRI may conceal the Egyptian epithet Nôphris, meaning ‘good’, often used in titles of Osiris, such as Osoronnophris26. MESENKRIPHI may be Egyptian for ‘Child in his chapel’27, while its similar variant MESINTRIPHI can be interpreted as ‘Child of Triphis’28, the latter a title of Isis. I have not found explanations for the other names. Another epithet of the Agathos Daimon is SATRAPERKMÊPH29, possibly meaning ‘Great satrap Kmêph’30, or simply Kmêph\Khmêph, in reference to the serpent Kematef. The variant SAKMÊPH, meaning ‘Son of Kmêph’, also occurs, most interestingly in a ritual for favour found in PGM XII, 188, where it is a name the magician identifies himself with to invoke Agathodaimon - the logic here may be that the practitioner should identify him or herself as the child of the God to more easily partake of his blessings. Agathodaimon is also called Psoi, a Greek rendering of the Egyptian Pshai, sometimes extended to PSOI PNOUTHI NINTHÊR31, Egyptian for ‘Agathodaimon, God of the Gods’32. Many other names are used in reference to him, but for the sake of conciseness, I will now shift the focus to some of the main ritual texts wherein the Agathos Daimon is invoked. The first text we will look at is PGM IV, 1596-1715, entitled: ‘Consecration for all purposes: spell to Helios’. This consists of a ritual to consecrate a talisman, and treats Helios and Agathodaimon as one God, presumably as a result of the Tebtunis myth. It consists primarily of an invocation, and no

24

J. P. Corteggiani, L'Égypte ancienne et ses dieux: dictionnaire illustré, Fayard (2007), 176

25

Véronique Dasen, Le serpent léontocéphale Chnoubis et la magie de l’époque romaine impériale, Anthropozoologica (2012), 291 ff 26

Betz, 337

27

C. A. Faraone, The Getty Hexameters: Poetry, Magic, and Mystery in Ancient Selinous, OUP Oxford (2013), 169

28

Betz, 274, note 25

29

E.g. PGM XII, 186; XIII, 919

30

J. Spier, Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art, Yale (2007), 228

31

PGM IV, 1641

32

Betz, 68, note 210

ritual instructions are given within. Presumably, the ritual acts are up to the practitioner to work out. The symbolism found within seems to involve elements from the Tebtunis cosmogony, solar Egyptian theology, and presents Agathodaimon-Helios as a ruler and vivifier of the world and its inhabitants: “The earth flourished when you shone forth, and the plants became fruitful when you laughed; the animals begat their young when you permitted...”. Later the text draws directly on the creation myth, by referring to him as the “great Serpent (...) who mate in the ocean”, in an obvious reference to Pshai vivifying the primeval abyss. A core component of the ritual later on is the fascinating list of the different animal forms of the sun God in each hour of the day33, which seems to echo the journey of Prê through the 12 hours of the day and night in Egyptian religion, and his various manifestations.34 Agathodaimon-Helios takes on these forms from the first to the twelfth hour, each with a different magical name and animal form: cat, dog, serpent, scarab, donkey, lion, goat, bull, falcon, baboon, ibis, and crocodile. Most forms are connected to solar archetypes, and all reflect the multifaceted nature of Agathodaimon and solar deities in late antiquity. Most relate to important Egyptian deities: the cat is a form of Prê when he slew Apophis35; the serpent is Pshai\Agathodaimon generally; the scarab is the solar Khepri who moves the sun disk; the lion is Sekhmet (and as Leo is a solar ar...