Magic & Medicine | Ancient Egypt

'Egypt was the mother of magicians'

A quote from Clement of Alexandria in the third century AD, and right up to the present day, Egypt has been viewed by those outside it as a place of magic and mysticism.

The ancient Egyptians had a word, 'heka' which translates as 'magic'. For the ancient Egyptians, heka conveyed a sense of catalylst or energy that made creation possible. So every time a ritual is performed involving heka, it was as if further development was thought to have been made in the process of creation in the mythology of creation. Heka itself was considered to be neither good nor bad but as energy or power. It could be channeled in either direction.

A variety of wands and other paraphernalia of popular rituals have survived from Ancient Egypt, as have collections of magic spells recorded on papyrus. The aim of these spells tended to be to ward off danger, such as the threats posed by snakes and scorpions and to prevent or cure illness and particularly problems relating to fertility, pregnancy, and birth. As in funerary religion, there was clearly a strongly held belief in the creative power of the words and images used in Egyptian magic. Knowledge of the relevant names was essential for the magic to prove effective. Contrary to popular beliefs, there was no evidence that said magic was used for wealth and power.

What magic does in medicine?

As far as the ancient Egyptians were concerned, there was no clear distinction between magic and medicine, and the two were fundamentally interrelated. About ten papyri or 'scrolls' have survived containing texts that today we call magico-medical texts because they combine the use of various remedies together with spells to be recited as part of magical rituals. What more crucial was that that the seemingly rational cures, which clearly influenced Greek medicine, were used in conjunction with spells.

Surprisingly, the Ancient Egyptians were very precise and more scientific in medication comparing to Babylon and Assyria where illness tended to be more readily attributed to possession by demons. Sunu that translates as doctor or physician was held by people who practiced both practical medical and magical techniques. From the papyri mentioned earlier, the texts were devoted to medicine, covering the topics of anatomy, illnesses, surgical instruments, drugs, eye ailments, and gynecology.

The ancient Egyptians accepted that some illnesses were incurable and so did not attempt to treat them, putting full blame on demons.

Demon figure or symbol ancient Egyptian text.

Informations and facts are taken from the book 'God, Rites, Rituals, and Religion of Ancient Egypt' by Lucia Gahlin.

The video below is a documentary on ancient Egyptian magic. hope you enjoy it!

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IskandarSL