Buddha's Black Dog: a Blog of Curses and Spells: 2011

Sunday, 23 October 2011

Ancient Curses 4: a professional's counter-spell

Here is a very interesting curse from the Dark Ages, recorded on one of those evocatively named 'Babylonian Demon Bowls' . It is a 'counter-spell'. The spell is inscribed on a bowl made of clay and this particular example - one of several illustrated here -

http://www.lib.umich.edu/traditions-magic-late-antiquity/def2.display.html

is a spell devised by a professional in cursing in order to protect the against any incoming spells. It dates from the 6th-7th century and is written in an Aramaic dialect (Jesus of course spoke Aramaic). It was found in the Mesopotamian city of Seleucia-on-Tigris.

The translation is by Timothy La Vallee, The spell is a formulaic one found elsewhere, with the name of the client - in this case, 'Negray daughter of Denday' - inserted into the gaps. The translation and notes were provided by Timothy La Vallee, inserted. Here is an extract - for the complete spell go to the first link above.

Negray daughter of Denday and from her male sons and [...] I have heard and the voice of the weak [...] of the men who are fighting [...] of raging women who curse and afflict and cause pain they have descended against them [Azdai], Yazdun and Yaqrun, Prael the great and Ruphael and Sahtiel and seized them and by the tufts of hair and the tresses of their heads and broke the horns which were high and tied them by the tufts of hair of their heads and said to them "remove that which you have cursed" and they said to him "from the pain of our heart we cursed and from the bitterness of our palate we resolved to curse" I have made you swear and adjure you in the name of Azdai and Yazdun and Yaqrun and Prael the great and Ruphael and Sahtiel that you release (Panel 2) and free [...] Negray daughter of Denday and [...] male and female from [...] all the curses [...] cursed and from the curses of [...] and the mother and from the curse of the prostitute [...] and the fetus and from the curse of the employee and employer who stole the wage and from the curse of the brothers who did not divide truthfully among themselves and from the curses of all people who curse in the name of idol demons and their surrenderings you are the healer you are the healer who heals sicknesses with words you are the healer who turns away the sicknesses and the curses of those who cursed Negray daughter of Denday. . .

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Curses in Literature 1: the Jackdaw of Rheims

The Ingoldsby Legends is a charming and once enormously popular collection of myths and legends, written by Victorian clergyman called Richard Harris Barham. The most popular piece in the collection is undoubtedly 'The Jackdaw of Rheims,' an anti-Catholic poem which describes how a jackdaw steals a cardinal's ring and is made a saint, despite this impressive curse from the cardinal

The Cardinal rose with a dignified look,
He call'd for his candle, his bell, and his book!
    In holy anger, and pious grief,
    He solemnly cursed that rascally thief!
    He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed;
    From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head;
    He cursed him in sleeping, that every night
    He should dream of the devil, and wake in a fright;
    He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking,
    He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking;
    He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying;
    He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying,
    He cursed him in living, he cursed him dying!--
Never was heard such a terrible curse!!
But what gave rise
To no little surprise,
Nobody seem'd one penny the worse!

See wiki for more on the author and his book -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ingoldsby_Legends

Friday, 23 September 2011

Proverbial Curses 1

Thursday, 22 September 2011

Theatre Curses 1: Macbeth

Monday, 12 September 2011

Historical Curses 1: the Monition of Cursing Against the Border Reivers

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

Welcome to Buddha's Black Dog, my blog on curses and spells: for what it's about (and my other blogs). see

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Buddha's Black Dog is organised thematically, and older posts will be linked to after each post.

Thanks to George MacDonald Fraser's magnificent book, The Steel Bonnets (1971), the Archbishop of Glasgow's 1524 curse against the depredations of the Border reivers has become once again well known. The bishop of Glasgow was one Gavin Dunbar ( c.1490-1547), and he himself was not a significant addition to the general well-being of 16th century Scotland. He was made archbishop by Pope Clement VII, the Medici pope whose bungling and cruelty did so much to damage the prestige of the church. Dunbar did his best to live down to his pope's beliefs, and had Protestants burned at the stake.

As Fraser says, the curse places Dunbar among 'the great cursers of all time. Here it is in all its Scots glory:

"Gude folks, heir at my Archibischop of Glasgwis letters under his round sele, direct to me or any uther chapellane, makand mensioun, with greit regrait, how hevy he beris the pietous, lamentabill, and dolorous complaint that pass our all realme and commis to his eris, be oppin voce and fame, how our souverane lordis trew liegis, men, wiffis and barnys, bocht and redeimit be the precious blude of our Salviour Jhesu Crist, and levand in his lawis, are saikleslie part murdrist, part slayne, brynt, heryit, spulziet and reft, oppinly on day licht and under silens of the nicht, and thair takis and landis laid waist, and thair self banyst therfra, als wele kirklandis as utheris, be commoun tratouris, ravaris, theiffis, dulleand in the south part of this realme, sic as Tevidale, Esdale, Liddisdale, Ewisdale, Nedisdale, and Annandereaill; quhilis hes bene diverse ways persewit and punist be the temperale swerd and our Soverane Lordis auctorite, and dredis nocht the samyn.

And thairfoir my said Lord Archbischop of Glasgw hes thocht expedient to strike thame with the terribill swerd of halykirk, quhilk thai may nocht lang endur and resist; and has chargeit me, or any uther chapellane, to denounce, declair and proclame thaim oppinly and generalie cursit, at this market-croce, and all utheris public places.

Hairfor throw the auctorite of Almichty God, the Fader of hevin, his Son, our Saviour, Jhesu Crist, and of the Halygaist; throw the auctorite of the Blissit Virgin Sanct Mary, Sanct Michael, Sanct Gabriell, and all the angellis; Sanct John the Baptist, and all the haly patriarkis and prophets; Sanct Peter, Sanct Paull, Sanct Andro, and all haly appostillis; Sanct Stephin, Sanct Laurence, and all haly mertheris; Sanct Gile, Sanct Martyn, and all haly confessouris; Sanct Anne, Sanct Katherin, and all haly virginis and matronis; and of all the sanctis and haly company of hevin; be the auctorite of our Haly Fader the Paip and his cardinalis, aned of my said Lord Archibischop of Glasgw, be the avise and assistance of my lordis, archibischop, bischopis, abbotis, priouris, and utheris prelatis and minesteris of halykirk.

I denounce, proclamis, and declaris all and sindry the committaris of the said saikles murthris, slauchteris, brinying, heirchippes, reiffis, thiftis and spulezeis, oppinly apon day licht and under silence ofnicht, alswele within temporale landis as kirklandis; togither with thair partakeris, assitaris, supplearis, wittandlie resettaris of thair personis, the gudes reft and stollen be thaim, art or part thereof, and their counsalouris and defendouris, of thair evil dedis generalie CURSIT, waryit, aggregeite, and reaggregeite, with the GREIT CURSING.

I curse their heid and all the haris of thair heid; I curse thair face, thair ene, thair mouth, thair neise, thair tongue, thair teeth, thair crag, thair shoulderis, thair breist, thair hert, thair stomok, thair bak, thair wame, thair armes, thais leggis, thair handis, thair feit, and everilk part of thair body, frae the top of their heid to the soill of thair feet, befoir and behind, within and without.

I curse thaim gangand, and I curse them rydand; I curse thaim standand, and I curse thaim sittand; I curse thaim etand, I curse thaim drinkand; I curse thaim walkand, I curse thaim sleepand; I curse thaim risand, I curse thaim lyand; I curse thaim at hame, I curse thaim fra hame; I curse thaim within the house, I curse thaim without the house; I curse thair wiffis, thair barnis, and thair servandis participand with thaim in their deides. I way thair cornys, thair catales, thair woll, thair scheip, thjair horse, thair swyne, thair geise, thair hennes, and all thair quyk gude. I wary their hallis, thair chalmeris, thair kechingis, thair stanillis, thair barnys, thair biris, thair bernyardis, thair cailyardis thair plewis, thair harrowis, and the gudis and housis that is necessair for their sustentatioun and weilfair.

All the malesouns and waresouns that ever gat warldlie creatur sen the begynnyng of the world to this hour mot licht on thaim. The maledictioun of God, that lichtit apon Lucifer and all his fallowis, that strak thaim frae the hie hevin to the deip hell, mot licht apon thaimr. The fire and the swerd that stoppit Adam far the yettis of Paradise, mot stop thaim frae the gloire of Hevin. quhill thai forbere and mak amendis. The malesound that lichtit on cursit Cayein, quhen his slew his bruther just Abell saiklessly, mot licth on thaim for the saikles slauchter that thai commit dailie. The maledictioun that lichtit apon all the warlde, man and beist, and all that ever tuk life, quhen all was drownit be the flude of Noye, except Noye and his ark, mot licht apon thame and drouned thame, man and beist, and mak this realm cummirless of thame for thair wicked synnyes. The thunnour and fireflauchtis that set doun as rane apon the cities of Zodoma and Gomora, with all the landis about, and brynt thame for thair vile sunnys, mot rane apon thame, and birne thaim for oppin synnis. Tha malesoun and confusion that lichtit on the Gigantis for thair oppressioun and pride, biggand the tour of Bablloun, mot confound thaim and all thair werkis, for thair opppin reiffs and oppressioun. All the plagis that fell apon Pharao and his pepill of Egipt, thair landis, cornse, and cataill, mot fall apon thaim, thair takkis, rowmys and stedingis, cornys and beistis. The watter of Tweid and utheris watteris quhair thair ride mot droun thaim, as the Reid Say drownit King Pharoao and his pepil of Egipt, sersewing Godis pepill of Israell. The erd mot oppin, riffe and cleiff, and swelly thaim quyk to hell, as it swellyt cursit Dathan and Abiron, that genestude Moeses and the command of God. The wyld fyre that byrnt Thore and his fallowis to the nowmer of twa hundredth and fyty, and utheris 14000 and 7000 at anys, usurpand aganis Moyses and Aaron, servandis of God, not suddanely birne and consume thaim dailie genestandand the commandis of God and halykirk. The malediction that lichtit suddanely upon fair Absalon, rydant contrair his fader, King David, servand of God, throw the wod, quhen the branchis of ane tre fred him of his horse and hangit him be the hair, mot lie apon thaain trew Scottis men, and hang thaim siclike tha all the warld may se. The Maledictioun that lichtit apon Olifernus, lieutenant to Nabogodonooser, makand weair and heirchippis apon trew cristin men, the maledictioun that lichtit apon Judas, Pylot, Herod and the Jowis that chucifyit Our Lord, and all the plagis and trublis that lichtit on the citte of Jherusalme thairfor, and upon Simon Magus for his symony, bludy Nero, cusit Ditius Makcensisu, Olibruis, Julianus Apostita and the laiff of the cruell tirrannis that slew and murthirit Crits haly servandis, mot licth apon thame for thair cruel tiranny and murthirdome of cristin pepill.

And all the vengeance that evir was takin sen the warlde began for oppin synnys, and all the plagis and pestilence that ever fell on man or beist, mot fall on thaim for thair oppin reiff, saiklesse slauchter and schedding of innocent blude. I disserver and pairtis thaim fra the kirk of God, and deliveris thaim quyk to the devill of hell, as the Apostill Sanct Paull deliverit Corinthion. I interdite the places thay cum in fra divine service, minitracioun of the sacramentis of halykirk, except the sacrament of baptissing allenerlie; and forbiddis all kirkmen to schriffe or absolbe thim of theire synnys, quhill they be firs abolyeit of this cursing.

I forbid all cristin man or woman till have ony company with thaime, etand, drynkand, spekand, prayand, lyand, gangand, standand, or in any uther deid doand, under the paine of deidly syn. I discharge all bandis, actis, contractis, athis and obligatiounis made to them by ony persounis, outher of lawte, kyndenes or manrent, salang as thai susteined this cursing, sub that na man be bundin to thaim, and that this be bundin till all men. I tak fra thame and cryis douned all the gude dedis that ever thai did or sall do, quhill thai rise froae this cursing. I declare thaim partles of of all matynys, messis, evinsangis, dirigeis or utheris prayeris, on buke or beid; of all pilgrimagis and almouse deids done or to be done in halykirk or be cristin pepill, enduring this cursing.

And, finally, I condemn thaim perpetualie to the deip pit of hell, the remain with Lucifer and all his fallowis, and thair bodeis to the gallows of the Burrow Mure, first to be hangit, syne revin and ruggit with doggis, swyne, and utheris wyld beists, abhominable to all the warld. And their candillis gangis frae your sicht, ast mot their saulis gang fra the visage of God, and thair gude faim fra the warld, quhill thai forbeir thair oppin synnys foirsaidis and ryse frae this terribill cursing, and mak satisfaction and pennance."

PREVIOUS POSTS

INTRODUCTION

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

ANCIENT CURSES 1: the Curse of Akkad

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ancient-curses-1-curse-of-akkad.html

ANCIENT CURSES 2: Otzi the Ice Man

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ancient-curses-2-otzi-ice-man.html

ANCIENT CURSES 3: Egyptian Curses

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ancient-curses-3-egyptian-curses.html

Curses and Music 1: The 27 Curse and Amy Winehouse

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/curses-and-music-1-27-curse-and-amy.html

CURSES THAT WORKED 1: the Curse of Shakespeare's Tomb

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/curses-that-worked-1-curse-of.html

Monday, 25 July 2011

Curses and Music 1: The 27 Curse and Amy Winehouse

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

Welcome to Buddha's Black Dog, my blog on curses and spells: for what it's about (and my other blogs). see

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Buddha's Black Dog is organised thematically, and older posts will be linked to after each post.

The singer- songwriter Amy Winehouse died on 23 July 2011 at the age of 27 - a huge loss not just for her family but for music. There is little doubt that she was one of the great jazz-soul singers of her generation. The obituaries for her made much of the fact that she died at 27, thus joining the so-called '27 Club' - victims of the Curse of 27, a belief that 27 is an especially unlucky number as several well-known musicians (and entertainers) have died at that age including

Jim Morrison

Brian Jones

Jimi Hendrix

Janis Joplin

Kurt Cobain

See the wiki entry for '27 Club which lists the famous (and not so famous) musicians who died at at the age of 27 -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club

In fact, dying in your late 20s is not that uncommon if you have spent 10 years or so abusing your body with drink and drugs. As the mag The Stylist points out -

http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/the-27-club#image-rotator-4

'There is some scientific evidence to suggest that turning 27 can mark a turbulent time for people, with the brain going through some bizarre transformations at that age. "The prefrontal cortex of the brain [the part involved with judgement] does not finish developing until people are 25-27," say neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr Daniel G Amen, author of the book Magnificent Mind At Any Age. "In your 20s, a process called 'myelination' occurs, where nerve cells become wrapped by myelin to provide insulation. If you disrupt this process, with drink or drugs, you're going to be more vulnerable to depression and compulsive actions."

"Rock stars spend a lot of time inside as they can't go out and be recognised," adds Amen. "This causes low vitamin D levels, which makes them more vulnerable to depression. If you have a confluence of all this, combined with drink/drugs, then trouble can brew.

Se also this very useful site for statistical analysis of the '27 Club' phenomernon -

http://preview.tinyurl.com/3rjfzep

It does indeed look as if 27 is a bad year for musicians.

INTRODUCTION

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

ANCIENT CURSES 1: the Curse of Akkad

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ancient-curses-1-curse-of-akkad.html

ANCIENT CURSES 2: Otzi the Ice Man

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ancient-curses-2-otzi-ice-man.html

ANCIENT CURSES 3: Egyptian Curses

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ancient-curses-3-egyptian-curses.html

CURSES THAT WORKED 1: the Curse of Shakespeare's Tomb

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/curses-that-worked-1-curse-of.html

My other blogs are

A Glasgow Album - a photoblog drifting in a melancholy manner around the city

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/

and

http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com

a series of photographs of dogs tied up outside shops and other places (not too melancholy)

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Ancient Curses 3: Egyptian Curses

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, season 6

Welcome to Buddha's Black Dog, my blog on curses and spells: for what it's about (and my other blogs). see

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

Buddha's Black Dog is organised thematically, and older posts will be linked to after each post.

Hollywood and popular fiction have a great time with Egyptian curses; the one thing everyone knows about Egyptian tombs is that they are best left undisturbed. Lord Carnarvon, for example, led the expedition that discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's 'Valley of the Kings' in 1922, and the boy king's fabulous grave goods; unfortunately there was an ancient curse associated with the tomb to discourage graverobbers, and Carnarvon died a few months after the tomb was finally opened in February 1923.

However, his co-excavator, Howard Carter, who did most of the work and opened the tomb personally, and was the first person (for millenia) to see Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, live happily until 1939 dying at the age of 64 (and is buried in Putney). The majority of the expedition members, indeed, lived normal spans. There was no curse, and in fact, robbers have been merrily plundering Egyptian tombs for thousands of years. In the Middle Ages, mummies were collected and shredded for their presumed medicinal value.

The first Hollywood movie about mummies to make a big impact was The Mummy (1932), with the great Boris Karloff playing the mummy, but there had been several preceding silent films that dealt with the subject, a notable example being Vengeance of Egypt (1912), which involves Napoleon, a stolen ring and a mummy with glowing eyes. As Michael Delahoyde has pointed out (see www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/mummy), such tales go back into the depths of the 19th century - they probably reflect some sort of colonial tension regarding the mysteries of the colonised in general, as well as that of Egypt in particular. The tales could be used for comic effect, as in Edgar Allan Poe's short story (of 1845!), 'Some Words with a Mummy', but we are now habituated to mummies being menacing instead of a source of laughs (and doubtful remedies).

See What the Past Did for Us (2004), Adam Hart-Davis, for a brusque dismissal of the 'ancient curse' myth.

PREVIOUS POSTS

INTRODUCTION
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

ANCIENT CURSES 1: the Curse of Akkad
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ancient-curses-1-curse-of-akkad.html

ANCIENT CURSES 2: Otzi the Ice Man

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ancient-curses-2-otzi-ice-man.html

CURSES THAT WORKED 1: the Curse of Shakespeare's Tomb
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/curses-that-worked-1-curse-of.html
My other blogs are

A Glasgow Album - a photoblog drifting in a melancholy manner around the city

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/

and

http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com

a series of photographs of dogs tied up outside shops and other places (not too melancholy)

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Ancient Curses 2: Otzi the Ice Man

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

Welcome to Buddha's Black Dog, my blog on curses and spells: for what it's about (and my other blogs). see

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com

Buddha's Black Dog is organised thematically, and older posts will be linked to after each post.

The discovery of a well-preserved Neolithic body in the Alps in 1991 caused a wholly justified sensation. 'Otzi' as he was dubbed, had been in a glacier since around 3300 BC, and was well-equipped for survival. He had tools for fire-making, dried fruit, and had sophisticated weapons including a yew bow, and was seen at first as a shepherd or hunter, or possibly travelling trader. At least one journalist wrote a charming portrait of Otzi as an early European citizen, dying of hypothermia while making his way between peaceful communities.

Bizarre rumours about Otzi's madly hypothesized sexuality began almost immediately after his dicovery. He was said to be homosexual; he had no penis, he was a castrated priest or shaman. His sperm was was supposed to be still viable, and Austrian women supposedly made enquiries about how to be impregnated by him. None of this was made any sort of sense of course but was indicative of a widespread need to make sense of someone transplanted (even as a corpse) into modernity from the Neolithic.

Otzi became a fantasy figure of Euro solidarity, of a harmonious Europe: he was portrayed in numerous articles as the symbol of a Europe without boundaries, a peaceful wanderer through peaceful communities.

Two years after his discovery, however, someone finally noticed that Otzi had an arrowhead embedded in him. Suddenly we knew how Otzi died. The arrow had hit close to his lungs, shattered his shoulderblade and he had bled to death within hours. DNA evidence from his arrowheads and dagger confirmed he had been in a deadly struggle with others (his arrows had DNA from two people).

In 2005, newspaper reports started mentioning a so-called 'Otzi curse', in the grand old tradition of 'mummy' curses - see Ancient Curses, .

By the end of 2005, the BBC was reporting 'speculation' about a 'curse' and saying that seven people connected with the discovery of Otzi had died in 'unclear' circumstances. Quite why the BBC felt it should report such matters in such a manner is another and sadder story, but certainly there is no mystery about people dying (one of the 'mystery' deaths was of a climber caught in an 'unexpected' blizzard). And there are dozens if not hundreds of people connected with Otzi's discovery who are alive and well, indeed in some cases litigating - there are various claimants to being the true finder of Otzi.

See www.mummytombs.com, and The Prehistory of Sex (1996), Timothy Taylor.

INTRODUCTION
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

ANCIENT CURSES 1: the Curse of Akkad
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ancient-curses-1-curse-of-akkad.html
CURSES THAT WORKED 1: the Curse of Shakespeare's Tomb
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/curses-that-worked-1-curse-of.html

My other blogs are

A Glasgow Album - a photoblog drifting in a melancholy manner around the city

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/

and

http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com/

a series of photographs of dogs tied up outside shops and other places (not too melancholy)

Wednesday, 29 June 2011

Curses That Worked 1: The Curse of Shakespeare's Tomb

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

William Shakespeare was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford, on 25 April 1616. His tomb is still there, on the floor of the church with a stone which bears this inscription:

Good friend for Jesus sake forbear 

To dig the dust enclosed here! 

Blest be the man that spares these stones, 

And curst be he that moves my bones.

Since the 19th century, there have been various unconvincing attempts at 'proving' that Shakespeare did not write the works attributed to him. No serious scholar accepts these arguments - see

http://shakespeareauthorship.com/#how

In his biography of Shakespeare, Anthony Burgess notes that a common failing of the doubters is to think that authors know all about any subject they write about - thus because there is quite a bit of Elizabethan law in the plays - so the theory goes - Shakespeare must have had great legal knowledge. Not so, says Burgess - Shakespeare did what all writers do, he picked up a book, asked a friend.

Similarly with the curse. The people who believe that Shakespeare the Stratford resident was not Shakespeare the London dramatist point to this curse as evidence - surely Shakespeare would have had some high-flown wonder of a poem rather than a piece of doggerel? Again not so, says Burgess.

The quatrain is a tool - a curse used to preserve his remains. Graves were often opened and their occupants buried in less popular spots. Shakespeare's curse prevented that happening. Far form being the work of an amateur hand it is a brilliantly crafted tool - a curse that worked.

For the problems of restoring the stone see

http://www.shakespeareschurch.org/marathon-bible-reading-end.htm

Previous Posts

Introduction
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/05/1-introduction.html

Ancient Curses 1: The Curse of Akkad
http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ancient-curses-1-curse-of-akkad.html

Thursday, 16 June 2011

Ancient Curses 1: The Curse of Akkad

'Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.'

- Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

Welcome to Buddha's Black Dog, my blog on curses and spells: for what it's about (and my other blogs). see

http://buddhasblackdog.blogspot.com/

Buddha's Black Dog is organised thematically, and older posts will be linked to after each post.

One of the oldest curses we know of – the Curse of Akkad - involves the oldest empire we know of, the Akkadian Empire, which lasted roughly 2350-2150 BC during the Bronze Age.

The curse is ancient yet is remarkably relevant to our own time.

The Akkadian Empire was founded by Sargon the Great (like Moses, as an infant he was supposed to have been discovered floating in a basket) who regarded his empire as one that would last until the end of time - a common mistake among empire builders.

Sargon the Great Beardie

The curse is written in Sumerian and describes the sack of the city Akkad (thought to have been sited south of Baghdad) – a direct result of the Akkadians attacking the city of Nippur, thus arousing the anger of the gods that had up until then supported Akkad. This theme – of the arrogance of earthly rulers being punished by the gods (or subsequently of course, a god) became a familiar theme of human history. The effect of the curse of the gods, says the text, was:

For the first time since cities were built and founded,

The great agricultural tracts produced no grain,

The inundated tracts produced no fish,

The irrigated orchards produced neither wine nor syrup,

The gathered clouds did not rain, the masgurum did not grow.

At that time, one shekel's worth of oil was only one-half quart,

One shekel's worth of grain was only one-half quart. . . .

These sold at such prices in the markets of all the cities!

He who slept on the roof, died on the roof,

He who slept in the house, had no burial,

People were flailing at themselves from hunger.

It was the end of a civilisation – and for the first time (so far as we know) the first collapse attributed to a curse from the gods.

Whatever any possible gods may have thought, it now seems to be the case that humans were being punished by another force at work, one that we are familiar with today – climate change. See

http://tinyurl.com/5t33knb

We now know that a huge drought affected the Middle East, North Africa and other parts of the world – crops failed, clans and tribes migrated and the old Akkadian Empire sank (quite literally) into the dust. And eventually new gods emerged from our belief systems to tell the same stories. As Kipling put it in ' The God of the Copybook Headings'

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man

There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.

That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,

And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wobbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins

When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,

As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,

The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

Thursday, 19 May 2011

Introduction

Hello! My name is Buffy. Ask me about curses.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode 1, Season 6

The Buddha preached enlightenment and compassion, and recognised how hard it is to break free from the world, which has no concern with enlightenment and compassion.

The Japanese writer Mishima said:

In my earliest years I realised life consisted of two contradictory elements. One was words, which could change the world; the other was the world itself, which had nothing to do with words.

Dogs roam free in many Buddhist temples of Asia, where humans come to contemplate among the serene graven images of the Buddha and the temple animals. We are a species trapped between contemplation and action, between Buddha and his black dog.

Curses and spells belong not to the world but can change the world. Welcome to the world of curses and spells: they have been with us since we became human and they will be with us as we cease to be.

My other blogs are

A Glasgow Album - a photoblog drifting in a melancholy manner around the city
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/
and
http://parkeddogs.blogspot.com/
a series of photographs of dogs tied up outside shops and other places (not too melancholy)