Same but Different: Frazer’s Sympathetic Law of Similarity and the Greco-Roman defixiones
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Authors
Moorees, Saskia
Issue Date
2023-02-12
Type
Video
Language
en_US
Keywords
Greco-Roman magic , Sympathetic magic , Curse tablets , Frazer, James George, 1854-1941. Golden bough , Video recordings , Conference papers and proceedings , Literary criticism
Alternative Title
Abstract
Frazer’s typology of ‘sympathetic magic’ proved especially popular in the study of ancient magic after it appeared in The Golden Bough. Frazer’s Law of Similarity, in particular, was predicated on the idea that according to ‘primitive’ thinking, ‘like affects like’ and that ‘an effect resembles its cause.’ But the idea that ‘similarity’ motivated the use of figurines has been contested, as scholars have rightly pointed out that physical resemblance seems to have not been a great concern in their production. However, this rejection of similarity has not occurred to the same degree in terms of the textual formulas of the Greco-Roman defixiones, and through this paper I will argue that similarity has an equally unconvincing role in executing textual analogies. By using S.J. Tambiah’s ‘persuasive analogy’ theory, which places emphasis on concurrent verbal statement and material action, we can reconsider whether the similia similibus formulas truly depended on a sympathetic ‘similarity’, or whether a different magical mechanism was being utilized. An analysis of the specific characteristics chosen in similia similibus formulas, how they relate to the object of comparison, and any accompanying ritual actions, will reveal the underlying magical process and thus allow us to question whether ‘like affects like’ was the belief informing these formulas. Through this close examination, I will contend that although a shared characteristic was the intended goal of these analogies, similarity was not the ‘sympathetic’ force behind them. Instead, we should understand these analogical techniques as deriving power from verbal and material actions, and we can thus move away from Frazer’s Law of Similarity.
Additional Authors: Shaking the Tree, Breaking the Bough: Frazer's Golden Bough at 100 (Conference); Tully, Caroline Jane; Budin, Stephanie Lynn; University of Melbourne;
Description
1 video file. ms150-40-019_moorrees-saskia_frazers-sympathetic_2023-02-12.mp4 .mp4 350.96 MB 368,006,471
Citation
Moorees, Saskia. "Same but Different: Frazer’s Sympathetic Law of Similarity and the Greco-Roman defixiones." Paper presented at the Shaking the Tree, Breaking the Bough: Frazer’s Golden Bough at 100, Melbourne, Australia, February 12, 2023. In New Age Movements, Occultism, and Spiritualism Research Library. Archives and Special Collections. Valdosta State University. https://hdl.handle.net/10428/7064
Publisher
New Age Movements, Occultism, and Spiritualism Research Library
License
Permission to post this digital asset provided by Saskia Moorees to the Valdosta State University Archives & Special Collections to be part of the New Age Movements, Occultism, and Spiritualism Research Library.