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''Charaktêres'' (singular: charaktêr) are letter-shaped signs lacking both semantic and phonetic correlations, which were used as
''Charaktêres'' (singular: charaktêr) are letter-shaped signs lacking both semantic and phonetic correlations, which were used as magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
signs in ancient literary documents.
Forms and use
In her 2013 thesis Kirsten Dzwiza studied 94 magical texts and recorded 699 different ''charaktêres'' occurring over 943 times. The character forms are mostly nonsensical and may include ring-letters, balls, points, closed elements, separate strokes, linear elements, small element, and hieroglyphs. The most common forms consist ofasterisks
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
and configurations of straight lines with small circles at their ends.
The signs appear mostly on apotropaic spells and phylacteries, but also on a few ancient curse tablets
A curse tablet (; ) is a small tablet with a curse written on it from the Greco-Roman world. Its name originated from the Greek and Latin words for "pierce" and "bind". The tablets were used to ask the gods, place spirits, or the deceased to perfo ...
. They may appear as loose groups of characters on a magical gemstone or spell to large groups alongside other figures on a magical text or table. They are often used alongside comprehensible arcane words, like the '' voces magicae'' in the texts of the Greek Magical Papyri. Charaktêres were not intended as an alternative-alphabet or code - they were usually used only once or twice in the context of a single spell.
See also
*Magic in the Greco-Roman world
Magic in the Greco-Roman world – that is, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and the other cultures with which they interacted, especially ancient Egypt – comprises supernatural practices undertaken by individuals, often privately, that ...
References
Ancient Greek religion Ancient Roman religion History of magic Religion in classical antiquity Magic words Magic symbols {{cultural-anthropology-stub