a The ancient practice of knot tying
bind the victim with the same bonds as those con-
straining the sky, the earth and the seven planets 6
From ancient times the tying of magical knots was
The Qurʾān warns of “the evil (arising) from
a way of binding magical/supernatural powers 1
those who blow (or spit) upon the knots” ( sūra
The ritual practice of tying knots in a cord and
113, 4), a practice analogous to that known as
blowing on them was one of the most common
“tying the aglet,” designed to keep husbands and
forms of harmful or therapeutic magic in pre-
wives apart 7 It is notable that sūra s 113 and 114
Islamic times 2 The practice is connected with the
are called al-muʿawwidhatān (“the two who pre-
concept of binding spells whose knots cannot be
serve”) and their verses are considered of special
unloosed, thus drawing on the principles of sym-
talismanic power if recited in tandem with the
pathetic magic with the purpose of rendering the
original signification of blowing upon the knots 8
victim general y impotent 3 Serpent charming may
Interestingly, sūra 113 refers to the evil women
be interpreted in a similar manner since the ser-
“who blow upon knots,” and for this reason it is
pents are “bound” by the charmer 4 The knotted
believed to be “particularly efficacious against the
representations are used as symbols to conjure up
ills of the flesh ”9
the cosmic powers that are appropriate to effec-
In his commentary on sūra 113, the thirteenth-
tively protect or, conversely, harm individuals
century Qurʾānic exegete al-Bayḍāwī refers to a
as well as human communities 5 Such “binding
related account according to which a Jew cast a
spells” are frequently employed on Aramaic and
magic spel on the Prophet Muḥammad by putting
Mandaic incantation bowls In these the magician
a cord with eleven knots into a well, whereupon
threatens to employ a spell such as he has used
he fell ill 10 After the revelation of sūra s 113 and
to bind the sea and the dragon Leviathan, and to
114, the archangel Jibrāʾīl disclosed the cause of
1 In Mesopotamian magic texts the verb “to bind” (Akka-
means by which the theurgists induced the gods to certain
dian kasâru) was used to express the concept of “bewitch-
actions Cf Chwolsohn, 1856, vol 2, p 138, n 144
6
ment” (Astour, 1968, p 18) Inversely, in lengthy litanies the
“Wenn ihr irgend etwas gegen … unternehmt, dann
help of the gods was invoked to undo or dissolve the knot of
werde ich euch bezaubern mit der großen Bezauberung des
a magic spell or charm which was believed to have supernat-
Meeres und mit der Bezauberung des Ungeheuers Leviathan
ural powers (Dhorme, 1949, p 261) In like manner the texts
… biege ich den Bogen gegen euch und spanne die Sehne
describe the role of the conjurer as the “knotter” (Akkadian
gegen euch bringe ich herab auf euch den Beschluß des
kashu) or the “untangler” (Akkadian pâtaru) of nefarious or
Himmels und den Bann, den ich auf den Berg [Hermon]
beneficial charms, respectively, both of which are symbolised
und auf das Ungeheuer Leviathan gelegt habe … [binde
by knots (Amiet, 1961, rev and repr 1980, p 116) The apo-
ich euch mit der Bindung], durch die Himmel und Erde
tropaic function of the knot is a recurrent phenomenon in
gebunden wurden … binde ich euch mit der Bindung, durch
many countries and periods Cf Kitzinger, 1970, p 642 and
welche die sieben Planeten gebunden wurden ”
n 21
Niggemeyer, 1975, pp 70, 146
2
7
Cf Wellhausen, 1897, p 161 A scholium on a ser -
Fahd, “Siḥr,” EI² IX, 567b
8
mon of the fourth-century archbishop of Constantinople,
It is however remarkable that the idiom “blowing on
Gregory of Nazianze, defines incantations (epasmata) with
magical knots” was still metaphorically used during the
the words:
tenth-century as attested by al-Thaʿālibī’s account of the
literary life at the Samanid court where:
The chants sung over young children by [ ] old women,
muttering to avert evil, and at the same time licking
men of letters [were] each offering to the other
the babes’ foreheads with their tongues and spitting,
fragrant flowers of dialectic, and pursuing the per-
blowing to each side
fumes of Culture, and letting fal in succession necklaces
of pearls, and blowing on magical knots [emphasis
Migne, J P , Patrologia Graeca 36, 907 B-C, cited after Bonner,
added]
1950, p 4
3 Jeffers, 1996, p 32
Yatīmat al-dahr, part IV, ch 2, Cairo, 1377, tr Browne, 1920,
4 Eadem, p 32
vol 1, pp 365–6, cited after Clinton, 1972, p 4
5
9
This is corroborated by Porphyrios who in his letter to
Ruska and Carra de Vaux, “Tilsam,” EI² X, 500a
10
Anebon considered the tying and untying of sacred knots as
Cf Canaan, 1938, p 75 and n 42
160