Dream Spells: Dream Spell of Three Reeds
Here is a dream spell from the collection of Magical Greek Papyri. This one is to summon dream sending demons to give you a dream.
Dream Spell of Three Reeds
The picking of the reeds is before sunrise. After sunset, while raising the first reed and facing East, say three times:
“Maskelli Maskello Phnoukentabao Oreobazagra, Rhexikhthon, Ippokhton, Puripeganyx, aeēiouō, Lepetan Azarakhtharo: I pick you so that you might bring me a dream.”
Then, while raising the second reed to the South, say the “Maskelli” spell again, then the vowels, then “Throbeia”,* and while raising the reed whirl yourself around. Facing North and West, say the same words three times, those of the second reed. And raising the third reed, say the same words and the following: “Ie Ie, I pick you for such a deed.”
Here is what is to be written on the reeds: on the first, “Azarakhtharo”; on the second, “Throbeia”; on the third, “Ie Ie”.
Then taking a lamp, one that has not been painted with red ochre, fill it with pure olive oil; and taking a clean strip of cloth, write down all the words. Utter the same things to the lamp seven times. Let the lamp be facing East, let it be placed next to a censer in which you make an incense offering of uncut frankincense. Then once you have prepared the reeds, bound them together with fibres from a date palm and made them into a kind of tripod, set the lamp on it. Let the head of the one performing the spell be crowned with olive branches.
Preparation of the ink with which one must write on the reeds and the lamp wick: Single-stemmed wormwood (?), yellow birdsfoot, 3 pits from Nikolaos dates,** 3 Carian dried figs, goldsmith soot, three young branches of a male date palm, sea foam.
What is written and recited is the following: “I conjure you dream-sender, because I want you to enter into me and show forth to me about the relevant matter: Ieroiethedien Throu, Khaora, Arpebo, Endalela.
*i.e., after saying the vowels aeēiouō, instead of “Lepetan Azarakhtharo,” say “Lepetan Throbeia” (or maybe just “Throbeia”).
**a kind of large date from Syria, cf. Athenaeus Deipnosophistae VII 4, Moralia 723A-724F.
Ὀνειροθαυπτάνη τρικαλαμαία. ἔστιν ἡ ἄρσις τῶν καλάμων πρὸ ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς· μετὰ δυσμὰς ἀνασπῶν τὸν πρῶτον βλέπων πρὸς ἀπηλιώτην λέγε τρίς· ‘μασκελλι μασκελλω φνουκενταβαω ὀρεοβαζάγρα, ῥηξίχθων, ϊπποχθων, πυριπηγανύξ· αεηϊουω λεπεταν αζαραχθαρω, αἴρω σε, ἵνα μοι ὀνειροθαυπτήσῃς.’
καὶ τὸν δεύτερον ἀνασπῶν τῷ νότῳ πάλιν λέγε τὸν ‘μασκελλι’ λόγον καὶ τὰ φωνάεντα καὶ ‘θρωβεια’, καὶ κρατῶν τὸν κάλαμον περιστρέφου· πρὸς τὸν βορρᾶ καὶ τὸν λίβα βλέπων τρὶς τὰ αὐτὰ ὀνόματα λέγε, τὰ τοῦ δευτέρου καλάμου. καὶ τὸν τρίτον ἀνασπῶν λέγε τὰ αὐτὰ ὀνόματα καὶ ταῦτα· ‘ιη ιη, αἴρω σε ἐπὶ ποιὰν πρᾶξιν.’
ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τὰ γραφόμενα ἐπὶ τοῖς καλάμοις. ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου· ‘αζαραχθαρω,’ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δευτέρου· ‘θρωβεια,’ ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ τρίτου· ‘ιη ιη.’
εἶτα λαβὼν λύχνον ἀμίλτωτον γέμισον ἐλαίῳ καθαρῷ, καὶ λαβὼν ῥάκος καθαρὸν κατάγραφε τὰ ὀνόματα ὅλα. τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπίλεγε πρὸς τὸν λύχνον ἑπτάκις. ἤτω δὲ ὁ λύχνος τῇ ἀνατολῇ βλέπων, παρακείσθω δὲ θυμιατήριον, ἐν ᾧ ἐπιθύσεις λίβανον ἄτμητον, καὶ ποιήσας τοὺς καλάμους, δήσας αὐτοὺς ἐφ' ἓν νεύροις φοίνικος, ποιήσας αὐτοὺς εἰς τύπον τρίποδος, ἐπίθες τὸν λύχνον. ἐστέφθω δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ πράττοντος ἐλαΐνοις.
σκευὴ μέλανος, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ γράφειν τοὺς καλάμους καὶ τὸ ἐλλύχνιον· ἀρτεμισία μονόκλωνος, κατανάγκη, ὀστᾶ φοινίκων Νικολάων γʹ, Καρικαὶ ἰσχάδες γʹ, αἰθάλη χρυσοχοϊκή, θαλλοὶ φοίνικος ἀρσενικοῦ γʹ, ἀφρὸς θαλάσσης.
ἔστιν δὲ καὶ τὰ γραφόμενα καὶ διωκόμενα ταῦτα· ‘ὁρκίζω σὲ τὸν ὑπ<ν>αφέτην, ὅτι ἐγώ σε θέλω εἰσπορευθῆναι εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ δεῖξαί μοι περὶ τοῦ δεῖνος πράγματος, ιερωρϊεθεδιεν θρου· χαωρα· αρπεβω· ενδαληλα.’