The Headless God

Ceremonies are necessary to secure the favor of Typhon-Seth for the practicing magician or adept; the entire magic is under his authority, without him having to appear himself. This procedure is transmitted by the beginning of the Nephotes letter, lines 168—221. Its high point consists of a hymn to the god:

"Mighty Typhon, scepter-holder and ruler of the dominion up there, god of the gods, Lord, shaker of darkness, bringer of thunder, stormy1, nightly flashing2, (turning the night star?), breather of cold and warmth, shaker of cliffs, you who make walls tremble, stirrer of waves, shaker and mover of the deep...

I am the one who searched the whole earth with you and found the great Osiris, whom I brought to you in chains.

I am the one who fought in league with you against the gods.

I am the one who closed the double gates of heaven and lulled to sleep the serpent that one cannot look upon, who brought to a standstill sea, floods, the waters of the streams, until you became Lord over this realm"3.

Nothing, I believe, points to a solar divine nature in these invocations. A mighty, terrible nature demon, a lord over thunder, lightning, night, storms, and darkness, an exciter of earthquakes—that is Typhon. To the poet of the hymn, he counts as the enemy of the "great" Osiris, whom the magician—he likens himself to an ally of Seth—has overcome. The allusion to the legend of the battle between both gods is unmistakable; Typhon is thought of as the victor, the continuation of the war and its end does not come into consideration for the magician or hymn-writer in this case: he wants to win the favor of the feared one, and so he can dedicate to him, after the sign of being heard (the appearance of a sea-hawk), the following flattery:

"Recommended (United?) was I to your holy form, strength I received through your holy name, I became a participant of you, the outflow of the Good, Lord, god of the gods, ruler, demon."

(B) precedes; it is intended to secure the favor of Typhon once more before the beginning of the practice. As a "qualification spell" it can hardly suffice, since it is only a hymnic invocation and gives no instructions for behavior.

1: "Luminous" HOPFNER; P writes λελανετε (λαλαπετέ), VAN HERWERDEN λαμπέτα.
2: νυκταστραπτα P νυκταστράπητε VAN HERW. νυκταστρο(στρ)απητά?
3: FR. ZUCKER has also provided a translation of the Seth invocations in G. ROEDER, Set a. a. O. 775.