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Mesopotamians Demons Ghosts
Mesopotamians Demons Ghosts
The ancient Mesopotamians also used magic intending to protect themselves from evil sorcerers who might place curses on them. [30] Black magic as a category didn't exist in ancient
Mesopotamia, and a person legitimately using magic to defend themselves against illegitimate magic would use exactly the same techniques. [30] The only major difference was the fact that
curses were enacted in secret;[30] whereas a defense against sorcery was conducted in the open, in front of an audience if possible. [30] One ritual to punish a sorcerer was known as Maqlû, or
"The Burning".[30] The person viewed as being afflicted by witchcraft would create an effigy of the sorcerer and put it on trial at night. [30] Then, once the nature of the sorcerer's crimes had been
determined, the person would burn the effigy and thereby break the sorcerer's power over them. [30]
The ancient Mesopotamians also performed magical rituals to purify themselves of sins committed unknowingly. [30] One such ritual was known as the Šurpu, or "Burning",[31] in which the caster of
the spell would transfer the guilt for all their misdeeds onto various objects such as a strip of dates, an onion, and a tuft of wool. [31] The person would then burn the objects and thereby purify
themself of all sins that they might have unknowingly committed.[31] A whole genre of love spells existed.[32] Such spells were believed to cause a person to fall in love with another person, restore
love which had faded, or cause a male sexual partner to be able to sustain an erection when he had previously been unable. [32] Other spells were used to reconcile a man with his patron deity or
to reconcile a wife with a husband who had been neglecting her.[33]