Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants with Regard to 'afrt
Author(s): Winifred S. Blackman
Reviewed work(s): Source: Folklore, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Jun. 30, 1924), pp. 176-184 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1256490 . Accessed: 11/06/2012 07:07 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. and Taylor & Francis, Ltd. are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Folklore. http://www.jstor.org 176 Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants SOME BELIEFS AMONG THE EGYPTIAN PEASANTS WITH REGARD TO 'afr~it. MOST of the material utilized for this article was gathered during the past winter (1923), when I was in charge of the Percy Sladen Expedition to Egypt, the Royal Society also contributing a supplementary grant towards the expenses of the season's work. Conspicuous among the various supernatural beings who figure in the beliefs of the Egyptian peasants are the 'afdrit. The word 'afrit (pl. 'afdrit) is usually translated " devil " or " demon " as distinct from the ginn, who, properly speaking, represent the good spirits.' As a matter of fact the two words ginn and 'afrUit seem, at any rate among the peasants, to be interchange- able, and may denote either benevolent or malevolent beings. The educated Egyptians sometimes translate the word 'afrit as " fairy," 2 These beings are believed to have been created many thousands of years before the appearance of Adam, and are made of fire. They may be the chosen assistants of bad people who wish to harm others, and they may, of their own accord, enter into one who, at any rate at the moment, is doing something wrong, thereby laying himself open to such posses- sion. The 'afdrit can, however, be controlled by magicians, of whom there are many in Egypt, and to whom people who are afflicted by 'afdrit always apply. These magicians are often men of benevolent character, who utilize their powers on behalf of those who suffer. Many illnesses are put down to possession by an 'afrit, so that the magician is frequently called upon to act as " medicine-man." The 'afdrit are supposed to live under the earth, where they have an organised society, with a king at their head. They sometimes haunt springs and wells, and may also be found in the desert, as well as in the narrow paths which wind about 1 See Lane, Modern Egyptians, London (1895), pp. 231 et seq. 2 For a learned exposition on the meaning of these two words, see Lane's translation of the Arabian Nights, London (1883), vol. i. pp. 26 f. (Notes to Introduction.) Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants 177 through the cultivation. Being made of fire, they naturally can be found in their native element, and woe betide a man or woman who throws anything on to the household fire without giving due warning to the 'afdrit who may be present in it. These beings are usually invisible to all but magicians, though they may sometimes appear to the ordinary individual in human or, more often, animal form. Again, they may be seen by animals when invisible to human beings. Therefore, when a donkey refuses to pass a certain spot in the desert or cultivation, his rider knows that an 'afrit bars the way, and he usually has' to dismount and forcibly lead his donkey past the danger zone. Some of the magicians who control these 'afdrit are believed to be themselves married to one of them. It is a well-known belief, not only in Egypt, but in some other countries as well, that a man can marry and have children by an 'afrita. A man thus married will never disclose the fact, but it becomes known among his relations, who, on looking for him in his accustomed place where he sleeps at night, will sometimes find that he has disappeared. This is now believed to be the case with a magician, who is well known to me, and who lives in a small village in Asyfit Province. His relations have constantly urged him to marry, since for a man to remain unmarried is looked upon as more or less a disgrace among the Egyptian peasants. This magician has always refused to take to himself a wife, and has put off the entreaties of his family that he would marry. Accordingly they now believe that he has an 'afrita as his wife, as he sometimes is not found at night sleeping on his mat at home. Such a supernatural wife assists her husband in all his work as a magician, indeed, his powers are often attributed entirely to the assistance he receives from his wife beneath the earth. A magician can make these 'afdrit appear before him, and he can issue orders to their king, which.the latter has to obey. His equipment usually consists of incense, and sometimes water as well, which are used with the accompanying recitation of charms,, or magical sentences. Most magicians possess books, usually in manuscript written out by themselves, containing numbers of charms in the form of magic squares and sentences for M 178 Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants repetition. The magician mentioned above had several such books to be employed on-various occasions. For example, he had with great labour collected and written out magical cures and protections for those troubled in any way by 'afarit, and among other manuscripts in his possession was one which he designated the " Book of Adam." Besides controlling the 'afdrit, this particular magician could likewise discover by magical means where hidden treasure lay, and could also cure a child suffering from nightmare, this complaint being attributed to an 'afrit. Indeed, one could with truth call him the village " medicine-man," as he was resorted to in all cases where the cause of illness was obscure. All such cases he is stated to have definitely cured, whereas the visits to the doctor had been of no avail. The following are a few examples of the deeds of modern Egyptian magicians, collected by me during my sojourn in Asyilt Province this year. They are translated as literally as possible from the Arabic. The names of the people concerned and the villages in which they live are suppressed, in deference to their feelings, as most of them are still living, and it was a great concession that the cases were described to me at all. A young man in a certain village in Asyfit Province became very angry with his wife one night while she was sitting in front of the fire cooking the evening meal. In his anger he took a pottery bottle of water (called a kulleh), and struck her with it. In doing this he broke the bottle, and the water and some of the pieces of pottery fell into the fire, putting it out. The next moment he heard a voice saying to him,-" You have broken the head of one of my children, so I will come into you " (i.e. " possess you "). The man therefore became mad and began to tear at his own face and to strike all those who came near him. Some of his relations, seeing the terrible state he was in, proceeded to bind his hands together behind his back and to tie his feet together by the ankles, to prevent his doing further harm to himself or anyone else; but he continued to cry out and to speak meaningless words. His relations took him to one doctor after another, but they could do him no good, and he continued in the same condition of violent madness. Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants 179 At last, after remaining in this state for three months, they went to see a certain sheikh, who was known to be of a charitable character, and begged him to cure the unfortunate man, pleading also that he was very poor. This sheikh has (for he is still alive) many books of enchantments, i.e. charms for curing various ailments, and for dispelling and controlling 'afdrit, etc. The sheikh listened sympathetically to their pleading, and consented to visit the sufferer, but he told them that they must first bring him a small piece of one of the garments belonging to the madman. They went home and returned shortly with a piece of the man's galabiyeh, on which the sheikh wrote some magic words. After doing this he told the anxious relations that the man was possessed by an 'afrit, and, according to his promise, he accompanied them to the madman's house. Here he found the patient with his hands tied behind his back and his feet bound together by the ankles with strong cords, while he lay on the ground covered with a blanket. The sheikh began to burn some incense in a dish, and to read some of the magic sentences from his book of incantations. Upon this the madman tore asunder the cords which bound him, and began striking out right and left. The sheikh then asked him why he behaved in this way, to which the 'afrit, speaking through the madman, replied " you have an unclean woman in the room," 3 for there were many people present. On hearing this the sheikh was very angry, for no unclean woman must ever be present on such .an occasion, and he ordered all the people to leave the room, with the exception of a few of the man's male relations.4 When the crowd had departed, the madman became quiet, and the sheikh continued to burn incense and to recite magic sentences. At last the 'afrit spoke to the sheikh, who told him to leave the man. The 'afrit replied (of course speaking through the SA menstruous woman is always regarded as unclean. 4 Those who have seen anything of peasant life in Egypt will know what crowds collect on the slightest excuse, usually offering conflicting advice at the top of their voices. On such an occasion as the one recounted above, the room where the patient lay would probably be packed with sympathisers and eager sightseers. i 8o Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants man), " from what part of his body shall I leave him ? May I come out through one of his eyes, which will then become blind, as a punishment for his breaking the head of one of my children ? " The sheikh replied that he would not permit him to do this, but that he was to come out of the big toe of one foot. The sheikh then placed a kulleh on the ground, and said to the 'afrit, " I shall know that you have left the man if you knock over this kulleh." Presently, as he was reading his incantations, the sheikh saw a few drops of blood fly from the man's big toe towards the kulleh, which was immediately flung with a crash against the wall. The madman then sat up and said,-" Where am I? and who are you ? " After a while he recognised all his relations, whom he had not known during the whole period of his madness. They asked him where he had been, to which he replied,-" I have been among the 'afdrit." Since that day he has been perfectly sane, and is now living happily in his native village. The following is an account of the punishment meted out to a bad-tempered wife. Wrongdoing, as already stated, is sup- posed to render a man or woman more liable to possession by an 'afrit. There was a woman who lived in an 'ezbeh 5 in Asyfit Province, who had a very violent temper. One day her husband was angry with her for some wrong thing she had done, upon which she lost her temper as usual. At midnight during the following night, when her husband, was, according to his custom, sleeping with the flocks in the field," and his wife was sleeping at home, a negress appeared before the latter. The woman felt the negress catch hold of her wrists, and draw her out of the house. The negress then spoke to her, and told her that she had behaved very badly to her husband. On hearing this the woman became 6 An 'ezbeh is a small settlement, usually consisting of the landlord's large house, with the small mud houses of the fellhin built near it. 6 The shepherds collect their flocks into zerebas (Arabic, ziriba, pl. zarlyib) at night. The zerebas are made of bis (dried dura stalks), and the shepherd with his watch-dogs sleeps with the flocks, usually sheep and goats, to protect them from thieves. The buffaloes and cows are usually taken home at night by the women and children. Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants 181 very angry, but the negress replied,-" You are wrong, you are always annoying your husband," and she struck the woman on her chest and vanished. The woman then re-entered her house, and the next morning she was speechless and unable to walk. When she was spoken to she merely laughed, and struck out with her arms and kicked. She remained in this condition for three months, during which period she was taken to see three different doctors, not one of whom could do anything for her. At last her relations heard of a celebrated magician who lives in a neighbouring village,' and they went to him and begged him to do something for the woman, but he refused. Again they came to him and entreated him to come, and again he refused. Nothing daunted, they came for a third time, and fell down and kissed his feet, imploring him to come to their aid. After this he felt he could not refuse their request, and he promised them that he would come to see the woman on the following evening. Meanwhile he told them they must bring him a piece of the woman's dress, or the handkerchief she wore on her head. They brought the latter article, and the sheikh retired into his private room, carrying the handkerchief with him. He wrote certain magic words or sentences on the handkerchief, and burnt incense in a dish, while he recited charms from his book of incantations. Presently an 'afrit appeared before him, and the sheikh asked him which of the 'afdrft possessed the woman, saying that if he did not tell him he would burn him and his people.8 The 'afrit replied that he would go to the king of the 'afdrit and speak to him about it. Then the 'afrit asked the sheikh to read a charm to dismiss him, which he did.9 7 The same magician as in the former story. 8 Similar threats were uttered by ancient Egyptian magicians against denizens of the spirit-world. For example, in one of the Turin Papyri the magician threatens to " throw fire into Busiris and burn up Osiris," if his demand is not fulfilled. (See A. H. Gardiner's art. " Magic " (Egyptian) 7, (I), in James Hastings, Ency. of Rel. and Ethics.) 9 The 'afdrit are called up and dismissed by the recitation of these magic formulae. Without such recitations they can neither appear nor disappear. 182 Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants After this another 'afrit appeared and told the sheikh all he wanted to know, including the name of the possessed woman, and the name of her mother, in order that the sheikh might know that he was not deceiving him. After he had found out all he wanted to know, he dismissed this 'afrit also. On the following evening some of the woman's relatives arrived at the sheikh's house and conducted him to the woman. When he arrived he dismissed all the people, with the exception of the woman's mother. As he entered the room in which the possessed woman lay, the 'afrit, speaking through the woman, cried out-" Why have you come ? Why have you come? Why have you come? Leave me! Leave me! Leave me ! " The magician then called for a dish in which to burn incense, and he wrote a charm on a piece of paper which he threw into the middle of the burning incense, at the same time reciting some of his incantations. At length the woman lay quiet, and, after further recitations, the 'afrit spoke again through the woman, and said-" How shall I come out of her ? May I do her some injury, as she has behaved badly to her husband ? She is going to have a child, let me injure the child in her belly." The sheikh replied " No," that he would not permit it, but that she was to come out of the woman's little finger of her left hand. The woman, after the sheikh had thus spoken, began to shake all over, the magician meanwhile continuing to recite his magic sentences. Soon after, the woman sat up, restored to her right mind, and her mother kissed her. The woman said-" Where am I ? " Her mother replied-" You are in your house." The woman who had been possessed had her speech completely restored, and, this joyful intelligence being communicated to the people waiting outside, the women began the zagharit.10 The sheikh then wrote a charm for the woman to wear as a protection against 'afdrit, but he refused all offers of money, for he is a rich man. The woman has had no return of this affliction. 10 Cries of joy, such as are raised at weddings and other festive occasions. Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants 183 The following account of an adventure with an 'afrit was given to my informant by the man to whom it happened. He swears to the truth of it. The man in question, previous to his experi- ence recounted below, had no belief in 'afarit. One day, how- ever, when he was returning home from his field, he heard a sheep bleating. On looking to see whereabouts the animal was, he found a large sheep, covered with very thick wool. The man got off his donkey and went up to the sheep, and, seeing that it was such a fine animal, and, moreover, that it had no owner, he picked it up and mounted his donkey again, carrying the sheep in front of him. As he rode along, he fingered its thick wool, and said to himself-" When I get home I will cut off your wool, and make a good blanket for myself out of it." 11 While he was still riding towards his house he looked down, and to his astonishment he saw that the legs of the sheep had grown so long that they nearly touched the ground. On observing this he was so frightened that he jumped off his donkey, and the sheep suddenly vanished. Presently he heard a voice which said-" You thought you were going to cut the wool off me, did you, and make a blanket for yourself out of it 1 Do you not know that I am one of the 'afarit in whom you say that you do not believe ? " At this the man was terrified, and now he always goes by a different path to and from his field. He is also a firm believer in the 'afdrit. Another instance of the 'afdrit punishing a wrong-doer is given in the following account, the boy, who is the subject of the tale, having been always very troublesome and lazy at his work in school. It may be well to explain here that it is the custom among the Copts for some of the men and boys to gather together every evening during the month of Kiyahk, which begins on the 9th or ioth December, to recite passages from the Bible, and some special prayers in Coptic, by heart. Thus engaged they remain in the church all night till daybreak, when the priest comes for the service. Coptic boys acquire a smattering of the ancient 11 Weaving is done in the village in which this man lives. On passing through its narrow, tortuous streets men can be seen at every turn busily spinning wool. 184 Some Beliefs among the Egyptian Peasants language when at the school of the 'arif, the officiant who leads the singing in church. One night during the month of Kiyahk the boy alluded to above was in the church with a number of his companions, reciting in Coptic certain passages from the Bible. He left the church for a few minutes, and on his way back he saw a very fine donkey standing in the open space in front of the church. The sight of this donkey proved to be irresistible to him, and he immediately mounted it, and, digging his heels into its sides, he urged it to go faster and faster, round and round the open space. All of a sudden the donkey began to grow taller and taller, till it reached the height of about five metres. It then suddenly vanished, and the boy fell to the ground, where a stone struck one of his eyes and destroyed the sight. As he fell he heard the 'afrit saying to him,-" Don't come here again. If you do, I will injure you." Up to the present time the boy, who is now a grown man, has never dared to return to this church for fear of the 'afrit. His work necessitates his travelling about from village to village, where he is doing good business. He told my informant this story himself, and swears to the truth of it. The stories related above were imparted to me as a great favour, as such proceedings are naturally regarded as more or less private, if not to the individual, at any rate to the village community as a whole, and foreigners do not find it easy to get at anything like reliable information. The 'afdrit and the beliefs attached to them enter into the lives of the peasants at every turn. It must be remembered that the fellhin are a very nervous and emotional people, which may well account for the firm hold such beliefs have over them. WINIFRED S. BLACKMAN. MYTHOLOGY OF THE GUARAYO INDIANS. THE Guarayo Indians are a tribe living on the confines of Bolivia on the eastern side of the Andes. In times past the
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