Bonner, SMA – PDF, 132.

is due to their theory that the serpent of Eden was the friend of man, whence the sect (οἱ τὰ τοῦ ὄφεως ἑλόμενοι) were called Ophianoi.⁴³ The presence of the serpent alone could prove little or nothing, for, not to mention the lion-headed Chnoubis, other serpents are often inscribed on magical amulets. The serpent, whether in the radiate lion-headed form or otherwise, is occasionally a reverse type associated with the cock-headed god. It may be safer simply to assume that an ass-headed demon, possibly of Sethian origin, has here been arbitrarily combined with the solar divinity who is normally represented with the head of a cock. The presence of the name Iao on the shields seems to support this view; for if the ass-headed figure were meant to represent Onoel, the inscription would be ill placed, Iao occupying a different position in this system and having no connection with Onoel.⁴⁴

Mentions should also be made of an oval lead tessera inscribed Abrasax on the obverse and bearing on the reverse a design thus described by the editors: “Personnage anguipède à la tête d'onagre, à gauche, la main droite levée, la main gauche avancée accostée des lettres Ια au milieu et ω en bas.”⁴⁵

There is more evidence that the name of Set or Seth, and magical names belonging to him, sometimes occur in close association with the solar divinity and may indicate a tendency to identify the two. A carnelian found at Carthage shows on the obverse a crudely cut anguipede with the usual cock's head, and on the reverse the inscription θωβαρρα ιαω ιω ερβη.⁴⁶ The first word looks like a shortened form of a palindrome θωβαρραβωθ,⁴⁷ but may be an imperfect copying of the magical name Θωβαρραβαυ;⁴⁸ Ιαω is the name commonly associated with the cock-headed deity, and in ιω ερβη(θ) we have words that are almost certainly specific epithets of Set;⁴⁹ they are not ordinarily found except in connection with that name.

Something similar happens in connection with another solar type, namely, the god with the radiate lion's head. In a previous connection (p. 19) mention was made of an interesting series of five rock crystals, on which a lion-headed god seems to be addressed by the name of Set.⁵⁰

Returning now to the cock-headed god, we have seen that in all the variations upon the type his solar character is beyond question. Further, the association with him of other types that must be regarded as solar — Harpocrates on his lotus, the radiate lion-headed god, the Chnoubis snake

⁴³ Ibid., 6, 28 (p. 98, 14).

⁴⁴ Ibid., 6, 31 (p. 101, 11 ff.).

⁴⁵ Rostovtzeff-Prou, Rev. numism., 1900, p. 353, No. 820 a.

⁴⁶ Bull. arch., 1918, p. ccxxvii; reported by Héron de Villefosse for P. Delattre.

⁴⁷ The word is engraved on the reverse of a scarab published by Barry, Ann. du serv., 7 (1906), 247, No. 7.

⁴⁸ Cf. τὸν θεόν τὸν τῆς παλινγενεσίας Θωβαρραβαυ, invoked on a Carthaginian curse tablet (Audollent, Defix. Tab., 242, 18); also τωβαρραβαυ on the reverse of a pantheos amulet (Chabouillet 2476), and θωβαρβαραυ among other magical names on a British Museum amulet (56223).

⁴⁹ Cf. PGM XIV, 20–22; Karl Wessely, Ephesia Grammata, p. 23, Nos. 232, 233, 238. The final of ερβηθ is dropped in the gem inscription, just as one occasionally finds σαβαω.

⁵⁰ These stones are listed on page 19, n. 53 above. The name Ζηθ seems to occur also on a celt with a magical design and inscription published by J. H. Iliffe, AJA 35 (1931), 1–6; the figure is the pantheos. The celt belongs to the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology (Pl. XXV, Fig 8).

<<previous     next>>