Tajemství zasvěcených aneb Ztraceno v překladu

• Authors: Míčková Diana

Title variants

EN

The secrets of the initiated or Lost in translation

• Languages of publication: CS

Abstracts

EN

The article suggests that other traditions, such as oral ones, could have existed and been observed by priests in connection with the ancient Egyptian texts for reaching the netherworld (with a focus on the Coffin Texts). Based on some spells it would appear that these texts could have been studied, taught and applied both on the earth and in the underworld. They could have served as an abridged version of a sum of knowledge which its users should know by heart – knowledge that might have been taught following initiation into a certain group within the priestly hierarchy. The image character of the hieroglyphs and the capacity for puns and double meanings suggest that some texts or their parts could have served as a reminder of their overall content. The old belief in the magic power of Egyptian script and secret knowledge of Egyptian priests, misinterpreted in later times, may point towards a genuine tradition maintained by learned priests and magi, and the complexity and sophistication of the Egyptian writing system.

Keywords

EN

textual and oral transmission; Egyptian priests; magic of the words; memory; hieroglyphic script; The Coffin texts

Discipline

• ARCHAEOLOGY: ARCHAEOLOGY

• Publisher: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Czech Republic
• Journal: Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)
• Year: 2014
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 34-39

Contributors

author

Míčková Diana

• Český egyptologický ústav FF UK, Celetná 20, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic