Symmetry and Asymmetry in an Incantation from the Babylonian Anti-Witchcraft Ritual Maqlû 'Burning': Mechanisms of a Linguistic Technology

This paper explores the linguistic and functional dimensions of ancient Mesopotamian magic through a detailed case study of an incantation from the Standard Babylonian anti-witchcraft ritual Maqlû ‘Burning’. Applying a methodology guided by Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), this study describes and interprets the textual features of the Maqlû incantation – its verse structure, repetition, parallelism, and metaphorical language – to understand how the text operates as a ‘linguistic technology’ crafted by ancient Mesopotamian scholars with the goal of achieving specific magical outcomes. The analysis focuses on symmetry and asymmetry as mechanisms within this linguistic technology. I argue that symmetry and asymmetry can be perceived in the incantation’s ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions, revealing how magical language is constructed to both mirror and disrupt the structures of the cosmos. By integrating empirical textual analysis with theoretical insights from anthropology, poetics, and linguistics, this study contributes to our understanding of the role of language in ancient Mesopotamian magic.