Abstract

GAMLATH, Isha. Degrees of unity in levels of motivation: desperate witches in apuleius' golden ass and theurgists in iamblichus de mysteries. discus.filos [online]. 2010, vol.11, n.16, pp.195-209. ISSN 0124-6127.

Despite the strict contextualization of magic as demonic within the fabric of narrative in Aputeius' Golden Ass, a neglected current in modern academia its pagan legacy - retains scope for a feasible hypothesis in the form of a paradigmatic coalition between its inevitable progeny, desperate witches as well as a distinguished community of thaumataurgoi, the theurgist, whose identity in intellectual discourse, chiefly the finest possible exemplum of polytheistic forms of divination Iamblichus' De Mysteries, clarify their representation of another typology of magic, natural, endorsing a striking parallel in a shared premise - levels of motivation. I wish to propose, that in as much as it throws light on two fold classification of magic as demonic and natural it also fascinatingly reflects degrees of unity, though not without reserve in some areas, between the desperate witches and theurgists in question - the former whose operations often underpin their claims to occult knowledge and whose potential is no less inferior to the elevated concerns of the latter.

Keywords : Apuleius; Iamblichus; Witches; theurgists; magic.

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