Magic and the Supernatural in the Ancient World
Discussion Questions
April 16: Supernatural Healing
Jason Lapkin weinbe@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
- What kind of practitioners are skilled in the arts of supernatural healing? What are these people like?
- How does s. healing fit in with religion (I'm thinking cults here)?
- What are some famous cases of s. healing?
- Does every culture have a form of s. healing? If so, why? What is similar about the types of s. healing, the world over?
Derek Pepiak:dpepiak@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
- The texts in Luck all describe successful supernatural healings. Is
there any evidence that there were critics of supernatural healing? Are
there any texts known that describe failed attempts at healing?
- In the introduction in L&M, it is stated that "Western trained
medical practitioners find little in traditional systems of health care
they consider effective in either the physical or mental realms." How
true is this, because I was under the impression that new types of drugs
and treatments had been obtained from these areas for years?
- Why are so many more sufferers of psychotic episodes cured in
non-Western cultures than in Western ones?
Zach Harrelson:zharrel@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
- Lehmann's article on African ngangas described the villagers' and
hunters' preference for popular medical treatment. Couldn't this be
a psychosomatic phenomenon? Perhaps popular medicine is more effective
because it is more familiar and therefore causes less anxiety?
- What is the difference between Kiev's food-gathering and
fishing-hunting medicine men? He claims that fishing-hunting healers
place more emphasis on their qualifications but they seem no different
from the medicine men of food-gathering societies.
- Does the power of the ngangas or other non-Western healers stem from a
supernatural entity or from a personal charisma/dynamis or from some other
source? Does it depend on the culture or is there a general trend?
Michelle Arens marens@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
- 1. In what ways is supernatural healing still a part of modern
Western society?
- 2. I have always been a strong beliver in the ability of the mind to
heal the body (If you believe it will work, it will) as an explanation for
"miraculous" healings. The inscriptions from Epidarus, however, indicate
that one must not necessarily believe that the healing will work for it to
do so. What role does this type of literature play in the continuation of
Greek Religion?
- 3. Is the evidence pointing to the success of supernatural healing any
more reliable or believable than the evidence pointing to the success of
magical spells, curses, or ritual?
Nick Backer: nbacker@mailhost.tulane.edu
- I am surprised at how similar the nuances of nganga medicine are to
western medicine. In Lehman's article, he tells readers that the nganga
firmly believe in their medicine and the specialization of healers in
their society.
- It is quite interesting that in the African society discussed in
Lehman's article, charms for protection from illness and curses are sold
by the nganga, or healers, of the tribe. This action reflects an business
side to the profesion and encourages the belief in withcraft in the
tribes.
- I'd like to discuss the fact that mental illness is cured more often
in non-western cultures. I find it amazing that these healers have a
higher success rate than western doctors.
Jay Munsch wmunsch@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu
- At the sanctuary of asclepius, do we have any evidence of the
duration of the stay of the sick individual?
- Why do you supposes the healing in develpoing countries of
psychological disorders is so much more affective than in western
cultures?
- How common is supernatural healing in Western countries today? What
status does it have in society and why does it remain to be practiced?