disposed of by an appropriate ritual, involving the use of substitute
animals, like oxen (as in Mursili’s case), asses, birds, donkeys, sheep
and pigs. Live animals were better, but budget-constrained sufferers
could make do with replicas of these animals instead. Ritualists
would be hired, often women who were specialists in ritualistic
practices, to carry out the necessary procedure.
THE RITUALIST
Conventionally known as the‘Old Women’, which may falsely give
the impression of a bunch of cackling old crones, the Hittite term is
better translated as ‘Wise Women’. This group of healing
professionals, who were probably literate and had a knowledge of
several languages, would provide all the necessary equipment for
the ritual of cure, including the animals for sacrifice, and chant the
appropriate ritualistic formulae, in the appropriate language or
languages. In the course of the performance, the client’saffliction
would be transferred to the sacrificial victims, who served as
substitutes. The transfer could be made by a number of means; the
client might touch the victim or spit into its mouth, or the victim
might simply be waved over the client’s head. In this way a cure
would supposedly be effected. Not only for physical ailments, but
also for many psychological or behavioural disorders, as illustrated
by a ritual for restoring harmony to a dysfunctional family torn
apart by domestic strife. And for all we know, the mesmerising
rituals, with their potent mix of sight, sound and smell, might well
have proved successful in actually effecting cures, especial for those
ailments which were pyschological or psychosomatic in nature.
At least some ritualists seem also to have specialised in sex
therapy. One of them tells us her cure for whatmayhave been
impotence. Part of her treatment reads:
I place a spindle and a distaff in the patient’s hand, and he
comes under the gates. When he steps forward through the
gates, I take the spindle and distaff away from him. I give
him a bow and arrows, and say to him all the while:‘I have
just taken the femininity away from you and given youHEALTH,HYGIENE AND HEALING 121