I noticed this a while ago and was just reminded of it again today: it's
funny how many of the incantations from the 'Mithras Liturgy' Greek
magical papyrus (
https://hermetic.com/pgm/mithras-liturgy) would fit
right in as NetHack scroll labels:
You see here a scroll labeled...
...AEEIOYO.
...YEI AYI EYOIE.
...ERONOYI PARAKOYNETH.
...EIOAE PSENABOTH.
...ARNOMETHPH.
...NECHTHEIR THANMELOY.
...PEPPER PREPEMPIPI.
...PHOTAZA PYRIPHOTA.
...PHEROYRA MIOYRI.
...PHOR PHORA PHOS PHOTIZAAS.
...I EE OO IAI.
...PROSTHYMERI.
...PSINOTHER NOPSITHER THERNOPSI.
Wouldn't they look right at home alongside "VENZAR BORGAVVE" and "VERR
YED HORRE"? I wonder to what extent the scroll labels in Hack were a deliberate pastiche of this magical tradition. Though I guess at this
point, with "ABRA KA DABRA" and the Merseburg Incantations, there's no
question it and its descendants have had some sort of influence. :-)
- Michael
P.S. -- Apologies in advance if the recitation of these ancient and
powerful spells awakens some kind of heretofore-dormant spirit with a
hankering for NetHack players' souls. I did not lick a leaf, as
commanded by the text, while writing this post, so hopefully that means
the ritual will remain incomplete and therefore impotent.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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