A sacral number

[droops]

From Indo-European Poetry and Myth by M.L. West, Oxford University Press, paperback edition 2008, at page 329:

I have mentioned the element of repetition, which is a means of insisting on what is being said or done and validating it as magically efficacious. Sometimes the repetition is formalized numerically, as when words have to be uttered or

Comments

[droops]

Even though Dionysos doesn't seem to have an I-E background, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to have that sacral number system applied to Him as the Greeks of course were Indo-European.

I suspect that the repetition of rites is more widespread than the Indo-European cultures, but I wonder just how much?

[loving_cruelty]

There's a good fantasy book that speaks to this that you might enjoy reading -- Master of Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy. The plot is a little underdeveloped but this book has the most comprehensive magical system I've ever encountered in a fantasy novel. It sets out a system based on five different "realms" of magic and gives the laws that each follows. For the realm of magic that concerns the creation of items for example, the first law is "Thrice spoken, once fullfilled." The description of alchemy is exceptionally rich.

[droops]

Oooh, neat to know, thanks! Another book I should read too. Heh.