Language of Spirits: Parallels Between Rhymed Prose (Sadj‘) of Pre-Islamic Arabian Soothsayers and Verbal Behavior of Shamans | Sibirskie Istoricheskie Issledovaniia – Siberian Historical Research. 2022. № 3. DOI: 10.17223/2312461X/37/5

Language of Spirits: Parallels Between Rhymed Prose (Sadj‘) of Pre-Islamic Arabian Soothsayers and Verbal Behavior of Shamans

The speech behavior of soothsayers (kuhhan), who lived in pre-Islamic Arabia, was characterized by the use of rhymed and rhythmic prose, the formulaic structure of utterances and their enigmatic nature. Furthermore, their speech was ecstatically performed and featured a specific language that was different from the generally accepted mode of everyday communication. As a consequence, their utterances were perceived by their audiences as emanating from supernatural beings. The article draws a parallel between the speech peculiarities of the kuhhan and texts that serve for ‘communication’ with spirits in shamanic/shamanistic cultures. From a functional point of view, in both cases the texts exhibit a number of distinctive properties that mark sacred pronouncements dictated by otherworldly forces. There are also similarities in the contexts and circumstances of text production of soothsayers and shamans. The conclusions of the article can serve as another argument in favor of a typological affinity between these two groups of religious specialists. This affinity has previously been examined mainly through the prism of their social functions and non-verbal behavior. This article, on the other hand, emphasizes the linguistic characteristics of this affinity. The author declares no conflict of interests.

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Keywords

rhymed prose, sadj‘, djinn, spirits, soothsayers, pre-Islamic Arabia, shamanism, divination, sacred

Authors

Name	Organization	E-mail
Rozov Vladimir A.	Saint-Petersburg State University	v.rozov@spbu.ru

Всего: 1

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