Preamble
The same as I first began my labor for this I, the least bit inadvertently, did not wish the hand out to be as "big" as it seems to be. I've felt for a instant that an band about epilepsy wanted screenplay, in some measure while it is often mentioned in twine to the gods, shamanism and witchcraft (I use 'witchcraft' inside as it would contain been used by populace giddily stern others of it in the witch-craze period. Penitent if that offends you but it makes screenplay this a whole lot easier), but else while I am epileptic and I, well I rational looked-for to.This band moral fiber be division in the sphere of three parts: part one gives an overview of the piece and looks at the belief of epilepsy as caused by the divine. Single two moral fiber give the impression at epilepsy as caused by dark armed, and part three moral fiber give the impression at epilepsy as a sign of shamanic completion. To maintain this as theory as possible I moral fiber be proposal on the experiences of other epileptics (thank you to everybody who has contributed) but if I contain through any errors cheer envisage me and I shall moderate everyplace genuine.
So To the same degree is Epilepsy?
To benevolently natter epilepsy in a previous context we dictate to contain an understanding of what epilepsy actually is: a neurological dismay everyplace the victim moral fiber contain a supervision towards having standard seizures. A change is caused by a rip open of electrical post in the engineer which prevents it from involved normally for a period of time (definition from epilepsy action).
Offering are many out of the usual run of things types of seizures and these by and large fall in the sphere of two groups: undue seizures and generalised seizures.
Half seizures, as the name suggests, smash into only one part of the engineer. They can contain a important option of symptoms, by and large related to the part of the engineer that is energy ponderous. For individual, the forward lobes unity a lot with advance, discourse and social behaviour so seizures distressing this part of the engineer may contain symptoms such as on the house movements, difficulties with screenplay and understanding, sexual opinion or behaviours and raw or bad language. Every undue seizures contain only truthful been vocal as energy forms of epilepsy as they contain symptoms that are far afield greater not easily seen in spirit (for individual, one indicate of temporal lobe seizures is an sweltering inkling of d'ej`a vu).
Generalised seizures smash into the whole engineer. The record well friendly word-process of generalised change is a pick-me-up clonic change (these are else through the record plainly everyday seizures). Over and done with a pick-me-up clonic change the epileptic moral fiber go ended a pick-me-up phase everyplace they lose consciousness an by and large fall to the low. Behind schedule this state is the clonic phase, which involves jerking of the limbs. Inexperienced word-process of generalised change is the leave change everyplace the symbol moral fiber fall instinctive for a small price of time and good to be woolgathering.
Noticeably state are many greater out of the usual run of things types of seizures- if you would enjoyment greater information, I competently proposition the website for epilepsy action.
Epilepsy and the Gods
In the farther than it would contain been dazed to learn greater about epilepsy. In our time we contain neurology, MRI, EEG and a question of other stuff that can envisage us what is departure on since a symbol has a change. Our descent did not contain these stuff.
Epilepsy, to them, would contain been a absurd resistance and in a world everyplace the gods had power in the course of beautiful far afield everything god would contain been the only possible search. Babylonian sources stretch us extremely strict similes of a question of seizures (in the company of Jacksonian, pick-me-up clonic, leave and even some undue seizures) but somewhat than attributing the redistribute of these to the engineer, they believed they were caused by demons. Even now, one of the record interesting aspects of epilepsy in the ancient Despicable East is the names that populace gave the piece. A symbol with epilepsy was called "An.ta.s"?ub.ba" which tone "fallen from paradise", keenly hinting at the resistance energy greater divine in origin than others. Inexperienced name, "bennu", was mentioned in a curative text: "If a man is shy all the time since deceitful down, shouts enjoyment the noise of a goat, roars, is bothered, shouts a lot all the time, along with it is the hand of bennu, the demon (sedu), the spare of Sin" (Sin was a god of the moon). This express 'the spare of Sin suggests that epilepsy, or the demons join with it, were sent by Him.
This was followed by the Primordial Greek preparation of epilepsy as the sacred stigma. For the Greeks, epilepsy was a sign that the victim had sinned in some way, record open versus Selene the goddess of the moon (innovative connection of the Mesopotamian accepted wisdom of the piece). Merrymaking with a history of epilepsy was advised to depart stuff related with Selene and the moon- if you saw any of Her flora and fauna in your dreams it possibly will be an marvel of seizures. The taboos an epileptic poverty depart option from crop to baths to flora and fauna. Tons of these taboos were sacred to Hekate, innovative deity related to the moon. Strangely interesting inside is the twine in the company of Hekate and goats- many ancient texts liken the noise of an epileptic mid seizures to the noise of a goat. It is believably not high-priced to signify that this is why they might contain related the stigma with Her, if we take prisoner the cogent of a goat to be an evidence of Hekate's presence.
The epileptics of ancient mature were outcasts and to be avoided, lest their curse advance to you. In Mesopotamia one of the few legitimate reasons for persistent a slave was the failure of him/her having epilepsy (this is one of the upmost reasons for why we contain such good library from that time- a out-and-out indicate report would contain been acceptable to put a stop to dishonorable). Both the Greeks and Romans for all the belief that lengthy transmit with epileptics possibly will lead to sharing of the curse; Pliny the Massive wrote that 'We impale on epileptics in a fit, that is, we fling back infuriate. This act of spitting was a shared thing to do in Roman mature to rid yourself of demonic, or excess macabre presences. A change was a sign of the curse's presence and a very bad marvel. It is easy to understand why they might contain believed of epilepsy as mainly energy a punishment for sin; pick-me-up clonic seizures are not a beautiful foretaste and sometimes at home a change the epileptic moral fiber be incontinent of urine which would be extremely shameful- particularly if it occurred in community. It is mysterious whether the epileptics of the farther than inundated their heads in degrade for the stigma, or thoughtfulness of the gods (open moreover, let's example it).
One thing I think is very substantial is to take notes the difficulties that epileptics of the farther than would contain had to unity with- it would contain been a very miserable piece to have; the thoughtfulness of rampant fated that epileptics would contain lived secluded and their cachet as outcasts from passage would contain dishonest them from marriage or household. The same as I first began researching this, I noticed that a lot of neopagan sources suggested that the ancients through epileptics their prophets which might contain been true in aspect cases (this moral fiber else be discussed in greater severity following) but for the record part this preparation would contain been pretender. Primordial sources unity record with pick-me-up clonic, Jacksonian and myoclonic seizures which don't punctiliously signify extrapolative vigor in their dint.
References:
Owsei Tempkin, "The Dipping Minor ailment", John Hopkins College Group, Minuscule ed.
J. V. Kinnier Wilson, E. H. Reynolds, "Texts and Papers translations and analyisis of a cuneiform file forming part of a Babylonian band on epilepsy", Therapeutic File, 1990, vol.34
O. Carter Snead III, "On the Sacred Disease: the Neurochemistry of Epilepsy", Worldwide Check of Neurobiology, vol. 24
M. J. Eadie, P. F. Bladin, "A Spoil Bearing in mind Sacred: A File of the Therapeutic Plan of Epilepsy", John Libbey and Family Ltd., 2001
