Spirit Possession Cults in a Comparative Perspective: A Modern Amhara Village and Ancient Greece(1)

Abstract

Spirit possession cults are a universal phenomenon as of old, found primarily in the southern hemisphere. The belief is that a superior being takes possession of a mortal and uses the mortal as his/her mouthpiece. In such a state of possession the mortal utters the message of the superior being in an unintelligible tongue. Then a message is interpreted. To Classicist scholars and to the majority of Western intellectuals the possession cult oracles of Ancient Greece, in particular the Oracle of Delphi, are well known. Less known is that possession cults are still found today in various parts of the world. The example given here is a session with a Tanquay, (a possession cult ritual functionary) in an Amhara village in the Ethiopian highlands. The interview with the Tanquay has been recorded and Amharic text, transliteration and translation are part of the article.