Numen

Editorial do dossiê

2025-08-15T18:32:23+00:00

Mythical Creatures and Self-Images in Ancient Israel and Judah

2025-04-08T18:30:58+00:00

Mythical or fantastic creatures inhabit a paradoxical place in the southern Levantine history of religions and Biblical Studies. Despite their ubiquity inevitably makes them objects of study, they are usually domesticated through sociological or theological sublimation. In other words, despite being commonplace these areas, they remain relegated to the realms of otherness, either as insignia of powers from beyond (e.g. as theological or psychosocial manifestations) or as manifestations of these powers (e.g. as apotropaic instruments). Based on the study of epigraphic seals with iconography from the Iron Age IIB-C (c. 775-520 BCE), this article challenges these approaches and characterizes mythical creatures as liminal beings imbricated between otherness and identity. These small mixed media or ‘imagetexts’ present personal names in direct relation to theriomorphic and therianthropic beings, thus being privileged data for revealing ideas of personhood in their relationship with fantastic beings in ancient Palestine/Israel. To this end, the study employs an anthropophagic approach with insights from monster theory, intersemiotic studies and material religion.

“My name is legion, because we are many”

2025-07-05T18:30:46+00:00

Mark was the first canonical Gospel to be written, around 65 AD, probably in Rome, for a mixed community, but with a predominance of christians from the gentiles. It is a Gospel that also served as the basis for the other Synoptics, with many texts in common. Mark presents several aspects of the ministry and public life of Christ, such as his miracles, such as the “exorcism” of the demon-possessed young man from Gerasa, in Mark 5:1-20, which continues to attract the attention of many scholars regarding the meaning of its interpretation, whether literal or symbolic. For the analysis of the indicated pericope, the Greek text, translation and textual criticism are offered; pre-textual data from Mark; the theme of the symbolism of the demonic in the 1st century AD is addressed; the debate over the symbolism or literalism of the expression “legion” over the centuries: demons or Romans?; não aceitou

Fronteiras entre os monstros e o grotesco, o cosmos e a morte no imaginário do apocalipse de Sofonias

2025-07-05T18:36:33+00:00

This article investigates the representations of monstrosity and grotesque in Zephaniah's apocalypse, highlighting how their construction aligns with common motifs of the Egyptian imaginary. Using semiotics as the main methodology, the research analyzes the grotesque figures and liminal spaces of the text in the light of theories of grotesque monsters. The study reveals that the grotesque in Zephaniah's apocalypse operates through images of metamorphosed bodies, extreme punishments, and chaotic geographies, evidencing an unstable cosmos (in tempore x ex tempore) where the boundaries between human, divine, and bestial dissolve. The presence of monstrous angels and scenarios of purification and condemnation reinforces the idea that death, in this context, is a threshold of transition and judgment. The results point to a deep resonance between the grotesque of Zephaniah's apocalypse and recurring elements of the Egyptian imaginary, suggesting a fusion of cultural references in the composition of the text.

A construção poética da monstruosidade na Teogonia

2025-03-10T14:52:31+00:00

Este artigo investiga a construção poética da monstruosidade na Grécia Antiga a partir de uma abordagem estética da Teogonia de Hesíodo. Primeiro, analisa a monstruosidade na cosmogonia como manifestação do caos primordial, enfatizando as sucessões divinas de Urano, Crono e Zeus e a batalha contra Tifão, na qual Gaia desempenha um papel central. Em seguida, examina a linhagem de Ponto e Gaia, explorando como a poesia hesiódica constrói a monstruosidade por meio da justaposição entre o assombro e a beleza marítima. A análise busca compreender como a literatura grega antiga articula o monstruoso não apenas como ameaça ou desordem, mas opera como um dispositivo estético e filosófico, promovendo reflexões sobre linguagem, ordem cósmica e experiência humana.

Monsters of our own and others. Demons and hybrid creatures in patristic and literary discourse.

2025-03-26T15:12:01+00:00

This article examines the monstrous and demonic visions found in literary works and narratives produced by monks of the Egyptian desert during the formative period of the Western monastic movement. Drawing on Macumber’s (2021) notion of hybridity as an index of alterity or threat—yet also as a category linked to the individual monk’s body as a heterotopia (Foucault, 1994), a space wherein both individual and collective identities are negotiated—we seek to advance the analyses developed by Brakke (2001; 2006) and Pinheiro (2024) concerning the complex identity dynamics that bound these monks to the monstrous and demonic apparitions that assailed them. Our inquiry thus focuses on the monks’ perceptions of such phenomena—understood not invariably as threatening or negative—and their corresponding reactions, with particular emphasis on the transformative processes these encounters catalyzed in their ongoing pursuit of identity formation and reaffirmation.

Myths, Messiahs and Monsters

2025-06-23T22:58:12+00:00

Fantastic literature expresses the monster and the monstrous not only as a figure but as a way of constructing a narrative. In this sense, the fantastic narrative constructs the monster through a type of story and internal articulation that we call fantastic intertextuality. Thus, the article studies the relationship between the concept of narrative and intertextuality and its application in mythical narratives such as those of the figure of the Messiah, a future savior or liberator during the period of the Second Temple. The figure of the Messiah who ascends from the abyss is a monstrous figure and is inscribed in the record of the time of the end of the world. In other words, the article studies the relationship between narrative and the use of a fantastic intertextuality characterized using fragmentary and incoherent texts from a past era to construct a fantastic future.

Knowing How to Interpret

2025-03-26T15:31:50+00:00

This text aims to problematize the conceptions and actions of the jinns in the Islamic cosmological imaginary, based on an ethnographic case study conducted in Morocco. Instead of restricting the issue to the moral division between humans and jinns, I argue that the monstrosity present in these encounters manifests through the inversion of symbolic signs (order/disorder) provoked by the jinns in their interaction with humans. This dynamic unfolds on an intersectional plane, in which the distinguishing nature of the jinns plays a central role. This research incorporates the analysis of ethnographic data collected in Morocco between January and November 2012, focusing on the rural village of Sidi ‘Ali, located in the Fez-Meknes province. The analysis makes it possible to draw conclusions that clarify the nature of the relationships between humans and jinns, as well as the implications of these interactions for the understanding of the sacred, otherness, and monstrosity.

O poema – e por que não a crítica – como monstro

2025-06-24T00:01:47+00:00

O artigo quer apresentar uma leitura possível do poema Consorting with Angels, da escritora americana já falecida, Anne Sexton. A aproximação ao poema se dará no horizonte de um diálogo com questões suscitadas pela chamada “monster theory”, mas nem por isso trata-se de encará-lo como uma espécie de ilustração de construtos teóricos exógenos a ele. Pelo contrário. O intuito é evidenciar como o próprio poema, não só contém, mas engendra a monstruosidade entendida nos termos de hibridização e liminaridade em sua constituição e partir daí estabelecer uma conversa com a teoria dos monstros e derivar dela as consequências para o ofício crítico. O trajeto reflexivo é uma espécie de espiral. Vai do poema como monstro ao diálogo com a “monster theory”, e de alguns elementos que compõem esse campo teórico ao poema, e em seguida ao próprio trabalho da crítica. Por isso, se propõe uma leitura do poema, tentando evidenciar sua monstruosidade, e depois um exercício de “crítica da crítica”. Serão fornecidas informações contextuais introdutórias sobre a trajetória da artista supracitada, mas, a leitura se baseará, sobretudo num corpo a corpo com o poema e num diálogo com conteúdos que podem ser associados a ele de maneira mais ou menos livre. O objetivo é pensar como o poema é não só portador da monstruosidade, mas o próprio monstro e que a crítica pode ser, a uma só vez, uma resposta visceral e, portanto, também monstruosa, a esse tipo de estética.

Today I Came to Praise Satan

2025-05-07T16:04:54+00:00

This article aims to analyze contemporary quimbanda through a sociological lens, understanding it as a cult of freedom, resistance, and subversion of the religious and moral norms imposed by hegemonic Christianity. The methodology combines ethnographic observation at the Templo de Quimbanda Exu Marabô, located in the city of Ribeirão Preto (SP), and a semi-structured interview with the priest Tata N'Ganga Nláijasé (Tata Felipe). The analysis of empirical material revealed ritual practices and discourses that reinterpret figures from Christian demonology, such as Satan and Baphomet, transforming them into symbols of liberation and ancestry. The research shows that Quimbanda not only rejects Christian theology but also proposes its own cosmology, grounded in immanence, desire, corporeality, and the celebration of difference. This study contributes to the understanding of Quimbanda as a counter-hegemonic social space for affirmation, reception, and identity reinvention among historically marginalized bodies.

A monstruosidade da morte:

2025-07-05T18:16:50+00:00

O presente texto aborda a construção simbólica da morte e da monstruosidade no Ocidente e sua ressignificação no contexto mexicano contemporâneo, especialmente por meio do culto à Santa Morte. Argumenta que tanto o monstro quanto a morte são categorias sociais mutáveis, historicamente associadas ao medo, à alteridade e à exclusão. O culto à Santa Morte, fortalecido no século XX como expressão da religiosidade popular, se expande carregado de estigmas e preconceitos, sendo visto como herético e perigoso pelas instituições oficiais. Entretanto, a Santa esqueleto representa uma forma de resistência simbólica diante da precariedade social, violência e exclusão, oferecendo proteção e sentido espiritual a seus devotos. O texto mostra como a imagem da morte foi transformada e como a Santa Morte reumaniza e sacraliza esse fenômeno, atuando como abrigo simbólico frente ao “capitalismo gore” mexicano, onde a vida é precarizada e a violência é naturalizada.

Monsters, devils, witches, and zombies in expert knowledge: a genealogy of numinous nonhumans and their relationship with scientific culture

2025-05-02T14:09:21+00:00

This article analyzes the different lines of study from which scientific culture has treated various monstrous beings that have accompanied human groups throughout time: the belief in goblins, devils, witches, apparitions and zombies. Through a journey through approaches such as primitive thought, superstition, Catholic-nationalist folklore, pragmatism, popular religiosity, ontological displacements and the anthropology of the extraordinary, the theoretical-methodological frameworks that have shaped these interpretations are examined. The paper proposes a comparative and reflexive reading of these analytical traditions, with the aim of understanding the different ways in which the everyday experience with the monstrous has been conceptualized, hierarchized and, in some cases, dismissed within the scientific field.

Humour is a Serious Thing

2025-08-14T12:36:34+00:00

Considering Laerte Coutinho's comic strips as primary source of intellectual artisanship for supporting our reflections and propositions, as well as other authors that compose this article in the condition of bibliographical reference (secondary) and commentary to the main theme, the general objective of this work is to demonstrate that humor is of decisive importance in subjective and social life and, therefore, it has to be taken seriously also by religion, theology and religious studies – an opinion also shared by Pope Francis, who also is presented as one of the major references for this article. As specific objectives (or secondary), we propose: (1) the critique of religion as a form of spirituality; (2) the laughter as a critique of religion and, therefore, as a form of theology of compassion; and (3) the place of God, religion and humor in dark times – such as those of our existence.

Editorial

2025-08-15T18:30:43+00:00

Myth, history and society

2025-06-26T17:38:20+00:00

The aim of this article is to discuss introductory elements that inspire research on possible developments, mutual influences and varied consequences of the relationship of continuity and discontinuity between myth, history and societies (ancient and/or modern). Thus, it constitutes the presentation of a research proposal with sufficient breadth to inspire or welcome other research that is dedicated to more specific notions and with more specific cuts. In this sense, it begins by problematizing and then discusses theoretical aspects and concludes by pointing to some horizons of research around the theme.

Carrazedo quilombo revelers: popular Catholicism, hierophany and their sacred instruments

2025-04-08T18:43:05+00:00

The revelers of São José are percussionists who make up the largest quilombola manifestation in the municipality of Gurupá - Pará. This article is the result of a master's dissertation linked to the State University of Pará - UEPA, and aims to understand the revelers of São José of the Carrazedo quilombo and their sacred instruments from a hierophant and popular devotion perspective. The methods used were participant observation, semi-structured interviews and theoretical support to support the analyses. The results conceived a riverside and promesseiro profile of the percussionists in a system of compadrio, the Afro-indigenous and European influence in the elements that make up the folia, such as: the presence of elements that resemble other popular Amazonian manifestations, the frequency of concepts that allude to indigenous ancestry, the African diaspora in the region and the strong repression of the Catholic Church in the defense of canonical precepts.

Entre bruxas e cruzes ou sobre como Lutero lidou com a "prostituta grega"

2024-11-29T21:02:12+00:00

O frei agostiniano do século XVI será notadamente conhecido por sua teologia e pelas consequências que esta causou na Igreja Romana e na religião como um todo. A Reforma Protestante é a consequência imediata de sua vida e teologia. Mas e sua filosofia? É possível falar em uma filosofia luterana? Qual a verdadeira relação de Lutero com a filosofia? Ele realmente a menospreza ou suas palavras contra a filosofia são apenas retóricas? Neste artigo, viso estabelecer o quanto Lutero é um pensador que se destaca por sua característica paradoxal, negando a necessidade da filosofia enquanto elabora filosoficamente sua posição. Desta maneira, Lutero é revolucionário ao mesmo tempo que é conservador, é teólogo enquanto é filósofo e filósofo enquanto teólogo. Na história, Lutero pode ser caracterizado sem exatamente ser, pois rompe com sua tradição ao mesmo tempo que a reafirma.

Yogas no Brasil

2024-09-16T21:46:41+00:00

New yogic schools have emerged since the transnationalization of Indian yoga in the 20th century, being called Modern Yoga. They are spiritual movements that, although they contain "traditional" beliefs and innovative practices, are deviations from their previous religious matrices. This article intends to investigate five Brazilian yogas as examples of spiritual perspectives that do not belong to Indian traditions. These arise from singular syncretisms and hybridisms between modern Indian yogas transplanted to Brazilian culture and religiosity. We investigated their biographies, influences and legacies and concluded that they may belong to a possible new yogic spiritual movement called Post or Without Lineage, which differ from modern yogas, as they are organized by beliefs and practices much closer to Brazilian social reality, generating their own metaphysics. .

O véu do silêncio

2025-04-06T22:46:14+00:00

A resenha ora apresentada é uma reflexão inescapável sobre situações adversas que pesam sobre a vida, a psique e o corpo de mulheres que adotam a vida religiosa como um modo de vida. Entretanto, é também uma denúncia de mulheres que, ao experimentarem sofrimentos e frustrações nessa escolha que fizeram, clamam por serem ouvidas, clamam por justiça, clamam para que as suas vivências negativas não se repitam, clamam para que suas vidas sejam respeitadas. A obra consta de doze relatos de religiosas de diferentes nacionalidades, idades, raça, classe, escolaridade, congregações, ao ressaltar esses marcadores da diferença, o texto carrega o princípio da interseccionalidade tão necessária para visibilizar as vicissitudes das mulheres envolvidas.