Typhonian minium (μίλ[τ]ου Τυφῶνος)

Ingredients

red anemone, juice from an artichoke, seed of the Egyptian acacia, Typhonian minium, asbestos, quicklime, wormwood, gum arabic, rainwater

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The recipe for Typhonian ink includes red anemone, juice from an artichoke, seed of the Egyptian acacia, Typhonian minium, asbestos, quicklime, wormwood with a single stem, gum arabic, and rainwater (p. 49). Other variations mention the use of 'blood of donkey' or 'blood of Typhon' (p. 46), which the author argues could be ritually commutable with minium in certain magical contexts (p. 50).

Evidence

"Writing made with Typhonian ink (Τυφωνίου μέλανος γραφή): red anemone, juice from an artichoke, seed of the Egyptian acacia, Typhonian minium (μίλ[τ]ου Τυφῶνος), asbestos, quicklime, wormwood with a single stem, gum arabic, rainwater."

Remarks

In Greco-Egyptian magic, minium acquired a particular Sethian/Typhonian meaning due to its red color. The term 'Typhonian' links the ink to the Sethian sphere (p. 49-50). The use of 'blood' names (Decknamen) often encoded mineral or vegetal substances to conceal their nature from the uninitiated (p. 51-52).