The Metaphysics of Mantic/Prophetic Authentication Devices in Old Babylonian Mari

One of the more surprising aspects of the early mantic and prophetic traditions documented in the letters from Old Babylonian Mari is the use of pieces of hair and the fringes of garments as a means of authentication. This paper argues that the choice of 'hair' (šārtum) and 'fringe' (sissiktum) as authentication devices is motivated by a particular metaphysics of communication with the divine, namely the idea that winds or breezes carry messages from the netherworld to the ordinary world of everyday life. The two terms in question (šārtum and sissiktum) pun on terms for 'wind' (šārum) and 'little breeze' (sissikum) in order to recall the metaphysical underpinnings of the corresponding mantic or prophetic inspiration, but add the feminine ending *-t- order to form substantives that refer to objects that are tangible and concrete.