Horapollon — Hieroglyphica
A new translation with commentary and notes by Sasha Chaitow
The Hieroglyphica is a captivating late antique gem that embodies the twilight of Mediterranean paganism and hieratic philosophy.
Frustratingly elusive, this extraordinary text offers a thrilling glimpse into a struggle to safeguard knowledge amid clashing worldviews and the fervent religiocultural passions of its time. Echoing the harmonising tendency of late Neoplatonism, its entangled strands of Greek and Egyptian thought and language do not vie for supremacy, but merge in a battle for interpretation, reinvention, and survival.
The journey of the Hieroglyphica is one of transmission and reception: we know more about this than about its creator, provenance, or intent. Its rediscovery and reinterpretation in the Renaissance renders it a touchstone for the development of Renaissance emblematics and alchemical iconography.
However, until recently, its legacy was muddled by errors in dating, authorship, and interpretation, and its significance was diminished by biased commentary. The scholarship itself demands a bold reckoning, entangled as it is in ethnocentric and colonialist lenses that still cloud this artifact’s true significance.
This new English translation directly from the original Greek opens a door for both curious readers and scholars alike, balancing rich context with a sharp, reliable rendering—sidestepping the pitfalls of past efforts.
In this full length scholarly study, Sasha Chaitow has unearthed three groundbreaking insights that reshape our grasp of the Hieroglyphica:
Compelling evidence points to its roots in oral tradition, likely penned by a student of Horapollon; a vivid blend of Alexandrian syncretism, Greek Neoplatonism, Hermetic currents; and traces of late antique alchemical hermeneutics woven between its lines.
These revelations demand a fresh, urgent look at this remarkable manuscript.
DETAILS
It measures 140x215mm and has around 500 pages.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Chaitow, PhD, is a British-Greek scholar of the history of Western Esotericism with a background in Literature and Communication Studies. Her doctoral thesis (University of Essex, 2014) focused on the French visionary author Joséphin Péladan in relation to Symbolist art and literature in the French Occult Revival (Theion Publishing, 2022), and she has published her MA thesis (University of Exeter, 2008) as a monograph on the Renaissance alchemist Michael Maier and the initiatory content of his 1618 emblem book, Atalanta Fugiens (2020). She has published several peer reviewed articles on related topics, and has also led a parallel career as a medical editor for Elsevier.
A native speaker of Greek, Sasha has worked as an academic translator since 1999, in the Greek press industry as a columnist and reporter, and has published a monograph and several chapters in a Greek university textbook.
Her current research involves folk magical practices in Modern Greece and the history of their transmission, the entanglements of Greek Orthodox theology in relation to Hermetism and Neoplatonic theurgy, and the theology and symbolism of Orthodox icons.
She has taught extensively on the academic study of Western Esotericism, topics in Greek myth and culture, and their reception in Anglophone academic studies. She is also a visual artist and a trained iconographer and has exhibited internationally in 14 solo and several group exhibitions.
ENDORSEMENTS
This book is far more than the definitive treatment of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica and its reception history (which it is). As Dr. Chaitow navigates the complexities of translating and interpreting a document that has passed through countless filters since it was dictated to a scribe in the 5th century CE, she provides a master class in contextual sensitivity and hermeneutic nuance. This text is essential reading for anyone who cares about how we understand—and misunderstand—the past.
Leonard George, Ph.D., Faculty Emeritus of Psychology, Capilano University
The Hieroglyphica is a literary enigma that belongs beside the Hermetica and the Orphic Hymns. Like them it claims to be a transmission of ancient wisdom but was actually written down much later. Allegedly a dictionary of the meaning of hieroglyphics, each entry is a little poetic masterpiece, especially in Sasha Chaitow’s splendid new translation, now the standard for this work.
At the nexus of the beauty of poetry and of the observation of human nature and of the patterns of life, in which it resembles the Yi Jing, the Hieroglyphica is a course in the understanding of symbology and folklore. Sasha provides deep insights and fascinating details in a wonderful display of scholarly skills that spans disciplines. Her writing sparkles with wit and elegant turns of phrase, and like the Hieroglyphica itself, with an uncommon common sense.
Ronnie Pontiac, Author of American Metaphysical Religion: Esoteric and Mystical Traditions of the New World
With this English translation directly from the Greek original, Sasha Chaitow breathes new life into the Hieroglyphica. Praise should be given not just for the translation but also for Sasha’s dismantling of long-standing biases that have obscured our understanding of the Hieroglyphica and, more broadly, the intellectual and religious complexities of late antique Greco-Egyptian thought.
Sasha confronts the rigid boundaries within classical, Byzantine, and modern Greek studies, showing how these artificial divisions have confused the understanding of the Hieroglyphica, a work that resists reductive categorisation. By breaking down these barriers, Sasha contributes to understanding Greco-Egyptian intellectual and religious history during Late Antiquity. Thus the Hieroglyphica can be studied in the full richness of its historical and intellectual context.
Angelo Nasios, Historian and Host of Hearth of Hellenism Podcast
For modern readers to make sense of the Hieroglyphica, a text written for and consumed within a culture far removed from our own, a guide is essential. This richly annotated translation, brimming with erudition, opens the door to a foreign and fascinating world.
Olav Hammer, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern Denmark
Sasha Chaitow has provided a much-needed, modern English translation of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica direct from the original Greek, accompanied by extensive notes, fascinating commentary, and refreshing postcolonial critique. The new translation is welcome and very helpful for English readers otherwise reliant on Boas, but it was really the commentary that I was impressed by. I feel like it’s the only book anyone will need (along with Sbordone) on the topic of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica. This impressive study is a valuable contribution to the history of the reception of ancient Egypt, particularly its intersection with Renaissance Hermetism.
Caroline J. Tully, University of Melbourne
