Pharmakos

A pharmakós (Greek: φαρμακός, plural pharmakoi) in Ancient Greek religion was the ritualistic sacrifice or exile of a human scapegoat or victim.

wikipedia/en/Pharmakos

Pharmakos (plural pharmakoi) refers to a human scapegoat in ancient Greek religion and society, chosen for their social status or appearance to be ritually expelled or sacrificed to purify a community and avert disaster, such as plague or famine. The word is etymologically linked to pharmakon, meaning “poison” or “medicine,” highlighting the dual nature of the pharmakos as both the cause of pollution and the cure.

The Role of the Pharmakos

• Scapegoat: The primary function of the pharmakos was to absorb and carry away the community’s collective impurities, whether physical, social, or spiritual.
• Purification Rituals: They were central to rituals, particularly at festivals like the Thargelia in Athens, to restore communal well-being.
• Averting Disaster: In times of crisis like plague, famine, or drought, the pharmakos was selected to be expelled or killed to prevent further calamity.

Who Was Chosen

• The pharmakos was often chosen from the lowest strata of society, such as the poor, the ugly, the disabled, or criminals.
• In some instances, the individual was well-fed and dressed in fine clothes as a form of honor before their ritual expulsion or sacrifice.

The Ritual

• Selection: Individuals were chosen by the community, sometimes after public meetings or as a result of oracular pronouncements.
• Ritual Acts: The process often involved a procession, beatings with branches, and ultimately, expulsion from the city.
• Expulsion or Death: The pharmakos was typically driven out of the city, sometimes with their ashes scattered in the sea, in other cases, they were killed by stoning or were thrown from a cliff.

Dual Nature of the Term

• The word pharmakos derives from the Greek word pharmakon, which can mean both “poison” and “medicine” or “remedy”.
• This ambiguity reflects the pharmakos’s role as both a pollutant to be purged and a remedy that heals the city through its sacrifice or expulsion.