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Collection Overview

Creator:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Collector:
Princeton University. Library. Special Collections
Title:
Princeton Collection of Ethiopic Magic Scrolls
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/pn89d6659
Dates:
1700-1900
Size:
2 boxes and 207 items
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scahsvm): Box 4-5
Language:
English

Abstract

Consists of an open collection of Ethiopic magic scrolls.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Ethiopic magic scrolls are textual amulets containing brief protective and healing texts in Ge'ez and occasionally Amharic. Ethiopian Christians wore these scrolls on the body in the belief that they prevented disease, death in childbirth, demonic possession, malevolent spirits, the Evil Eye, and other sources of personal misfortune. They were generally prepared by unordained clerics (debtera), who wrote on narrow strips of parchment arranged in scroll format. The magical efficacy of these scrolls is based in large measure on a selection of amuletic texts, apotropaic prayers, charms, incantations, prayers, Scriptural quotations, miracle tales, formulas, invocations of divine names and helpful saints, and images. Most magic scrolls were activated for the use of a particular person, whose name is given. Contributing to their protective power are painted images of guardian angels with drawn swords, St. Susenyos slaying Werzelya for the protection of mothers and infants, magic squares and eight-pointed stars, the net of Solomon for capturing demons, and other figurative illustrations and designs. The magic scrolls were generally rolled up in small leather capsules, enabling them to be worn on the body. Some fairly modern magic scrolls are sewn into the capsules so that they cannot be read, but most could be opened and even hung on walls for prayer and protection. Most extant examples in the Princeton University Library date from the 18th to 20th centuries. For more information, see Jacques Mercier's Ethiopic Magic Scrolls (1979) and Art that Heals: The Image as Medicine in Ethiopia (1997).

Arrangement

Arranged by item number, beginning with No. 163. (Nos. 1-162 form the Robert Garrett Collection of Ethiopic Magic Scrolls, C0744.04).

Collection History

Acquisition:

This is an open collection acquired by gift or purchase.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

The Library has recently cataloged or recataloged its Ethiopic manuscript collections with generous support from the David A. Gardner '69 Magic Project, Princeton University, coordinated by the Council of the Humanities. This collection was cataloged by Professor David L. Appleyard, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Princeton Collection of Ethiopic Magic Scrolls; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/pn89d6659
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scahsvm): Box 4-5

Find More

Related Materials

Princeton University Library has two other collections of Ethiopic magic scrolls: Robert Garrett Collection of Ethiopic Magic Scrolls (C0944.04. which is part of the larger Robert Garrett Collection, and Bruce C. Willsie Collection of Ethiopic Magic Scrolls (C0943).

Bibliography

Ephraim Isaac, "Princeton Collection of Ethiopic Manuscripts," Princeton University Library Chronicle 42:1 (Autumn 1980), pp. 33-52. Richard Pankhurst, "Secular Themes in Ethiopian Ecclesiastical Manuscripts: V.: A Catalogue of Illustrations of Historical and Ethnographic Interest in Princeton University Library and Art Gallery," Journal of Ethiopian Studies 22 (November 1989), pp. 31-64. Don C. Skemer, "Princeton's Ethiopic Manuscript Collections at 100," Princeton University Library Chronicle 71:3 (Spring 2010), pp. 461-466.

Subject Terms:
Ethiopian magic scrolls.
Magic, Ethiopian.
Genre Terms:
Manuscript. Ethiopic
Places:
Ethiopia -- History -- Sources.