Contents and Arrangement
Online

Princeton Ethiopic Manuscript No. 56: A Book of Magical Prayers With Talismanic Drawings, early 19th century

HAS ONLINE CONTENT

Collection Overview

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Illustration: Fol. 3v: A drawing in purple ink of Jesus and another figure in a reed boat addressing a now feint figure outside a house ( ?). The text above the drawing, also in purple ink, is now only partly legible and seems to mention an individual called Berhanä Mäsqäl.

Illustrations: Fol. 4r: A collection of talismanic drawings.

Illustrations: Fols. 5v-6v: [mostly in red] A collection of talismanic drawings, followed by a prayer for the "drowning" of demons.

Illustrations: Fols. 7rv: Two grid charts, the second of which is titled "My Lord Jesus Christ, with this chart save me from mäqurañña [possibly meaning here 'demonic possession'].

Illustrations: Fols. 8r-9r: [in red] Further grid charts followed by a prayer for binding demons, barya, zar, etc., with talismanic drawings and figures.

Illustration: Fols. 32v: Three grid charts entitled "for Monday" , "for Wednesday," and "for Thursday," respectively.

Illustration: Fol. 33r: A crude drawing of a bird and talismanic letters [harägwi fidäl, lit. "knotted letters"].

Illustration: Fols. 33v-34r: A drawing of a supplicant with accompanying servant being led by the Virgin Mary towards the figure of Christ in majesty [f.34r]. The supplicant may be a priest as evidenced by his turban and the prayer stick carried by his servant. The text reads "how — (name erased) made supplication through Our Lady Mary and with his [sic] beloved Saviour of the World."

Illustration: Fol. 35r: Virgin and Child.

This is a high-quality magical prayer book made in the first half of the nineteenth century likely for a member of the nobility. As expected, there is no formal indication of date. The several hands are all a 19th century räqiq hand, of varying quality, certain features of which might suggest a date earlier rather than a later in the century, and the costume worn by the figure of the supplicant in the drawing on fol. 33v resembles that worn by the nobility up to the 1850s.

There are numerous talismanic drawings and the quality of many of them shows greater finesse than is usual in magical manuscripts of this sort. This type of manuscript, intended for practical use by a däbtära as a source book for the composition of amulet scrolls or kitab, would normally be copied by the original owner himself, but as is the case here could also be passed on to others.

The text comprises a collection of prayers for various purposes. In the present manuscript these are predominantly prayers against drowning (s'älot bä'entä mäst'em) and prayers to counteract spells (mäftehé seray), though there is also a version of the well known magical prayer known as the Säyfä Esat or Sword of Fire. The accompanying diagrams are intended as prophylactic designs for incorporation in amulets, and the charts or tables either as devices for divination or schematic representations of protective processes. The prayer texts themselves typically comprise lists of magical names (asmat) for the summoning of power or the protection and shielding of the individual from demonic forces.

The name of the original owner and probable scribe has been erased throughout, though the first element of his name, Wäldä..., is still occasionally visible.

Arrangement

Arranged in manuscript number order, by accession. Numbers 29 and 67-71 are unassigned.

Collection History

Sponsorship:

This cataloging project was made possible through generous support from the David A. Gardner '69 Magic Project, Princeton University.

Processing Information

The present finding aid was prepared in June-July 2009 by Kesis Melaku Terefe , Virgin Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church in Los Angeles, with assistance of Prof. Wendy Laura Belcher , Department of Comparative Literature and Center for African American Studies, Princeton University. This cataloging project was made possible through generous support from the David A. Gardner '69 Magic Project, Princeton University.

In 2022, restrictions on manuscripts No. 54, 57, and 65 were lifted as part of a restrictions review project.

In 2022, manuscripts nos. 86-95 were added to the collection.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

This 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 Ethiopic Manuscript No. 56: A Book of Magical Prayers With Talismanic Drawings; Princeton Ethiopic Manuscripts, C0776, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184

Find More

Related Materials

In addition to Princeton Ethiopic codices, the Library also has a collection entitled Garrett Ethiopic Manuscripts (C0744.03), gift of Robert Garrett (Princeton Class of 1897). There is one Ethiopic manuscript in The Scheide Library (Manuscript 119).

The Library also has three substantial collections of Ethiopic magic scrolls . Professor David Appleyard, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, compiled the online checklist of these scrolls, with support from the David A. Gardner '69 Magic Project, Princeton University.

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.