An Ethiopian amulet or ketab in Amharic., 19th century -

Containers:

Bound Bound

Scope and content:

1. Probably (?) 19th century. Rubricated and with decorations and miniatures in red, black and green. Contains a number of small tracts in 3 or 4 different hands bound together between wooden boards, as follows:
2. (a) blank, f. 1: trials of the pen (fatina bere) in red and black, f.2r; a charm? ff.2v-4r with a magic diagram on f.4v.
3. (b) Golgota (Salot), prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Mount Golgotha, ff.5r-32r; blank, f.32v (only the stub of f. 32 remains)
4. (c) Various prayers and incantations, beginning "'Esaged lamalakoteka" and ending with an invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, ff.334-50r, with a sketch for a miniature of St George and the dragon on f.45r; a miniature of the archangels Michael and Gabriel shown as the protectors of a holy Theodore (qedus Tiwoderos), not further identified, on f.45v; a miniature of St. George slaying the dragon (the background painted in blood) on f.50r; blank f.50v
5. (d) Prayers and incantations, beginning "Basam abe wawalid wamanfas kidusam" and in most of which the Blessed Virgin Mary is invoked (her name has been written in over an erasure in many of the rubrics towards the end), ff.51r-86v.
6. See Rene Basset: Les Prieres de la Vierge a Bartos et au Golgotha. Paris, 1895. (Les Apocryphes ethiopiens, 5) Deborah Lifchitz: Textes ethiopiens magico-religieux. Paris, 1940. (Institut d'Ethnologie. Travaux et memoires, 38) p. 15.
7. Accompanied by a card (5 x 8 cm.) in German. A translation follows: "Abyssinian magic and prayerbook from the year ca. 800. H Selata Egzitina/Mariam gologota Prayer to the Virgin Mary to be prayed in Jerusalem in addition to a few incantations (formulas of magic). 86 leaves. Amhara. Acquired 1904. It is said to have been decorated with human blood. The imperial royal court library wants to acquire (bids) this book for 900 Kcrowns. It is one of the oldest books known to date. M. R. Schmerha"

Acquisition information:

Purchased. Lathrop C. Harper, 8 West 40th Street, New York, New York. 1967.

Physical description:

Autograph document 86 leaves 9 x 6 cm.

Access and use