Folk-lore of the Holy Land by J. E. Hanauer. 1909
Moslem, Christian and Jewish
Index Previous
XIII
TRANSLATION OF A TYPICAL "KEMI'" OR WRITTEN AMULET, USED BY
ORIENTAL JEWS IN PALESTINE
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BINV
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AMI
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ASV
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Abbreviation for the Hebrew words " In the Name of God we
shall do and prosper."
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Abbreviation of Hebrew of " My help cometh from Jehovah."
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Abbreviation of Hebrew of "The Maker of Heaven and Earth."
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"And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by
the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee."
Deliver from fetters Bambina, daughter of Rena, to praise Thy
Name, and may the merits of the Patriarchs shield her. A.N.S.V.
(initials of the words 'Amen, Netzach, Tselah, Vaad).
In the Name of the Most High and the Cause of all Causes, the
Exalted El Jah, the God of Israel, I am that I am, High and
Exalted, the Dweller in Eternity; Whose name is Holy; And in the
Name of the Almighty of Sabaoth, Lord of Lords, Living and
Existent for everlasting Ages. Amen, Selah. And in the name of
HVHY (i.e. the tetragrammaton).
Prosper me in the writing of this parchment, that it be a
preservative, deliverance, protection and a perfect cure to the
wearer of this Charm from sundry and divers evil diseases
existing in the world, from an evil eye and an evil tongue. I
adjure you all ye kinds of evil eyes, a black eye, a hazel eye,
blue eye, yellow eye, short eye, broad eye, straight eye, narrow
eye, deep eye, protruding eye, eye of a male, eye of a female,
the eye of a wife and the eye of a husband, eye of a woman and
her daughter, eye of a woman and her kinsfolk, eye of an
unmarried man, eye of an old man, eye of an old woman, eye of a
virgin, eye of one not a virgin, eye of a widow, eye of a married
wife, eye of a divorced wife, all kinds of evil eyes in the world
which looked and spoke with an evil eye concerning or against the
wearer of this charm, I command and adjure you by the Most Holy
and Mighty and Exalted Eye, the Only Eye, the White Eye, the
Right Eye, the Compassionate the Ever Watchful and Open Eye, the
Eye that never slumbereth nor sleepeth, the Eye to Which all eyes
are subject, the Wakeful Eye that preserveth Israel, as it is
written, " The Eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, and
upon them that trust in His Goodness."
By this Most High Eye, I adjure you all evil eyes to depart
and be eradicated and to flee away to a distance from the Wearer
of this Amulet, and that you are to have no power whatever over
her who wears this Charm. And by the power of this most Holy
Seal, you shall have no authority to hurt either by day or by
night, when asleep or when awake: nor over any of her two hundred
and forty-eight limbs, nor over any of her three hundred and
sixty-five veins henceforth and for ever. A.N.S.V. (Abbreviation
for 'Amen, Netzach, Tsilol, Ve'ad).
UZAH. ADIAH. LEHABIEL
PI. JH. VH. JHVH. EHYEH. AH. ASHER. HV. GH. VH.
Kinbijah. Baduomfiel. Beduftiel.
"Shaddyam" (probably meaning power of the sea). And by the
power of all the holy names and seals written in this charm, I
adjure all malignant powers, evil spirits, impure powers and all
kinds of plagues that molest human beings to be scared away from,
and fear the wearer of this amulet, and not to approach her, nor
to come within the distance of four cubits from her; nor to annoy
her in any manner, either by day or by night, when she is awake
or when she is dreaming. May she obtain a perfect cure from all
malignant diseases which are in the world, and from epilepsy,
convulsions, askara, paralysis, headache, a beclouded mind,
oppression and palpitation of the heart, and from all bondage and
witchcraft, fright and vexation, trembling, startling,
excitement, diseases of the womb, evil imaginations and visions,
male or female devils and demons, and all hurts; and from
Millelin, and Letlin, and all evil spirits and other occult
powers, and impure powers, a perfect cure, deliverance and shield
from all evil diseases existing in the world henceforth and for
ever. And by the power of:--
RVI. ASHA. VVTZ. TCHM. TRV. HSHT. ILICH. And by the power and
influence of VDA. HVI. SISH. IMI. RTZM. TRM. HTB. VMCH. HHV. MRN.
MAT. CIN. CMM. LAB. KHSCH. LRL. TTSH. VDN. Káá.
LTI. MLCH. all this shall be established and confirmed to the
wearer of this charm. So be it, Amen.
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Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel, Euphrates.
Euphrates, Hiddekel, Gihon, Pishon.
Hiddekel, Gihon, Pishon, Euphrates.
Paghaf, Vidar, Shahekel, Vuleni.
Taluman, Rakuh, Padhach, Higeb.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
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A perfect cure, deliverance and shield from all bondage and
witchcraft from henceforth and forever. Amen. Selah.
NOTES
1. The apparently meaningless combinations in capital and
other letters, shown in the above charm, are formed from the
names of the angels, the four streams of Paradise, etc. The
belief is, that the changes in the position of the letters make
these various names more effective and therefore render the
amulet more powerful.
2. In writing charms, etc., the father's name is never
mentioned. The reason alleged is the example of the Psalmist who
prays, "O Lord, truly I am thy servant; thy servant and the son
of thy handmaid."
3. It is not the object of this work to treat the question of
Jewish and Eastern angelology and demonology, amulets, etc.,
exhaustively. Much interesting information on these and kindred
subjects may be gathered from the following English works.
Edersheim, "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah," Appendices
xiii., xvi.
Thomson, "Land and the Book," 1873, pp. 150, 151, etc.
Lane's, "Modern Egyptians," vol. i. pp. 300, 306, 317, 338,
361. vol. ii. pp. 177, 256, 371.
4. Besides written amulets like that of which a translation
from the original Hebrew is given above, it is customary amongst
Jews and other Orientals to wear different objects made of metal,
glass, bone, etc., to keep away evil spirits, and ward off the
effects of the evil eye. Amongst these objects we may mention, a
wolf's bone, blue beads, and silver figures of a pair of frogs
(the sex of each figure being clearly indicated), a sword,
pistol, gun, battle-axe, pair of scissors, scimitar, a hand,
tooth, etc., or to wear a sprig of rue, or a copy of the Koran,
etc.
5. The belief in the protective power of the name
יהוה or YHVH is shared by the
Samaritans equally with the adherents of orthodox Judaism. I have
in my possession the photograph of a Samaritan charm written on
parchment, said to be several centuries old, and to have been
used by generation after generation of "the foolish people that
dwell in Sichem" (Ecclus. 1. 26), in order to cure sick folk of
their ailments. It is written in seven columns divided from each
other by lines of Samaritan writing in larger characters than
those covering the greater part of the document. A framework of
two lines of such writing runs along the four sides of the whole,
and, on examination with a magnifier, is easily decipherable as
containing the account of the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts
in the sea. The columns are divided into sections by from two to
five lines of similar writing (the names of Jehovah, the words
"And Moses prayed," etc.), whilst between the divisions are
paragraphs of small and closely written lines. The size of this
precious document, for which the trifling sum of 5000 francs was
coolly asked, is shown by the scale of centimetres photographed
with it. It was in a terribly dirty and torn condition, having
been worn, rolled, and folded up into a bundle about 22 inches
cube, and apparently next the skin. About the middle of the
eighth column is a "záir 'geh" table, with letters
arranged inside squares, like that shown by Lane, vol. i. p.
356.
SQUARE DIAGRAM.
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and Eve.
and Sarah.
and Rebekah.
and Leah.
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In the corners, pictures of Wailing Place, Machpelah, Rachel's
Tomb and the Holy City Zion.
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Adam.
Abraham.
Isaac.
Jacob.
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Lilith and all appertaining to her
Avaunt!
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Inside, a circle containing four magic words formed from these
names.
In the next inner circle other magic Kabbalistic words.
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Seni, and Sensani & Simnaglûf
Be present!
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Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
To live thou shalt not suffer a witch.
To live a witch thou shalt not suffer.
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Picture of the "Evil Eye" armed with claws and crab-like
mandibles, etc., on which are other letters and magic words.
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A witch to live thou shalt not suffer.
A witch thou shalt not suffer to live.
Not a witch shalt thou suffer to live.
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In the centre the words "El Shaddai," i.e. "God
Almighty" followed by six lines of Kabbalistic words, the last of
which is "Keep," or "Preserve," i.e. "Protect."
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Note.--A remarkable thing in this charm is the omission of the
names of the four angels,
Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel.
Jewish Amulet of Protection
TRANSLATION OF THE REMAINDER.
PROTECTION (OR AMULET)
FOR AN INFANT, AND A WOMAN IN CHILD-BED.
And in good luck.
Be reviled, O Satan!
Psalm cxxi., "A Psalm of degrees," from beginning to end.
Charm against Lilith vouched for as efficacious by several
famous Rabbis:--
"In the Name of YHVH the God of Israel Whose Name is great and
to be feared."
"Elijah, may his memory be blessed, was walking out one day
when he came upon Lilith. He said to her, 'Unclean one! where art
thou going?' She said to him, 'I am going to the house of So and
So, who is in child-bed; in order to cause her death and to
snatch and devour her child.' He said unto her, 'Be thou smitten
with the itch, and imprisoned by the Name of the Most Holy One,
and become a silent stone.' She answered and said unto him, 'O my
lord, let me off, and I swear, in the Name of YHVH to forsake
this my way, and that whenever I shall see or hear any of my
names I shall straightway flee. And now I will make known to thee
my names. And whenever my names shall be mentioned I shall have
no power to do evil or to injure. I swear to thee to reveal my
names, and if they be written and suspended in the dwelling of
the child or the confined woman I shall at once flee.
"'These are my names:--Satrìnah, Lilith, Avìtu,
Amìz Raphì, Amìzû, Kakash, Odem,
'ìk, Pods, 'ìls, Petrota, Abro, Kema, Kalee,
Bituah, Thiltho, Partashah.
"'And whoever fixes up these my names I shall at once flee
from the placard hung up in the house of the confined woman or
the child. This is a charm, and the child as well as his mother
shall never be hurt by me.'"
CABBALISTIC DIRECTION.--Rabbi Eleazar of Garmiza, the author
of the Josephta, may his memory be blessed, says
"As a charm against pestilence and fire, from which may YHVH
protect us, let this be hung against the window or against
(opposite to) the door and at once they will flee." Thus also
Rabbi Arieh the Saint, has said in a MS. of his, "All this is
very marvellous, as also Rabbi Eliezar Baal Shem Tore says."
In a good sign.
Shaddai.
Solemn Adjuration of the Evil Eye. (As this, though
abbreviated, is almost identical with the Amulet translated on
p. 318 ff, there is no need to
reproduce it here.)
Picture of a hand, on the back of which is written "Shaddai"
(Almighty) and "Adonai " (Lord)) with permutations of letters
forming names of angels, etc.
PRINTED BY TURNBULL AND SPEARS, EDINBURGH
