#ethiopian magic

[talllsam]

painting of archangel Micheal & a demon

[ducissatenebrarum]

Healing Scroll 18th–19th century

Ethiopian magic scrolls typically have a face connected with a prayer that goes with the talisman, and its presence is necessary for the effectiveness of the scroll. The face is known as gätsä säb'e ("face of a person"). Thus defined, the face has a sort of "local" identity. A generic meaning can also be attributed to it, a face of God, an angel, a demon, a man, and so on.

In Ethiopia customized protective scrolls that interweave sacred imagery with textual prayers have been prescribed by traditional healers for over two thousand years. These were carried on the person of the individual to whom they were specifically dedicated to shield them from harm. Often the customized content of a scroll is astrologically determined. In Ethiopia as in ancient Greece, each human being has a corresponding zodiac sign associated with a particular destiny and talismanic character. The iconography of the scrolls thus alternate between talismanic "seals" and representations of saints, angels and archangels shown in the act of fighting demons. The seals are modeled on the seal of God that was revealed to King Solomon and feature geometric patterns intertwined with stylized representations of multiple visages and eyes that indicate prayers for divine intervention.

[talllsam]

Fowler Quran: Sura āl-Imran (Q. 3), verses 17. fols 35v-36r. c. 1750-1850. Siyu(?), Pate Island (Kenya). Scribe unknown. Ink on laid paper. Image courtesy of the Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles.

Backlit page of a Qur’an on paper from Harar, Ethiopia. Toronto, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, MSS 05330.

Qur’an made in Harar, Ethiopia - source: https://hiddenstories.library.utoronto.ca/exhibits/show/ethiopia-coastal-east-africa/overview

[talllsam]

#1 Gaurdian Angel

#2 Aprotopaic talisman with gätsä säb'e on the center of eight-pointed star. ~ "In Ethiopia the eight-pointed star are sometimes called "Solomon's Seal". The eight points indicate the four directions of the talisman's protective power"

Estimated: 19th Century

Sourced: Magic Scrolls of Ethiopia (1979)

[talllsam]

#1 Susenyos Legend

#2 Importan ethiopian saint, Gäbrä Mänfäs Qedus (left) and guardian angel with unsheathed sword.

#3 Talisman and guardian Angel stabbing a horned demon.

Estimated period: 18th century - 19th century

Sourced: Magic Scrolls of Ethiopia (1979)

[talllsam]

from 'Art that Heals: The Image as Medicine in Ethiopia'

[talllsam]

from 'Art that Heals: The Image as Medicine in Ethiopia'

[talllsam]

‘Eight-pointed star with the face of a lion, which could evoke the demon locked in his prison.’

Sourced: Magic Scrolls of Ethiopia (1979)