The TRUE Story Of The Dybbuk Box That Inspired The Possession (2012) And The 5 Other Cases Of Dybbuk Hauntings That Will Traumatise You
In 2001, Kevin Mannis went to a local yard sale.
The owner of the estate - a 103-year-old Polish immigrant named Havaleh - had recently passed away and amongst the collection of assorted trinkets and nick-nacks was a box.
Mannis bought the box.
Havaleh’s granddaughter told the antiques’ dealer that the wine cabinet he had purchased was bought in Spain shortly after the Holocaust, an event Havaleh had survived. Realising the box was actually a precious family heirloom, he implored that they keep it.
The granddaughter refused to take it back. She claimed the box had been kept in her grandmother’s sewing room and had never been opened because a dybbuk (a spirit) was living inside of it.
Take a wild guess at what Mannis did first.
Breaking a centuries long protective seal on the box, Mannis found 2 pennies from the 1920s, a lock of blonde hair, a lock of dark brown hair, a small statue engraved with the word ‘shalom’, a small wine goblet, a dried rose bud, and a candle holder.
But according to the following owners of the box it contained something far more sinister. The events surrounding the Dybbuk Box would inspire one of horror’s most infamous possession movies, take up permanent residence in Zak Bagans’ haunted museum, and claim Post Malone as one of its victims.
And it’s time we talked about it.
Today’s post will explore the real haunted Dybbuk Box that inspired the events of The Possession (2012), and the other cases of dybbuk possession that have reportedly taken place.
In 2012, The Possession was released to a mirage of mixed reviews. But this cookie-cutter supernatural horror film wasn’t just crammed full of cliché-choc-chips.
In short, the film follows the passage of a mysterious box inscribed with and containing mysterious Jewish symbols through several owners who face an assortment of paranormal activity.
The film centres on a young girl, Emily, when she buys it at a yard sale. Having opened the box she begins to exhibit strange, violent, and possessive (*stares into camera*) behaviour over the box.
Emily’s family soon discover that she’s bought a Dybbuk Box. It’s here that the movie begins to navigate Jewish folklore and beliefs regarding dybbuks and spiritual possession, a take not often put to the mainstream horror big screen.
There was no Catholic priest questioning his faith as he battled some Christian demon, and there was no holy water wet t-shirt competition.
We are told a story about a Jewish demon from Hebrew scriptures read by a Rabbi from a Hasidic community. We are told a story that is deeply entrenched in real experiences of dybbuk possession, from 16th century Israeli villagers to America’s most famous ghost hunter. But before we talk about Jewish dybbuk possession we need to start with Kevin Mannis’ unlucky impulse buy..
The Dybbuk Box
Thanks to the cinematic debut of the Dybbuk Box, the haunted eBay marketplace has taken off. In fact, the average online shopping basket now contains a handful of knock-off Velvet Teddy lipsticks and a HAUNTED DOLL SO SCARY USED IN SATANIC RITUAL HAS BLOOD ON IT DO NOT TOUCH!!!!!!
Ever since 2012, you can’t move for Dybbuk Boxes. But the thing is, the Dybbuk Box inspiring the movie - the one originally belonging to Havaleh - is actually the first of its kind.
Whilst dybbuks are an important part of Jewish folklore, taking up residence in wine cabinets and alternative objects is not often noted. And this is what makes this tale so unique.
Havaleh warned her family to stay away from the box - a warning that would make sense once it changed hands. And Kevin Mannis was one of the first to experience strange occurrences.
Or rather his mother did.
He gave his mother the wine cabinet as a gift on her birthday (which happened to fall on Halloween). She had a stroke later that day.
He then tried to give it to other members of his family. Shortly after receiving the box each would return it, claiming the doors of the cabinet would suddenly open and refuse to close, and complaining its emitted odours of both jasmine and urine.
Mannis even tried to sell the box to a couple but they returned it two days later. They left it outside his front door with a succinct note: “This has a bad darkness.”
That’s when Mannis’ nightmares began.
He would often dream of his friends turning into a demon and beating him. He would then wake up covered in bruises as if the attacks had taken place. Each and every person he gave the box to would have the exact same nightmare.
“Why didn’t he just destroy the box?”
Like ouija boards, haunted objects should not be burnt, damaged, or destroyed. Just as opening the box unleashed the sinister forces, destroying it can release what is attached to it.
So Mannis decided to sell it on eBay where the largest online marketplace for haunted objects had been growing since 2000.
$140 later and a college student now had his hands on the infamous Dybbuk Box. And Losif Nietzke got what he signed up for.
For the next seven months of his life was, well, cursed. Him and his roommates fell victim to a number of sudden and inexplicable ailments, from insomnia and bronchitis to broken fingers. And if that wasn’t enough, newly bought electronic devices would fail to work and various dead mice would be found in the kitchen cupboards.
He decided to then sell it to Jason Haxton, a museum director in Missouri who happened to follow one of Nietzke’s blogs recounting his experiences.
Haxton reported similar occurrences to previous owners from his house’s lights burning out to a number of physical symptoms whether he had sudden outbreaks of hives or was coughing up blood. From here he consulted with rabbis to investigate the nature of the dybbuk and the paranormal activity and found a way to seal it back in the box.
He hid the box at an undisclosed location until he donated it to Zak Bagans. It is currently one of the most prized exhibitions at his haunted museum. Its reopening was filmed and resulted in a resurrection of its paranormal activity...
Possession In Jewish Folklore
The Possession sticks close to the original story of the Dybbuk Box. In fact, it follows Jewish folklore very closely - and this includes the demon allegedly inhabiting the box: Abyzou.
Although the demon associated with the real Dybbuk Box has not been identified (an old hag was often seen in the nightmares of the various owners, however), Abyzou is a demon associated with Near East and European folklore.
That being said, a dybbuk is not a demon. A dybbuk is defined as a malicious possessive spirit that is the dislocated soul of a dead person; it aims to possess in order to achieve a certain goal. It has yet to reach heavenly judgment and thus lies between heaven and purgatory. Possession by a soul beyond its judgement on the other hand is called a ‘gilgul’ (this is defined as a reincarnation).
Some demonic possession is associated with dybbuk possession, however.
This twins with the haunting outlined in the film. Abyzou allegedly has an interest in taking children and thus wanted to ‘take’ Emily, the young protagonist.
Dybbuk possession - spirit possession within Jewish culture - belongs primarily to the shtetl (small town communities in Europe prior to WW2). Many of the reported cases of spirit possession occur in a similar time frame to the height of christian possession, from the 16th to the 19th century.
And, just like Christian possession, demons or spirits target what they deemed ‘weaker’ or more vulnerable members of society AKA women and children. The dybbuk enters the society through a low-status member of society and exhibits ‘bad’ and mainly sexual behaviour.
But whilst cases of dybbuk possession dwindled in the 20th century, Catholic possession found a new lease of life among modern exorcists.
The symptoms of possession also follow similar lines drawn out by catholic exorcists: disembodied voices are heard, the voice of the possessed victim changes, newfound knowledge of certain events and other things is expressed by the victim, and a moving bulge can often be seen on their body. Special means or an exorcism is required to remove the dybbuk.
Another important trait of reported dybbuk possession cases is that while most victims are female most of the dybbuks are male spirits.
Although the comparisons to Christian possession are evident, Jewish exorcisms diverge completely.
Exorcisms in Ancient times combined poisonous root extracts and sacrifices to release the possessed from dybbuks, but modern exorcisms follow a different ceremony.
A rabbi who has mastered the Kabbalah school of thought performs the ritual in the presence of a minyan (a group of ten men) who gathered in a circle around the victim. Together they recite Psalm 91 three times and the rabbi blows a ram’s horn.
The horn’s sound ‘shatters’ the body in order to shake loose the dybbuk from the victim. This gives the rabbi a chance to communicate with it and assess why it has possessed the person being exorcised. The minyan pray for the dybbuk and perform a final ceremony to ensure it feels safe and can thus leave the person’s body.
The Most Terrifying Cases Of Dybbuk Possession And Hauntings
The Possession might be based on the infamous Dybbuk Box, but Zak Bagan’s newest antique is not the only recorded case of a haunting or possession by the Jewish spirit.
In fact, the Dybbuk Box went viral once again when it cursed one of America’s most celebrated musicians...
#1 - Post Malone gets cursed by the Dybbuk Box
I know I wouldn’t turn down a personal tour of Zak Bagan’s museum - but after what happened to Post Malone’s own experience with the Dybbuk Box, I might give it a second thought…
He was there when Bagans removed the plexiglass around the box and touched it for the first time since it came into his possession. And when he first placed his fingers on the wine cabinet, Post touched his shoulder. The following events suggested the curse instantly passed from Zak to Post in some sort of human-chain.
The dybbuk might not have possessed the American music artist, but it certainly made its presence known in what many deem a curse: his private plane had to make an emergency landing, armed robbers targeted what they thought was his home, and one of his cars was involved in a serious accident.
#2 - The possession by Baal Dovor in Poland
One of the most famous cases of possession occurred in 18th century Poland. A Jewish woman started speaking Polish - not her first language - and the possessive entity caused her great physical pain. She couldn’t pray, she couldn’t study sacred texts, and she couldn’t even use holy words. When she tried to attend the synagogue she created a ‘disturbance’.
Three exorcisms were carried out to rid her of the demon eventually identified as Baal Dovor. The first two partially removed it but it quickly returned.
The final exorcism did the trick and she specifically asked for lamps to be lit during it. But during this exorcism, a third voice was heard - a voice they recognised as a deceased rabbi. He said she was a saintly individual, that she would get better, and then she would give birth to a son.
His prediction was correct.
#3 - The possession of Eidel
In the late 19th century, the daughter of a Rabbi was possessed by a dybbuk - a dybbuk that was her own father. When her mother died she was raised as a boy and in male practices and studies. Her brother took the role of the Rabbi when her father died.
Eidel on the other hand became a Rebbe.
An exorcism of Eidel revealed the voice of her father which accused her brother, the rabbi performing the exorcism, of embarrassing sins. But he later deduced this was a disguise for another spirit. The exorcism was successful, but Eidel never recovered and was depressed for the rest of her life.
#3 - A curse is placed on a mourning Iranian man
After his father died, a man from Iran became impotent. Conventional therapies and medicines didn’t work, but a mysterious dream suggested the cause of his problem was being bound to the vengeful spirit of his father.
His father allegedly didn’t approve of his son not completing mourning rituals properly, and only un-bound him from the possession after a year (when the mourning period ends).
Binding male genitalia via witchcraft or sorcery is a common theme in Iran, and the prevention of male fertility features heavily in lore.
#4 - The dybbuks of Safed
In the 16th century, a young woman in Safed - a town in Israel - started exhibiting erratic behaviour. She was attacked by a spirit, fell to the ground, and began to speak in a strange voice.
Local rabbi Hayyim Vital exorcised the woman, using the ritual to deduce who the spirit was. He discovered it was the spirit of a wicked man who had been denied entry into heaven and purgatory and was thus forced to wander until it became a dybbuk.
But the thing is, this young woman is not the only resident of Safed to be possessed by a dybbuk. In the Middle Ages and early modern period exiles from Spain coincided with a rise in cases of possession. The similarities between christian and jewish exorcisms informed a cultural change witnessed in Safed.
#5 - A modern dybbuk in modern Dimona
Just before the millennium a widow from Dimona claimed she was possessed by the dybbuk of her dead husband. The mother of eight was refused an exorcism by numerous different rabbis until Rabbi David Basri stepped up to the plate.
Against a lot of vocal opposition from fellow rabbis, Basri exorcised the widow on national television. Dybbuk possessions alleged rose after the broadcast of the exorcism but fell back to the minimal amount before the controversial event.
Do you think the Dybbuk Box is actually haunted?
Let me know in a comment below!
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Spook Of The Day #233 • Anna Baker’s haunted wedding dress
Anna Baker was young when she moved to Pennsylvania with her family in 1849. Like many noble women she was destined to marry into rich and regal families and uphold her own name.
However, she fell in love not with a Duke or a Prince or other man of high title but a factory worker. She even bought a wedding dress in order to marry him - but her father discovered her plan. She was forbidden to marry him and her lover was fired from his role.
She spent the rest of her life a spinster, cherishing her wedding dress as a memento or the life she could’ve had. When she was discovered dead, she was found holding the dress.
A museum was made of the house she lived in with her dress on display. Staff say it can still be seen shaking or swaying in its airtight container as if dancing despite no chance of a breeze entering the display case.
Follow to hear a real ghost story everyday + check out peoplesparanormal.com to hear more real supernatural experiences...
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9agGpuN
by glitter_witch
NEW: metaphysical Rare MALe carpathian incUbus. Are you his mate? Power Sexuality,SEXY dEmon!!! 100% REaL 34.99, Or best offer, 5.99 shipping
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Dean gets drunk and orders a haunted necklace on eBay. Then the weird shit starts.
Words: 4560, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Past Bela Talbot/Dean Winchester, Incubus Castiel (Supernatural), Creature Castiel (Supernatural), Ghost Castiel (Supernatural), Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Top Castiel (Supernatural), Bottom Dean Winchester, True Love, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Anxiety Attacks, Dean Winchester Has Self-Esteem Issues, Caring Castiel (Supernatural), Gentle Castiel (Supernatural)
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9agGpuN
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9agGpuN
by glitter_witch
NEW: metaphysical Rare MALe carpathian incUbus. Are you his mate? Power Sexuality,SEXY dEmon!!! 100% REaL 34.99, Or best offer, 5.99 shipping
---
Dean gets drunk and orders a haunted necklace on eBay. Then the weird shit starts.
Words: 4560, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English
Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Additional Tags: Past Bela Talbot/Dean Winchester, Incubus Castiel (Supernatural), Creature Castiel (Supernatural), Ghost Castiel (Supernatural), Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester, Top Castiel (Supernatural), Bottom Dean Winchester, True Love, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Anxiety Attacks, Dean Winchester Has Self-Esteem Issues, Caring Castiel (Supernatural), Gentle Castiel (Supernatural)
read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/9agGpuN
Imbued with the restorative healing powers of 7 sephiroth of the planet kozthkatoth, this item stealthily blends in anywhere; and will heal and restore anything one can fit in it- even via remote healing.
It would take a few libraries of books on quantum theory and metaphysics to thoroughly explain the dynamics of this amazing device; in short, and in layman terms the bag acts as a wormhole which transports matter and energy AS WELL AS INTENTION into far away planets where the entities can download new material components for all and any urth, martian, and ethereal elements to recreate and restore whatever was in the bag to its fullest and most complete condition. These entities and their home planets exist on a higher dimensional plane in which they can determine the exact point on the 4th dimensional trajectory throughout the entire lifespan of any person, place, or object put into the portal. Your intention along with the item is mirrored into the higher dimension, processed by the entities and materialized back to its healthiest, and most perfect state of existence over a span which varies according to the force of the intention and the gradiation of elemental forces in the continuum.
This item, as I’ve mentioned is also perfect for discrete remote healing; simply place a lock of hair, a photograph, a drawing, or other personal relic into the bag; with your intention to heal, resurrect, protect, or lessen the burden of a person or animal; into the bag and be amazed.
This is not voodoo, there are no risks involved, and no curse or hex, there is no wrong way to use the haunted ziploc bag of restoration, merely a way which is effective, and a way which is not. Effective manifestation is a skill, and one you can easily learn to develop using the haunted ziploc bag of restoration if you have not already. As a dear friend of our coven once relayed regarding the psychokinesis developed in the rosicrucian order: disbelief and doubt are powerful counter-intentional forces which will manifest proof to fulfill their prophecies.
The most effective way to use the bag, we have discovered is to purify, decontaminate, revive and give new life to food items such as cheetos, sandwiches, pizza, chopped veggies, and granola. The bag removes any stale or dead particles from the food and maximizes the nutrient content of it. We suggest you start out small like this to build confidence and focus in your intention. The bag will work as hard as you do to restore ANY absolutely ANYTHING in the phenomenal universe to its most pristine condition.
This is a business essentially in a ziploc bag if you use it correctly, you can restore anything from antiques to sandwiches, to the crippled, to.. and beyond.
We do not suggest healing or restoring anyone without their consent or permission, however this can be done; it’s really mostly a karmic issue; and as we said there is no wrong way to use this device; but there is an effective way to do so ethically and harmoniously with the entities on the other side, whom WILL NOT heal a person who does not wish to be healed; if they’re apathetic it seems to work most of the time.
As we are really not out to make money and wish to see you get the most out of your haunted ziploc bag of restoration. Remember that the bag works with very wise, hardworking, and compassionate entities who wish to help, it’s what they do and they are not the slightest inconvenienced by this, they do appreciate it when you draw them pictures or write nice thank you letters and put it in the bag for them; but again this isn’t necessary, it’s just something to do if you care to after you experience first hand the amazing restorative capacity of this small pocket of alchemical healing.
We wish you the best of luck. Enjoy!
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WARNING! bag may be harmful to children.
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These bags come in sets of 3 , 6 and nine when all of on set is active the restorative and imbuing properties of your bag will be increased.
Real Haunted Reptilian Alien Mask circa ‘96 Please Read True History Only 1 Made
“In high school in 1996, a foreign exchange student from Austria named, Anson (who was 6'7" at the age of 16) made this for me because he knew I liked Aliens and Sci-Fi collectibles. I had moved out by the age of 15 and I had this hanging in a tiny stark white bathroom above the claw footed bathtub. I was laying back and his face began to shimmer, seriously , the paint began to ripple. (I was not intoxicated in any way at all at time either). I looked away and returned to see if I was seeing things, I was not. All of a sudden to my complete and utter horror, his entire body came out of the wall, and he was huge and was covered in scales, no noise at all from it. I started screaming at the top of my lungs and my girlfriend burst the door open and pulled me naked out of the tub and he grabbed my other arm. Even though she could not see him too, she could feel him pulling me back into the bathroom and she left nail scratches and bruises on my wrist. This is all true, I really mean this. It has been kept inside of a box in our crawlspace ever since. This thing still scares me, I must get rid of it. It is signed on the back and the glaze still looks really nice. The small top part that is missing that cannot be seen from the front happened when this thing was on the floor after that terrible afternoon. This is a one-of-a-kind mask and his design, there is only one of these and I firmly believe that is a good thing.”
Vintage Angry Creepy Boy Doll Vessel Of Precocious Child HAUNTED! SEE PICS!
Here's a listing for a abnormally powerful and creepy HAUNTED boy doll. This doll has very powerful emotional characteristics and affects everyone who sees it in person. It was in my aunts house and there were people who would not enter the home because of it. My aunt said it once belonged to a back woods hermit lady who carried it with her where ever she went. What ever the story or origin, this thing is certainly an oddity with overwhelming physic characteristics that are undeniable. Doll is 21" tall and a bit dirty because it was just to weird for me to try and clean it. From a smoke and pet free home. Thanks.
