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10. MAGICAL LITERATURE (2)

10.7. ASIAN, AFRICAN & AMERICAN MAGICAL LITERATURE

See also MS 2960, Ecuador, 3500-1500 BC
See also MS 2103/1, China, 14th-12th c. BC
See also MS 1911/1, the Near East, 5th-7th c.
See also MS 1911/2 ,the Near East, 5th-7th c.
See also MS 1928/19, Persia, 5th-7th c.
See also MS 1928/54, the Near East, 5th-7th c.
MS 2053/196, the Near East, 5th-7th c.
MS 2053/198, the Near East, 5th-7th c.
See also MS 2056/12, Persia, 5th-7th c.
MS 2978 Tibet, 18th c.
MS 2480 Indonesia, 19th c.
MS 1960 Ethiopia, 19th c.

10.8. AUSTRALIAN MAGICAL LITERATURE & RITUALS

MS 5085 Australia, 20 000-3000 BC
MS 5087/37 Australia, 20 000-3000 BC

10. Magical Literature

10.7 Asian, African & American Magical Literature

See also MS 2960, Divinatory manual or star chart, Ecuador, 3500-1500 BC

See also MS 2103/1, Oracle bone, China, 14th-12th c. BC

See also MS 1911/1, the Near East, 5th-7th c.

See also MS 1911/2, the Near East, 5th-7th c.

See also MS 1928/19, Persia, 5th-7th c.

See also MS 1928/54, the Near East, 5th-7th c.

MS 2053/196
  1. BIBLE: NUMBERS 9:23
  2. BIBLE: ZECHARIAH 3:2
  3. BIBLE: PSALMS 55:8; 91:7-8
  4. INCANTATIONS:
    TIGERS ARE PLACED UPRIGHT ON MY HEAD, AND MALICIOUS PEBBLE-STONES ARE PLACED ON MY CHEST, AND AT THEIR KNEES ARE SEALED HEAVEN AND EARTH, FIRE, WATER, MOON, STARS, ZODIAK SIGNS, SPARKS, AIR, DEMONS, DEVS, ACCIDENTS, NO-GOOD-ONES, SATANS, DANAHISH, MALE IDOLS AND FEMALE GODDESSES.
    AGAIN, I SEAL AND DOUBLE-SEAL, I, DUKHTANSHAH DAUGHTER OF GUSHNOI, BY THESE THREE MAGICAL WORDS WITH WHICH THEY SPEAK AND LISTEN, FOR THE GREAT HAMMER OF SPLENDOUR AND THE GREAT AXE OF THE BEGINNING AND SCOURGE OF 360 PURE PEBBLE-SPIRITS. AMEN, AMEN, SELAH.-

MS in Hebrew (texts 1-3) and Jewish-Aramaic (text 4) on clay, Near East, 5th-6th c., 1 incantation bowl, 10, 5x27,0 cm, 14 lines in Jewish-Aramaic script, indented rim.

Context: Numbers 9:23 are on MSS 2053/41, 2053/126, 2053/139, 2053/190 and 2053/196. Zechariah 3:2 is cited on MSS 1927/10, 1927/18, 1927/41, 1927/64, 1928/14, 2053/01, 2053/07, 2053/13, 2053/14, 2053/24, 2053/38, 2053/52, 2053/56, 2053/66, 2053/70, 2053/80, 2053/92, 2053/116, 2053/156, 2053/158, 2053/168, 2053/176, 2053/182, 2053/195, 2053/196, 2053/218, 2053/223, 2053/230, 2053/238, 2053/243, 2053/246 and 2053/262. Psalms 55:8 is cited on MSS 1927/37, 2053/70 and 2053/196. Psalms 91:7-8 are cited on MSS 1927/37, 2053/196 and 2053/275.

 ms 2053/196

Commentary: Text 1, Numbers 9:23, is not extant in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and is the oldest surviving witness in the original language of the Hebrew Bible.

Text 2, Zechariah 3:2 is on the Dead Sea Scroll, 8HevXIIgr, frg. 7, from Nahal Hever, the "Cave of Horror", which however, is not in Hebrew, but the Greek Septuagint translation. The present text thus is the oldest surviving witness in the original language of the Hebrew Bible.

Text 3, Psalms 91:7-8, quoting the Hebrew Bible is among the earliest known, only preceeded by the Dead Sea Scrolls, 11QPsApA and 4QPsB, in Hebrew.

Publication: The partial quote of text 4 is preliminary and by permission of Prof. Shaul Shaked, who will publish the present incantation bowl in the series Manuscripts in The Schøyen Collection.

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MS 2053/198

INCANTATIONS: SUPRESSED ARE ALL DEMONS, ALL NO-GOOD-ONES, ALL PEBBLE-SPIRITS, AND LILITHS, AND MEVAKKALTAS, AND IDOLS AND GODDESSES, AND BARREN ONES, AND PREGNANT ONES. THIS IS THE SURPRESSION BY WHICH HEAVEN AND EARTH IS SURPRESSED. YOU ARE ALL SURPRESSED BY YOUR NAMES, WHETHER THEIR NAMES ARE MENTIONED OR ARE NOT MENTIONED. - ALL THOSE WHO DWELL WITHIN HIS HOUSE AND RESIDE OVER THEIR TRESHOLD - AND WHO KILL AND HARM AND APPEAR IN HATEFUL SHAPES WHICH ARE NOT GOOD.

ON SUNDAY, IN THE MONTH OF AB, I SALUK SON OF HORMIZDUKH, PERFORMED A MAGIC ACT BY THE NAME OF ME, MESHALLAH SON OF MESHALLAH. IT IS BURIED IN THE TRESHOLD OF THE HOUSE OF SALUK SON OF HORMIZDUKH, IT IS BURIED BY MY HAND, AND I SEAL IT AGAINST YOU - THIS IS THE SEAL THAT IS NOT BROKEN, WITH WHICH ARE SEALED HEAVEN AND EARTH.

MS in Jewish-Aramaic on clay, Near East, 5th-6th c., 1 incantation bowl, 13,0x26,2 cm, 12 lines in Jewish-Aramaic script, drawing of standing demon at center and with 2 snakes eating each others tails along the rim, and 2 pairs of bound demons outside.

Exhibited: University College London, Centre for Jewish studies, and the Warburg Institute: Babylonian Aramaic Magic Bowls from the Schøyen Collection, A Special exhibition on the occation of the workshop "Officina Magica", London 15 - 17 1999.

Publication: The partial quote of the text is preliminary and by permission of Prof. Shaul Shaked, who will publish the present incantation bowl in the series Manuscripts in The Schøyen Collection.

 ms 2053/198

See also MS 2056/12, Persia, 5th-7th c.
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MS 2978
ASTROLOGERS MANUAL
  1. NATURE OF SACRED SITES AND THE QUALITIES OF SITES FOR THE DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD; COMPARING A NUMBER OF THESE AND THE TYPES OF SPIRITS LIKELY TO DWELL IN SUCH PLACES
  2. A PANEL OF 72 AUGURIES AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE TO BE NOTED AT THE TIME OF THE BIRTH, AND A COLUMN OF 16 PHASES OF THE MOON WITH ANIMAL HEADS AND A PATTERN OF CROSS HATCHING BENEATH 3 PAIRS OF TREES
  3. A PANEL CONSTITUTING THE HEART OF ASTROLOGICAL LORE IN THE FORM OF THE "COSMIC TORTOISE", UPON THE BELLY OF WHICH IS INSCRIBED THE MAGIC SQUARE OF NINE NUMBERS. IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDED BY 8 TRIGRAMS, FAMILIAR FROM CHINESE SYSTEMS OF DIVINATION
  4. A PANEL TELLING OF THE AFFINITIES AND ANTAGONISMS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS AND ANIMALS OF THE CYCLE OF TIME. THE 5 ELEMENTS, WOOD FIRE, EARTH, METAL AND WATER, MAY COMBINE IN EITHER HARMONIOUS OR DESTRUCTIVE FASHION, DEPENDING UPON THEIR NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER AND THE 12 ANIMALS LIKEWISE
  5. A PANEL GIVING DETAILS CONCERNING THE NATURE OF 8 TRIGRAMS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND A SET OF 9 OMENS, BOTH GOOD AND BAD, CONNECTED WITH THE CENTRE AND 8 DIRECTIONS OF SPACE
  6. THE 5 ASPECTS OF HUMAN VITALITY, AND THE 28 CONSTELLATIONS WHICH COMPRISE THE HOUSES OF THE MOON
  7. A SERIES OF DRAWINGS DEPICTING VARIOUS OMENS OF BENEFIT AND HARM
  8. THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE 8 TRIGRAMS AND THE 12 ANIMALS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, FOLLOWED BY AN ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL RELATIONSHIPS AS THE DAILY PROGRESSION OF ANIMALS INTERACTS WITH THE ANIMAL OF THE YEAR
  9. SECTION OF DEMONOLOGY AND THE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR WARDING OFF OR CURING THEIR BALEFUL INFLUENCES
  10. CHART GIVING SPECIFIC DETAILS OF ONE PARTICULAR CYCLE OF THE 12 ANIMALS. SUCH COMBINATIONS RECURS ONLY ONCE IN EVERY 60 YEARS

MS in Tibetan on cloth, Tibet, 18th c., 1 roll, 47x380+30 cm, 49+13 columns, (47x380 cm), up to 69 lines in Tibetan dbu can script, diagrams, ca. 500 drawings and illustrations in full colours.

Provenance: 1. Sam Fogg Rare Books Ltd., London. Commentary: An astrologer's mnemonic textbook in the form of an illustrated roll.

ms 2978
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MS 2480
PUSTAHA, DIVINATION BOOK, INCLUDING PODA NI RAMBU SIPORHAS; ON DIVINATION WITH A DOUBLE STRING, MENTIONING DATU GUSAR NI AJI ms 2480

MS in Toba-Batak on bast, Sumatra, Indonesia, 19th c., 58 ff., folding book, 17x24 cm, single column (15x23 cm), 16-20 lines in Batak script, ca 75 large, complex, finely-drawn figures in black ink coloured red.

Binding: Sumatra, Indonesia, 19th c., carved wooden covers.

Context: The wooden covers are of the same style as those of MS Chester Beatty 1115, but more detailed.

Provenance: 1. Sam Fogg cat. 19(1998):151.

Commentary: The name Datu Gusar ni aji is often found in chains of transmission of rambu siporhas texts. This MS is a fine and early specimen of Batak art.
  ms 2480
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MS 1960
  1. BIBLE: JOHN 1:1 - 4
  2. MAGICAL NAMES GIVEN TO SOLOMON
  3. HOW OLM EXPELLED THE DEMONS
  4. PRAYER FOR LOOSING SPELLS
  5. PRAYER WITH ASMAT (MAGICAL NAMES)
ms 1960

MS in Ge'ez on vellum, Tigray, Ethiopia, 19th c., 1 roll of 3 membranes (complete), 209x16 cm, 2 columns, (ca. 205x15 cm) in a bold Ethiopic Ge'ez book script, coloured borders containing protective eye motifs along both edges in full length of roll, doubled between columns, ornamental headpieces (harägs) in both ends, large bold miniature, 31x16 cm, of a guardian spirit with large eyes in orans posture, another, 13x8 cm, of Archangel Michael with drawn sword, a third, 18x16 cm, of an angel striking with a sword a demon that has captured a person, all in colours by the Tigray Master.

Context: Another MS by the Tigray master is MS 2849.

Provenance: 1. Walda Adhana, Tigray, Ethiopia (19th c. -); 2. Sam Fogg Collection, London, B31.
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10.8 Australian Magical Literature & Rituals

MS 5085
   
CYLCON (YURDA), A MAGICO-RELIGIOUS TALLY WITH MARKS POSSIBLY RECORDING THE NUMBER OF YOUNG MEN TO PASS THE INITIATION RITUALS TO MANHOOD OF THE "BORA", FURTHER POSSIBLY REPRESENTING THE POINTING OF THE "DEATH-POINTER-BONE", MAGIC CAPABLE OF CAUSING DEATH TO ANYONE DIVULGING THE TRIBE'S SECRET RITUALS ms 5085

MS on weathered desert sandstone, Bulloo Downs, South West Queensland, Australia, ca. 20000-3000 BC, 1 cylindrical cylcon, 26x7x6 cm, deeply incised with 5 parallel longitudinal lines intersected by 4+2 semi-circular lateral lines, 2 arrows pointing towards apex, 1 arrow pointing towards base.

Provenance: 1. Found in Bulloo Downs, South West Queensland, Australia (ca. 1947); 2. Shearing Contractor Peter Manoel, New South Wales, Australia (1947-1973); 3. H. Gallasch Museum, Australia (1973-); 4. Sam Fogg Rare Books Ltd., London.

Commentary: Cylcons are earlier than churingas. There is no certain ways to date individual cylcons. The oldest cylcon/message stone found in a dateable archaeological context is about 20,000 years old. The simple line motifs of the oldest cylcons represent the earliest art of the Aborigines, from a very early period of occupation. In Australian nomenclature this is the colonizing period, or early Stone Age, ca. 50,000/40,000-3,000 BC.

With the earliest rock-carvings and -paintings, the cylcons represent the oldest form of communication and art; and they represent the oldest religion still observed. Only 2 Aborigines have been able to communicate their name of the cylcons: Yurda, and Wommagnaragnara (Heart of the snake), respectively. Other uses as tallies are possible, such as counting of dead people, warriors, emus, measures of nardo seeds, or mapping purposes counting day-marches in various directions. Later the use could also change to other magic rituals, some involving the chipping off smaller flakes, and the practical use for pounding and crushing. Much more research is needed before the cylcons' real age and significance can be properly understood and appreciated. The term cylcon is derived from the title of R. Ethridge's publication: The Cylindro-conical and Stone Implements of Western New South Wales and their significance. Ethnological Series No. 2, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of New South Wales, 1916:1-41.

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MS 5087/37
CYLCON (YURDA), A MAGICO-RELIGIOUS TALLY WITH MARKS POSSIBLY RECORDING THE NUMBER OF YOUNG MEN TO PASS THE INITIATION RITUALS TO MANHOOD OF THE "BORA", FURTHER POSSIBLY REPRESENTING THE POINTING OF THE "DEATH-POINTER-BONE", MAGIC CAPABLE OF CAUSING DEATH TO ANYONE DIVULGING THE TRIBE'S SECRET RITUALS

MS on chalk-like stone, New South Wales, Australia, ca. 20000-3000 BC, upper half of oval-conical and cornute form cylcon, 12x6x6 cm, 2 deep incisions around circumference, under which 10 deep marks, 4 deep marks forming a cross on apex, light longitudinal scratch-type markings.

Provenance: 1. Found in New South Wales, Australia; 2. H. Gallasch Museum, Australia (1973-); 3. Sam Fogg Rare Books Ltd.

Commentary: Cylcons are earlier than churingas. There is no certain ways to date individual cylcons. The oldest cylcon/message stone found in a dateable archaeological context is about 20,000 years old. The simple line motifs of the oldest cylcons represent the earliest art of the Aborigines, from a very early period of occupation. In Australian nomenclature this is the colonizing period, or early Stone Age, ca. 50,000/40,000-3,000 BC.

ms 5087/37

With the earliest rock-carvings and -paintings, the cylcons represent the oldest form of communication and art; and they represent the oldest religion still observed. Only 2 Aborigines have been able to communicate their name of the cylcons: Yurda, and Wommagnaragnara (Heart of the snake), respectively. Other uses as tallies are possible, such as counting of dead people, warriors, emus, measures of nardo seeds, or mapping purposes counting day-marches in various directions. Later the use could also change to other magic rituals, some involving the chipping off smaller flakes, and the practical use for pounding and crushing. Much more research is needed before the cylcons' real age and significance can be properly understood and appreciated. The term cylcon is derived from the title of R. Ethridge's publication: The Cylindro-conical and Stone Implements of Western New South Wales and their significance. Ethnological Series No. 2, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of New South Wales, 1916:1-41.
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