Parma, Palatina 3858

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Parma, Palatina 3858

Inventory number

3858

Owning institution

Biblioteca Palatina, Parma

Typology

Scroll

Copying date

19th century, dated on a paleographical basis.

Title

Protective prayers against demons

Subject

Prayers, Healing, Magic

Language

Gǝʿǝz

Short description of the content

1) Ṣälot zäqəddus Susnəyos bäʾǝntä asässǝlo däwe ǝmḥǝḍanat (“Prayer and legend of Susǝnyos”, CAe 1763).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ፩አምላክ፡ ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ ዓይነ፡ ጥላ፡ ወዓይነ፡ ባርያ፡ ወዓይነ፡ ወርቅ፡ (two lines are illegible) ፈጣሪ፡ ነባቢ፡ ወተናጋሪ፡ ጸሎቱ፡ ዘተናገሮ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ሱስንዮስ፡ በእንተ፡ አሰስሎ፡

2) Unidentified prayer.

The incipit is illegible due to faded ink.

3) Ṣälot bäʾǝntä märgǝʿa dǝm (“Prayer against blood clotting”).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ፩እምላክ፡ ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ መርግ፡ ደም፡ ሰንታም፡ ሰንታም፡ ሰንታም፡ ቀንታም፡ ቀንታም፡ ቃንታም፡ ሰንከረም፡ ሰንከረመ፡ ሰንከረም፡ ሰንከራም፡ ሰንከራም፡ ሰንከራም፡ ደም፡ ወማይ፡

4) Ṣälot bäʾǝntä ḥǝmamä šotälay wäšotolawit (“Prayer against the diseases of the newborns”).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ … ጸሎተ፡ ድንጋፄ፡ ዘወሀቦ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ለአዳም፡ አመ፡ ተሰደ፡ እምገነት፡ ከመ፡ ኢይደንግፅ፡ ልቡናሁ፡ ቤማ፡ በቤማ፡ ሐሊዝ፡

5) Ṣälot bäʾǝntä ʿaynä Barya (“Prayer against the evil eye of the Barya).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ፩አምላክ፡ ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ አዓይነ፡ (sic) ባርያ፡ በስመ፡ አልፋ፡ ፃዕ፡ ፃዕ፡ ፃዕ፡ ወፂአከ፡ አትግባዕ፡ ይቤለከ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ወዝክረ፡ ስምለ፡ ይደምሥ፡ ለዓለመ፡ ዓለም፡ አሜን።

6) Ṣälotä mäśṭǝmä aganǝnt (“Prayer to silence the demons”).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ ፩አምላክ። ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ መስ[ጥ]መ፡ አጋንንት፡ ሰላም፡ ለከ፡ ሰዳዴ፡ አጋንንት፡ ፋኑኤል፡ ለእግዚአብሔር፡ እምጽርሑ፡ ከመ፡ ኢይሰክዩ፡ ሰብአ፡ እለ፡ ይኔስሑ፡ ለጌጋይ፡

7) Ṣälot bäʾǝntä mäftǝḥe śǝray (“Prayer for undoing charm”).

Incipit: በስመ፡ አብ፡ … ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ መፍትሔ፡ ሥራይ፡ አጀብጅን፡ አጀብጅን፡ አጀብጅን፡ ጀርቤላ፡ ጀርቤላ፡ ጀርቤላ፡ አላ፡ ሆላ፡

8) Ṣälot bäʾǝntä ʿaynä Barya (“Prayer against the evil eye of the Barya).

9) Protective prayer with magic names.

Incipit: አታዳኤል፡ አታዳኤል፡ አታዳኤል፡ ጋጋታኤል፡ ጋጋታኤል፡ ጋጋታኤል፡ አሼኖ፡ አርካሼኖ፡ አርካሼኖ፡

10) Incipit of the Gospel of John (1:1–5) and protective formulas.

Incipit: ወንጌል፡ ዘዮሐንስ፡ ቀዳሚሁ፡ ቃል፡ ውእቱ፡ ወውእቱ፡ ቃል፡ ወከማሁ፡ ቀዳሚሁ፡ እምቀዲሙ፡ ኀበ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ውእቱ፡ ቃል፡ ወቦቱ፡ እንከ፡ ኵሉ፡ ኮነ፡ ዘእንበሌሁሰ፡ አልቦ፡ ዘኮነ፡ ወኢምንትኒ፡

Writing material

Goat parchment

Outer size

1787 x 121/127 mm

Number of strips

Sewing

The strips are joined together by means of small parchment strips.

Leather case

–

Layout

1 column

Scribe

Unknown

Colophon

–

Additional notes

–

Decoration

On the first strip, at the top of text 1: polychrome image consisting of twenty boxes divided into four columns and decorated with human faces and triangles. The drawing is followed by a band with five boxes decorated with geometric motifs.

At the top of the second strip: drawing in black and red ink of a human figure with four large eyes (a demon or Wǝrzǝlya?).

On the third strip: polychrome image of the Archangel Michael with a sword and, to his right at the top, two human faces.

At the end of the fourth strip: polychrome image of three crosses and two human faces.

All the decorations are partially discoloured due to the faded ink.

State of preservation

Good.

Provenance and history

The scroll belonged to a certain Wälättä Maryam, whose name is written in the red ink in all supplication formulas.

The scroll was presumably purchased by Mordini in the early 1940s and became part of his private collection in Barga (Lucca).

In 1994 the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage bought the Mordini collection, which entered the Biblioteca Palatina in Parma (cf. Fiaccadori, G., 1995, ‘I manoscritti etiopici di Antonio Mordini’. Malacoda 57 (1995), 24–27).