Prayers, charms and incantations for diseases and evil spirits, [Ethiopian manuscript]

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1 roll (2 sheets) : parchment, ill. ; 122 x 10 cm.
Includes 3 red-tinted pen drawings.
Title assigned by cataloguer.

Object details

Categories	National Art Library Manuscripts Africa Magic
Object type	illuminated manuscript
Title	Prayers, charms and incantations for diseases and evil spirits, [Ethiopian manuscript] (alternative title)
Brief description	Prayers, charms and incantations for diseases and evil spirits, [18--]. In Ethiopic.
Physical description	1 roll (2 sheets) : parchment, ill. ; 122 x 10 cm. Includes 3 red-tinted pen drawings. Title assigned by cataloguer.
Gallery label	(5 April 2018 - 30 June 2019) Maqdala 1868 display, 5 April 2018 - 30 June 2019 Ethiopian manuscripts ｜ የኢትዮጵያ እጅ ጽሁፍ Ethiopia (ኢትዮጵያ) is one of the world’s first Christian nations. The Kingdom of Aksum (አክሱም) in northern Ethiopia adopted the religion in around AD 330. These manuscripts are written in Ge’ez, the sacred language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The books contain prayers and hymns, while the protective scroll would have hung above its owner’s bed to ward off diseases and evil spirits. The manuscripts were first taken from the city of Gondar by Emperor Tewodros, who planned to build his own church at Maqdala. They were among the artefacts later seized by the British. Protective scroll containing prayers, charms and incantations for diseases and evil spirits ለበሽታና ክፉ መናፍስት የሚሆን ጸሎቶች፣ አስማቶችና ድግምቶችን የያዘ ጥቅል Probably made in Gondar (ጎንደር), Ethiopia, around 1800 1 roll (2 sheets) parchment Purchased from W.H. Saunders NAL: MSL/1869/187 At my church, the prayer book is written in Ge’ez and Amharic, and both are read by the Father. The beauty of handwritten words on handmade paper is not lost through age. I benefit from these long traditions that have served many Ethiopian generations. - Almaz Tesfaye, V&A Estates Services, member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Sacred texts of Ethiopia date back to the 4th century AD, painstakingly transcribed and illuminated by monks and religious scholars on goatskin parchment. Some still exist today, unseen by public eyes in remote monasteries and churches of the ancient realm. - Shango Baku, Rastafari actor, writer and activist<#caret>
Object history	Displayed with top section unrolled in the Sackler Centre for 'Sacred Art of Ethiopia', 9 March to 5 Sept 2010.
Association	Siege of Maqdala
Other numbers	425592 - Horizon bib. number MSL/1869/187 - NAL accession number 187-1869 - Previous number
Collection	National Art Library
Library number	MSL/1869/187

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Record created	July 5, 2017
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1403640/prayers-charms-and-incantations-for-illuminated-manuscript/

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Prayers, charms and incantations for diseases and evil spirits, [Ethiopian manuscript]

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