33 Ethiopian Magic Scroll Nineteenth century CE Tigray region, Ethiopia Vellum, Dimensions: 15 x 192 cm (composite) Portland State University Library, Special Collections, Mss 39 This nineteenth-century Ethiopian magic scroll demonstrates the synthesis of sacred and heterodox elements: figures of angels appear alongside demon-like creatures; talismanic designs derived from Islamic, Judaic and pre-Christian folk sources blend with Christian prayers.1 It is this unique convergence that invests the manuscript with its distinctive spiritual and medicinal function. The creation of this object would have been relegated to a dabtara, a cleric in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. For the scroll’s devout owners, the inclusion of highly individualized prayers, imagery and arcane details endowed the object with its protective or curative abilities. During periods of crisis or sickness, it would have been kept with its owner at all times.2 It was understood that this close relationship allowed the scroll to draw out and absorb the patron’s pain or illness, which was thought to appear in the form of demons. The script is written in Ge’ez, the liturgical language of Ethiopia. Areas that reference the specific patron have been covered and written-over, indicating that ownership of the manuscript was transferred at least once. The name Walatta, daughter of Michael, now appears, identifying her as the most recent owner. The text and imagery relate to St. Susenyos who is affiliated with protection during pregnancy and childbearing providing evidence of how it functioned for Walatta, as well as its previous owners.3 Its strong palette of blue, black and red is characteristic of talismanic art produced in the northern Tigray highlands of Ethiopia. The majority of the script consists of prayers that appear in black ink while the name of the owner and other important details are presented in red. The scroll is comprised of four goatskin vellum sections that would have been originally joined vertically. The top register is occupied by a Gorgon. The figure’s origin lies in the Greek Gorgon Medusa, as signified through the depiction of snakes, however this rendition recalls a later Byzantine version. The Byzantine Gorgon-like head is associated with the prayer of Susenyos, which is present within this scroll’s text.4 Two blue snakes outline the Gorgon’s head, coiling to emphasizing the figure’s overstated eyes.The motif of snake scales is repeated in the top-most decorative band
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