Ethiopian Healing Scrolls

11/30/2015 Ethiopian Healing Scrolls | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
HeilbrunnTimelineofArtHistory
EthiopianHealingScrolls
Ethiopianhealingscrollseliminateillnessbypurgingevilspiritsanddemonsfromasickperson.Partofalarger
healingritual,thescrollswerecommissionedbytheilliteratetocombatgraveillnesses.Whileplantandanimal
medicinesalleviatephysicalsymptoms,themedicinalscrollsalleviatespiritualsymptoms.Apanreligious
phenomenonpracticedamongJews,Christians,andMuslimsinthenorthernregionsofAmharaandTigray,the
scrollsrestorehealthbyutilizingwrittenwordsandtalismanicimagesimbuedwithmagicalprotectivepowers.
EthiopianmedicineandtalismanicartdrewfromChristianandMuslimtraditions,includingArabiclanguage
protectivescrolls,examplesofwhichcanbefoundinthecollectionoftheMetropolitanMuseum.Healingscrolls
likelyoriginatedduringtheAksumiteempire(ca.2nd10thcenturies),withseveralmillioninusebythenineteenth
century.Despitetheirprevalence,thescrollshavedrawntheireofbothpoliticalandreligiousleaders.Inthefifteenth
century,theae(emperor)Zar'aY'eqobcondemnedtheuseofmagicalobjectsanddiviners,harshlypunishing
thosewhorelieduponthem.WhiletheEthiopianOrthodoxChurchdoesnotcondonemagicalobjects,scrollsare
toleratedbecausetheyincorporateChristiantexts.Healingscrollsservedthesamepurposethatdomesticicons
fulfilledinotherformsofOrthodoxChristianity.TheuseofscrollsandothertraditionalEthiopianmedicineshas
declinedsincethe1970s.
Healingscrollsaremadebydbtras,unordainedclericsoftheEthiopianchurchwhoalsopracticetraditional
medicine.Tobemosteffective,eachscrolliscustomizedaccordingtoastrologicallyderivedguidelines.The
preparationofparchmentbeginsaritualinwhichtheanimalsubstitutesfortheafflicted,andthefinishedscroll
substitutesfortheirskin.Thissymbolicrelationshipengendersacloseconnectionbetweenthescrollanditsowner.
Thepatronisfirstrubbedwithaliveanimal,andlaterbathedinitsbloodandstomachcontents.Onlythenistheskin
soaked,dried,andscraped,afterwhichthefinishedparchmentiscutandsewnintoascroll.Portablescrollsmadeto
thelengthofthecustomerofferheadtotoespiritualprotection,whilelongerscrollsprotectahousehold.InTigrinya
speakingareas,apersonsizedscrolliscalledma'eroqumt("fullsize"),ormoregenerally,tlsm(talisman).In
Amharicspeakingregions,thescrolliscalledybrannaketab("writtenonskin").Insomecases,theastrological
formulasarelesscloselyadheredto.Dbtrasmayrelyonarepertoireoffamiliarprayersandtalismanicimages,or
repurposeexistingscrollsbyinsertinganewclient'sname.
HealingscrollsarewritteninGe'ez,a2,000yearoldindigenousSemiticlanguage.Oncethelinguafrancaofthe
Aksumiteempire,Ge'ezisnowtheliturgicallanguageoftheEthiopianOrthodoxChurch.Ethiopianmagicalliterature
whichincludeshealingscrollsreliesupontheinvocationofthesecretnamesofgod(asmat).Bymasteringthese
manynames,adbtraorotherpriestcanobligeGodtoaidhisclient.Thescrolls'prayersarecomposedof
passagesfromChristianbooksthatinvoketheseorotherprotectiveandcurativewords.Frequentlyusedprayers
protectagainsttheevileye(aynt),orcapturedemons.OnesuchprayertheNetofSolomonrecallshowKing
SolomonwassaidtohaveforcedthekingoftheDemonblacksmithstorevealhisevilspells.Itisfrequently
accompaniedbyatalismanicdesignofaneightpointedstar,usedtotrapdemonswithinitsinterlockinglines.Still
otherprayersactagainstmalevolentspells.AsinallGe'ezmanuscripts,prayersarewrittenwithcarbonblackink,
whilethenamesoftheholyTrinityandheadingsarewrittenwithredink.Theclient'snameisaddedinredonlyafter
thescroll'scompletion.Theinksaresometimesenhancedwithrituallypowerfulplantsorsacrificialbloodtoincrease
theireffectiveness.Onlythesetwocolorsarenecessaryforascrolltobeeffective.
Imagesonscrollsarenonrepresentationaltalismanicdesignsthatrevealmysteriesandenhancetheeffectivenessof
writtenprayers.Despitedrawinginspirationfromilluminatedmanuscriptsandwallpaintings,thedesignsarewholly
functional.Opaquecolorfieldsandcurvingdoubleoutlinesguideviewingandreinforcethetalisman'socularpower
duringthehealingprocess.Thereisnofixedinterpretationfortheimageryonhealingscrolls.Instead,themeanings
ofsaintly,demonic,andangelicimagesvaryaccordingtoregion,oraccordingtothedbtrainterpretingthe
designs.Angelsareamongthemostfrequentlyincorporatedfiguresintalismanicimages.Theymayposefrontally
asguardianarchangelswithdrawnswords,ortheymayappearasafaceencircledbyeightstylizedwings.Equally,
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11/30/2015 Ethiopian Healing Scrolls | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
thislattermotifisinterpretedasthefaceofaperson(gtssb'e),ortheNetofSolomon.Saintsonhorsebackare
alsocommon,especiallySaintSusenyos,destroyerofthechildkillingdemonWerzelya.Hisimageandprayer
defendagainstpregnancyrelatedillnesses.
Towork,talismansexploittheeye'spowertocausegoodandevil.InEthiopiantalismanicart,theeyesarethe
conduitsthroughwhichillnesscausingdemonsleavethebody.Duringthehealingprocess,scrollsareunrolled,
priestsreciteprayers,holywaterisdistributed,andimagesaredisplayed.Thetalismanicimagesareseenbythe
demonthroughtheeyesoftheirhumanvictim.Theeyesofthetalismanicfiguresonthescrollreflectthegazeofthe
afflicteduntilthedemonflees.Thisactofreciprocalviewingiskeytothehealingact,asinvokingthenamesofgod
alonewillnotcausetheretreatofdemons.Tohastentheeffectivenessofthegaze,manyfiguresarereducedto
facesoreyes.Thesesingulareyesdonotrepresentactualorgans,butsymbolizetheirprotectivepowers.Theartof
thegazecomestoitshighestformintheimagesofGorgonlikedemons,orthetwinnedfiguresofGogandMagog,
whosesaucerlikeeyesovertaketheirbodies.
Portablescrollsweretightlyrolledandkeptintubularredleathercaseswhennotbeingviewedorread.Constructed
withacaporcompletelysewnshut,thescrollcaseswerewornaroundtheneckorshoulderoftheirowner.Scrolls
thatexceededtheirowner'sheightwerehungfromahousepostorwallsothatthetalismanicimagesofsaintsand
netscouldconfrontanymalevolentspiritswhodaredtoenter.Afterascrollhadcuredanillness,itwasretainedina
trunkincaseofsuddenillnessorphysicaldanger.Ifnotburiedonthelastnightoftheyear,scrollswererarely
preservedbeyondafewgenerations.Theoldestsurvivingscrolldatestotheearlysixteenthcentury.
KristenWindmullerLuna
DepartmentofArtandArchaeology,PrincetonUniversity
Citation
WindmullerLuna,Kristen."EthiopianHealingScrolls".InHeilbrunnTimelineofArtHistory.NewYork:TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,2000.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/heal/hd_heal.htm(April2015)
FurtherReading
Heldman,MarilynEiseman,StuartC.MunroHay,andRoderickGrierson.AfricanZion:TheSacredArtofEthiopia.NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,1993.
Mercier,Jacques.ArtThatHeals:TheImageasMedicineinEthiopia.NewYork:Prestel,1997.
Mercier,Jacques.EthiopianMagicScrolls.NewYork:G.Braziller,1979.
Nosnitsin,Denis."EthiopianManuscriptsandEthiopianManuscriptStudies:ABriefOverviewandEvaluation."GazetteduLivreMdival20(2011),pp.116.
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