| |
|
|
- Budge, Sir E. A. Wallis
Amulets and Talismans
Library
of Congress #61-7163. University Books, NY
- The 1961/-66 version (second edition) is out of print, but you can
obtain the 1930 edition of the book under its original title, Amulets
and Superstitions, from Dover Books (ISBN 0-486-23573-4). Written
by the "sometime keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in
the British Museum, Scholar of Christ's College, Cambridge; and Tyrwhitt
Hebrew Scholar", this is a thorough volume covering amulets, talismans,
seals, and certain common superstitions from ancient Mediterranean,
Near Eastern, and Middle Eastern cultures (Egyptian, Jewish, early Christian,
Gnostic, Arabic, Muslim, etc.), with some attention given to India.
Brief coverage of astrology, divination methods, numbers, Hand of Fatima,
etc. Many illustrations. This is a clear, concise, easy read packed
with information. Budge was an Egyptologist and also wrote several books
on Egyptian religion, heiroglyphs, etc.
- Idel, Moshe
Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on
the Artificial Antropoid
State University of New York Press,
© 1990. ISBN 0-7914-0161-8 (pbk.)
- Though not officially out of print, this book is "out of stock", and
I was not able to obtain it even directly from the publisher. Interlibrary
loan is your friend. More readable than "Hasidism..." (see Overviews),
"Golem..." presents us with an array of literature and theory related
to the golem, from Talmudic times to the 20th century. Unlike Nigal
(see Fiction and Folklore), his
focus is not on the supernatural in fiction, but on analyzing creation
magic and the symbolism of the golem in the writings and treatices of
various Kabbalists thoughout time and the world. The crowning feature
of this book is the large number of translated passages from a variety
of manuscript sources which ordinary people would normally never have
access to. As with "Hasidism..." his introduction is pretty dry, and
he's writing for a more experienced audience, but don't be turned off
by it–this is excellent material.
- Naveh, Joseph and Shaked, Shaul
Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity
Magnes Press, Hebrew university,
Jerusalem, © 1985. ISBN 965-223-531-8
- Translations, photos, and
illustrations of twenty-two amulets, thirteen incantation or "devil trap"
bowls, several fragments of "magic books", and a few other items, primarily
dating from 500-1000 C.E. Also features an introduction and extensive
bibliography and glossary. Naveh and Shaked present the items in a survey-like
format, their purpose being "to provide philologically reliable material,
and not to offer a detailed study of the religious implications of these
texts." (See Schrire, below, for what Naveh and Shaked do not provide.)
As a result, most of their commenteray on the translations concerns reconstruction
of unclear and missing sections, entymology, spelling, and grammar, all
of which is unfortunately largely lost on the reader if s/he is not a
linguist familiar with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac. However, For its illustrations
and translations, the book is an excellent source of examples of early
Jewish amulets.
- Schrire, T.
Hebrew Amulets: Their Decipherment and Interpretation
Routledge and Kegan Paul, London, © 1966 - Out of print. Schrire studied
over 1000 amulets as part of his research for this book, which discusses
the history, styles, production, and interpretation of amulets. This book
is absolutely invaluable, and includes over 50 photographed and translated
amulets, as well as a thorough indexes and explanation of Names, angels,
verses, and their abbreviations.
- Trachtenburg, Joshua
Jewish Magic and Superstition
ISBN
0-689-70234-5 - Out of print, published in various editions from 1939 to
1987. This book is an amazing resource. Concentrating on the medieval
period to the 1600s, Trachtenburg covers many topics: dealing with demons
and spirits, the Evil Eye, using Psalms and biblical verses in magic,
amulet making, angelology, Lilith lore, gems, medicine, divination, astrology,
Names, magical procedure, etc.
- "The Jew as a Witch Figure", by Venetia Newall
Featured in The Witch
in History, edited by Venetia Newall - Interesting essay explores fears,
superstitions, hypocracies, and stereotypes, and most interestingly relates
some information on the legend of The Wandering Jew. The rest of the book
covers the role of witches in a variety of cultures' folklore and literature.
|
|
