Open AccessSome Notes on Binding Magic (maʾǝsärä ǝgr) in Ethiopia
Author(s) -
Meley Mulugetta
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
aethiopica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2194-4024
pISSN - 1430-1938
DOI - 10.15460/aethiopica.18.1.930
Subject(s) - magic (telescope) , tying , art , context (archaeology) , sociology , history , archaeology , computer science , physics , astrophysics , operating system
Ethiopian magical texts abound in their inclusion of magical formulae for binding slaves (maʾǝsärä ǝgr, ‘the tying of feet’), used with the intention of preventing, usually a slave, from running away. This paper will embark on a description of binding magic, the context of their uses and highlight the role of the däbtära, whose ‘in betwixt’ status enables him to cross rigid boundaries of traditional power structures in Christian Ethiopian culture.