Venice masks

Wednesday 19 June 2024

Prayer against the evil spirits - anonymous

Destructive storms and evil winds are they,
An evil blast that heraldeth the baneful storm, 
An evil blast, forerunner of the baneful storm. 
They are mighty children, mighty sons, 
Heralds of the Pestilence,
Throne-bearers of Ninkigal,
They are the flood which rusheth through the land. 
Seven gods of the broad heaven,
Seven gods of the broad earth, 
Seven robber gods are they. 
Seven gods of might,
Seven evil gods,
Seven evil demons,
Seven in heaven and seven on earth. 
Evil Spirit, evil Demon, evil Ghost, 
Evil Devil, evil God, evil Fiend. 
By Heaven be thou exorcised! 
By Earth be thou exorcised!
By Bel, Lord of the World, mayest thou be exorcised,
By Beltis, Lady of the World, mayest thou be exorcised! 
By Ninib, son of Esharra, mayest thou be exorcised!
By Ishtar, Mistress of the World,
Who enllghteneth the night, mayest thou be exorcised! 
Until thou art removed, until thou departest 
From the body of the man, the son of his god, 
Thou shalt have no food to eat, 
Thou shalt have no water to drink.

Pestilence and fever that ravage the land,
Sickness and woe that oppress the land, 
Harmful to the flesh, frnclean to the body.
Evil Spirit, evil Demon, evil Ghost,
Evil Devil, evil God, evil Fiend,
Evil man, evil face, evil mouth, evil tongue,
From the man, the son of his god,
May they depart from his body
And from his body may they issue forth!
Unto my body may they not draw nigh,
Before me may they wreak no evil,
Nor follow behind me.
Into my house may they not enter,
My fence may they not break through,
Into my chamber may they not enter.
By Heaven be thou exorcised! 
By Earth be thou exorcised!
By Bel, Lord of the World, mayest thou be exorcised,
By Beltis, Lady of the World, mayest thou be exorcised. 
By Ninib, the mighty warrior of Bel, mayest thou be exorcised. 
By Nuzku, the powerful minister of Bel, mayest thou be exorcised.
By Sin, the firstborn of Bel, mayest thou be exorcised,
By Ishtar, mistress of mankind, mayest thou be exorcised, 
By Adad, the lord of goodly sound, mayest thou be exorcised. 
By Shamash, the lord of judgment, mayest thou be exorcised,
By the Anunnaki, the great gods, mayest thou be exorcised.

Anonymous (late 1st millennium BC) Iraq (Babylonia)
Translated by R.Campbell Thompson
Source: The devils and evil spirits of Babylonia, by R.Campbell Thompson, Luzac, 1903

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