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Ethiopic · Prayer ·

ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ ዘደም፡

Anonymous · betmas

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machine-draft · no human review 2 passages · 389 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

The Geʿez prayer ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ ዘደም፡ (Prayer concerning blood) is an anonymous liturgical text from the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥədo Church, preserved in the manuscript betmas (LIT6487PPDam). It is used in rituals for stopping hemorrhage or for postpartum purification, blending Christian invocations (Trinity, Saint George, Raphael) with apotropaic and healing formulas. The prayer features imperative commands, adjuration, and repetitive naming, including obscure terms like 'Alpha Wi, Adonaʾawi' and the Arabic/Aramaic loanword ሱሐል (suḥal, 'chain' or 'fetter') for magical binding. The supplicant is named Nurit, likely a woman. Its exact date is unknown, but it belongs to the broader corpus of medieval Geʿez prayers without attribution.

This prayer is significant for illustrating the intersection of Christian liturgy and folk medicine in medieval Ethiopia, particularly in addressing bodily blood flow. It preserves apotropaic and healing formulas that blend biblical, apocryphal, and magical elements, such as the invocation of Raphael and the use of ሱሐል (suḥal) as a binding term. It relates to other Geʿez prayers for healing and protection, and to broader traditions of Christian amulets and exorcisms.

Historical context

The prayer is transmitted in the manuscript tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥədo Church, specifically in the collection betmas (LIT6487PPDam), which contains prayers and blessings. Its date of composition is unknown, but it likely originates from the medieval period (13th–17th centuries), when Geʿez liturgical and apotropaic texts flourished in the Ethiopian highlands. The community was predominantly Christian, with a strong monastic and scribal culture. The language is Geʿez, the classical liturgical language of Ethiopia. The genre is a prayer for ritual purification or healing, used in contexts of blood flow (e.g., hemorrhage, postpartum bleeding). The text lacks colophons or internal dating, and no critical edition or translation exists. It is anonymous, typical of many Geʿez prayers that circulated without attribution. The prayer reflects a blend of Christian theology (Trinitarian invocation, saints, angels) and folk healing practices, with terms like ሱሐል (suḥal) indicating cross-cultural influences from Arabic or Aramaic magical traditions. Its transmission is manuscript-based, with no evidence of wider dissemination beyond the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

12 commentary units 4 term2 structure2 background2 caution1 scripture1 parallel 0 derived notes 4 open questions 2 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: prayer in Geʿez; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 2 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: betmas — CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
LIT6487PPDam:1 · narrativemedium
Source
The following text is taken from . በስመአብ፡ ወወልድ፡ ወመንፈስ ቅዱስ፡ ፩አም፡ ጸሎት፡ በእንተ ዘደም፡ ሽት፡ አላሹት፡ አካላሹት፡ እሳት፡ ወተዶ፡ ጽላለም ለደም፡ ተከተር፡ ቁም፡ ደም አምህለከ፡ በአብ፡ ወወልድ ወመንፈስ፡ ቅዱስ፡ በጊዮርጊስ፡ ኮከበ፡ ክብር፡ ብሩህ፡ በሩህፋኤል፡ መላከ ማህፀን፡ ከመ ይቁም፡ ደመ ያዊ፡ ያዊ፡ ያዊ ያዊ፡ ያዊ፡ ያዊ ያዊ፡ ያዊ፡ ያዊ አልፋ ዊ፡ አዶናኦዊ፡ ቅቡዕ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ።
English
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. Prayer concerning blood. Stop, stop, stop, fire and dew, shadow for the blood. Follow, stand, blood. I adjure you by the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by Giyorgis, the star of glory, bright, by Ruhfaʾel, the angel of the womb, that the blood of Yawi may stand. Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Yawi, Alpha Wi, Adonaʾawi, the sealed, ʿIyesus Krestos.
LIT6487PPDam:2 · narrativemedium
Source
ዘፈነ፡ ውከ፡ ላቲ፡ ለሔዋን፡ ፪ቱ፡ መላእክተ፡ ኀይላት፡ እምኩሉ፡ ደ ሃ ከማሁ፡ አጽንዕ ሱሐል፡ ሱሐል፡ ሱሐል፡ ሱሐል፡ ሱሐል፡ ቅንጽ፡ ሱሐል፡ አጽንዕ ማፀና፡ ወፋቶተ፡ ሥጋሁ፡ ለምታ፡ ለከዊነ፡ ፍጽሞ፡ በድርስን፡ ያለክን፡ ክመ፡ እጽ፡ እንተ ትክልትል፡ ኀበ፡ ማሐዘማይ እንተ፡ ትሁብ ፍሬሃ፡ በበጊዜሃ፡ ወቆጽላኒ፡ ኢይትነገፍ፡ ከማሁ፡ ለይንግፍ ፍሬ፡ ማህፀና፡ ለአመትከ፡ ኑሪት፡ እስመ አልቦ፡ ነገር ዘይሲአኖ፡ ለእግዚአብሔር፡ ስተም፡ ስተም ስተም፡ ስተም፡ ስተም፡ ስተም፡ ሰንከረተም፡ ሰንከረተም፡ ሰንከረተም፡ ሰንከረተም፡ ዝዋፃ መ፡ ተከተር፡ ቁም፡ ለአመትከ፡ ኑሪት፡ ዘወፂአ፡ ደመ፡ አነ፡ ኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ በከመ፡ ከተርከ፡ ደማ፡ አንተ፡ ደም፡ ይውህዛ ከማሃ፡ ከትር፡ ደማ፡ አህያ፡ ሽራህያ፡ አልሸዳይ፡ እልመኩኑኘ፡ ፀባዓት፡ አልፋ፡ ወኢየሱስ፡ ክርስቶስ፡ ዘበመስቀልከ፡ አጽራእከ፡ ግብሮ፡ ለደብሎስ፡ ከማሁ፡ አጽርሰ፡ ህማመ፡ ባርያ፡ ወሌጌዎን፡ ደሰክ፡ ወጉ ፌ ፡ ወንድድ፡ ወድድቅ፡ ወእምጋኔነ፡ ቀትር፡ ሞት፡ ወ ምት፡ ፍልፀት፡ ወቁርፀት፡ መኛ፡ ወ ሞት፡ ወቁርጥማት፡ ውግዓት፡ ወምአመሂ፡ ዓይነተ፡ ሰብዕ፡ ወአጋንንት፡ ዘይመጽኡ፡ በመዓልት፡ ወበሌሊት፡ አርህቆሙ፡ ወአሰስሎሙ፡ ከመ ኢይ ክሱ፡ በአስናኒክሙ፡ ከመ ኢትግስሱ፡ በእደዊክሙ ከመ ኢትርግጹ በእገረክሙ፡ ዘይመጽኡ፡ በመዓልት፡ ወወበሌሊት ለርሕቆሙ፡ ወአሰስሎሙ፡ ከመ፡ ኢትንከሱ፡ በአስናኒ፡ ክሙ፡ ከመ፡ ኢትርግጹ፡ በእደዊክሙ፡ ከመ ኢትነጽሩ፡ በአዕይቲክሙ፡ ከመ ኢትቅረበ፡ ኀበ ነፍስ፡ ወስጋሃ፡ ለመትከ፡
English
... who has woven. Woe to her, to Eve. Two angels of the forces from all. Like her, strengthen the chain, chain, chain, chain, chain, the knot, chain. Strengthen the womb and the opening of his flesh for the garment, for the covering, complete it in the earth, you who are, like the fire, the one who plants, to the midwife, the one who gives her fruit in her time, and she has cut me. It will not be torn like her, for the fruit of the womb will not be torn for your handmaid Nurit, because there is no thing that can hinder the Lord. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Bind, bind, bind, bind. Its exit, follow, stand. For your handmaid Nurit, from whom blood has come out. I, Jesus Christ, as you have stopped blood, you, blood, will be stopped. Like her, stop the blood of the donkey, its foal, El Shaddai, Elmelekunakwa, the armies, Alpha, and Jesus Christ, who on your cross you performed the work for the devil. Like her, perform the pain of the servant and leprosy, leprosy and scab, and fever, and plague, and from madness, death and wound, separation and contraction, plague and death and cutting, wounds and diseases of the eye of man and demons that come by day and by night. Drive them away and bind them, so that they may not bite with your teeth, so that they may not strike with your hands, so that they may not trample with your feet, those that come by day and by night. Drive them away and bind them, so that they may not bite with your teeth, so that they may not strike with your hands, so that they may not see with your eyes, so that they may not approach the soul and flesh of your handmaid.
Citation. Tergwame, “ጸሎት፡ በእንተ፡ ዘደም፡”, LIT6487PPDam:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/LIT6487PPDam#s1
Colophon. Source: betmas · licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (per file); site footer states NC-SA - treat as NC · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0018 · generated 2026-11-15.