The Magic of the Aramaic Incantation Bowls + the Origins of Lilith

The ~2500 known Aramaic Incantation Bowls represent one of the largest collections of ancient magical literature. These bowls were used to repel demonic power, malevolent sorcery and the rampages of disease. Composed in various dialects of Aramaic, the bowls are a treasure of magical wisdom providing us insight into demonology and even the origins and first depictions of Lilith!
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Recommended Readings:
Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur - amzn.to/4cjCdUA
archive.org/de...
Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity - amzn.to/3VYVzZG
Magic Spells and Formulae: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity - amzn.to/4bqvRkZ
Corpus of the Aramaic Incantation Bowls - amzn.to/3L0OeSU
A Corpus of Syriac Incantation Bowls: Syriac Magical Texts from Late-Antique Mesopotamia
Aramaic Incantation Bowls in Museum Collections Volume One: The Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities, Jena, etc
Aramaic Bowl Spells: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls Volume One
Aramaic Magic Bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Consider Supporting Esoterica! Patreon - www.patreon.com/esotericachannel Merch - kzbin.info/door/oydhtfFSk1fZXNRnkGnneQstore New to Studying Esotericism? Check out my Reading Guide here - docs.google.com/document/d/1caKNlW7sogEF7lAeYNbOQF9pt5O5b70yAXa-icUJO3o/edit?usp=sharing Rare Occult Books - www.esotericaoccultbooks.com/

[@CindyBallreich]

Every night, about 5-10 minutes after I turn out the lights, one of my cats walks throughout the house loudly singing an ancient incantation. This was initially quite annoying, but the lack of demons and evil spirits in the house can't be denied.

[@neclark08]

😊

[@billysharp2242]

I literally read all the way thru that thinking it was something serious for some reason 😂🙄

[@keithharper32]

of course, cats were discovered by the Egyptians to be a powerful ward against evil spirits.

[@vanessac1965]

@@billysharp2242 may I ask why are you here if you thought that wasn't serious?

[@Slit518]

Is THAT what my cat is doing? 🤣

[@ashleydewing1420]

I really like the thinking here. If the demon is bothering you, this bowl will trap them on their way up and they will be forced to read your divorce command. Feels like serving papers.

[@darranwilkins4648]

@@ashleydewing1420 not so much getting rid of but mibs divorcing an old god

[@TheEternalClown]

Trap them under the bowl like a spider

[@pithicus52]

I was wondering why the bowls would be buried upside down. Trapping the demons on their way up from the underworld sounds like a logical reason to me.

[@mysteriousdeath14400]

​@@pithicus52or, perhaps like trapping a mouse under a bowl? Or a modem house or wall? The lack of literature about the bowls in. Is singularly frustrating, especially since there is quite so many of the bowls.

[@DrAshaphim]

@@mysteriousdeath14400 Basically, if you can have a theory on why they're on a bowl, it's probably been said 😅 From hydromancy (unlikely), traps, relative abundance/cheapness, the metaphorical relationship of "overturning" sorceries, older traditions about placing huge jars over bodies - there are quite a few theories, and no reason to suggest that they were only used for one reason given the length of time they were used and given their geographical spread!

[@manuelsosa7397]

I would love a coffee mug with a nice incantation spiraling down... towards the Brill sigil on the bottom

[@SolveEtCoagula93]

Then make it - at first it will be awful, but a few tries, and you'll be amazed at what happens!

[@brentonmartin2174]

"Ma! Why am I so ugly?" "It's the demons' fault, honey."

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

I know they’re supposed to be fearsome demon, but those figures are darn cute.

[@Schizo_Souls]

Ancient Chibis

[@DavidVoight-c1v]

Yes, I do agree with you, they are very wickedly ace cute, indeed. 😈👿👾😈👻👻

[@bordenfleetwood5773]

Love this topic. Artifacts like this really give us a look at what real, common people - as opposed to kings and generals - were concerned with in their day to day lives. It's a wonderful glimpse into cultures that are otherwise lost. Also, as a military veteran, the comment about US foreign policy in Iraq got a laugh out of me, so thank you.

[@xaayer]

I love the idea of there just being some dude on the corner of the market that's just like, "What? What's troubling you? You got a cold? Yeah, I got a bowl for that." like some sort of corner pharmacist.

[@130lukas]

Ah yes the only thing more scary than a naked wild woman: divine bureaucracy

[@lauridorrance1305]

And far more unreasonable!

[@thespiritualnavigatrix]

The women in my weekly bible study often lament that there are not more womens' voices represented in the scripture we study (at least that we know of). I am going to suggest they watch your video. I am excited about the possibility that the unheard voices and concerns of women can be heard across time on these bowls. Thank you for this fascinating video Justin.

[@davidgibson5756]

Dr Sledge has a number of wonderful stories / histories on women in religion through the ages. Look through his playlist

[@afull375]

Some of the demon drawings remind me a bit of Where the Wild Things Are. I know you’ve mentioned them on the channel before but I always think these protective bowls are fascinating. Thank you Dr. Sledge!

[@pabloramirez7652]

that's because those are also demons.

[@IdanEretz]

For all Hebrew readers in here, I'd like to recommend "Harashta" חרשתא which is a new urban fantasy epic that revolves around incantation bowls and ancient demonology. I really hope it would be translated to English, it's a very good book

[@quentandil]

That sounds so interesting! I'd wish actual magic was more used in fiction, where it should belong.

[@rtbinc2273]

This reminds me of Witch Bottles and Witches' Marks on buildings. Both were often placed by doors and windows and were Folk Magic, not well attested in elite magic.

[@beefgoat80]

I played Vampire: The Masquerade as a teenager. The more modern Lilith myth is a part of the game's lore. It's funny how myths like that go through so many incarnations over thousands of years, and we're still talking about them.

[@samueleborn9909]

Not just talking about, but actively creating new iterations, even if only for entertainment.

[@Michael_Dirks]

@@samueleborn9909 One of the latest being Diablo IV (video game) where Lilith is the main antagonist, sans the wild hair, fyi the trailer is not for the squeamish.

[@DemainIronfalcon]

The demonic absolutely has a strong presence in gaming, it's found an accepting community of young impressionable minds, plus older nerds and manchilds. Plus me, I fit in somewhere..

[@s.jd.22]

Thats such a good game

[@DemainIronfalcon]

@@Michael_Dirks does this have the sound track done by a famous female artist and she also features as Lilith in her music video?

[@antnil]

i love the glimpse these mundane-turned-magical objects give us into an unofficial and undocumented at the time religious practice from within the actual homes of people. I learned about such bowls on this channel and am now fascinated by them. thank you for this discovery!

[@nieser2464]

Have read "Womans Lore" by Sarah Clegg a month ago, Incantation Bowls where a big Topic therein, love to have a whole Video on this Topic by my preferred Esotericism Scholar ❤

[@pmgn8444]

Another interesting video. Hmmm, an Incantation Bowl against Brill... Hmmm...

[@davidhilt9527]

This kind of content makes the world a better place!

[@roys.1889]

Hey Doc I would like to share a personal story about Incantation Bowls with you. While I was in college and looking for cool stuff to add to one of my stories where one of my protags was a Jewish girl fighting a doom cult, I went around looking for like Jewish demon-fighting technologies and I ran into the Incantation Bowls. I found them quite odd' the idea of using a common household object with inscriptions to somehow contain a malevolent spirit while Catholic priests are still out here banishing Lilith or something with more direct methods. It kind of opened my eyes a bit to the differences of my Catholic/Filipino upbringing and subsequent view of ghouls, demons, and malevolent spirits and exposed me to kind of an anthropological shift in Judaism from doing it the hard way ala what Josephus described, to the Incantation Bowl tradition, and eventually the slow extinction of the malevolent spirit tradition within the tradition. At least, up until I watched your video on the Dybbuk like 9 years later. And now here you are with a 30 minute video on the exact objects that started me on this strange adventure in the first place. Thanks for answering questions I never knew I had Doc.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I have some incantation bowl fragments available on my website - www.justinsledge.com/shop

[@israeltovar3513]

There is a thunderstorm just entering my city(central Mexico), as I am watching this video. Vibes indeed...

[@siobhanomalley1968]

This is truly fascinating, the bowls do feel like the household or "hedge" magic practiced by regular folk worldwide, rather than that of sorcerers or priests. I love the idea that they may even be womens magic like the hexes and cures of European witchcraft stories. That makes a lot of sense tbh. Like using salt or brickdust on your doorstep to ward off evil, iron nails on window sills to keep out the Fae, or burying black dogs in the churchyard.

[@donnmccarthy8710]

I wonder if these bowls were an inspiration for magic circles in grimoires

[@globalgulag5586]

When Man observes the seasons around him, the wheel of the agricultural year, the circle of the moon in her seasons and the great cycle of the Polar Circumcession, he will base his spiritual expression, his magic, upon these perceptions and consequently the circle will arise as a central motif.

[@amberroberts411]

This is such an incredible synchronicity. I first learned about incantation bowls from The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. I had such a strong reaction to the concept, and last night I found a set of 5 bowls at the thrift store that made me think of this, and I bought and cleansed them while thinking of how I wanted to use them. Perfect timing ;)

[@smillstill]

The part about women being involved with incantaion bowls makes sense, although I also remember Irvine Finkel and Co. talking about how people in Sumerian/Akkadian times assumed all black magicians were women. That seems to have continued on into the Medieval period (Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Vol. 2), so, that it could influence this bowl artwork. It certainly seemed to be pervasive in the last few hundred years with the "Halloween witch.".

[@theobolt250]

There is enough material in this for a feminist study. But I think that the connection between being female and being evil reflects upon the patriarchal society and it's struggles with the pure female essence that just cannot be tamed and subdued all the time! Because... men are weak? Or... whatever. Female solutions for this patriarchal dominance vary from complying and become strict super moms all the way through the spectrum to being rebellious and rightdown evil! And, of course, the usage of mundane, domestic materials for high end religious/magical ends. Ohh, those inventive women! 😁😮

[@jbaquinones]

Another awesome video sir. Thank you. ❤

[@rewschreijewschreier]

you are too cool sir.

[@SobekLOTFC]

Keep up the great work, Dr Sledge 👏⚒️

[@flambr]

actual lesson in defence against the dark arts

[@mikewilson858]

Glad to hear you’re planing on publishing on your bowl. I’m afraid a lot of them were probably bought up by rich people just wanting a curio for decoration.

[@pedroarroyo345]

You just keep painting a picture that illuminates the mind and ravages the ignorance within, this channel has humbled me and made me dig deeper into this process of history...thanks for all the work you put out doc

[@PokefreakMaster333]

Love you Dr. Sledgey purely for the information you provide and organize for us plebeians

[@rainbowkrampus]

As a ceramicist, I've always enjoyed these demon bowls. There's a constant conversation or maybe dialectic which occurs in ceramics between the object as function and the object as art. These bowls occupy a space which is somewhat lost to us now. There are certainly revivalist types but I always considered that kinda larpy. There are definitely "spiritual" people who will go on endlessly about "vessels" and what have you. But you don't really get "bowl as medicine" anymore. Well... not that kinda of bowl at any rate. You might find somebody out there willing to work up some coils and slip and make you a bowl to ward off demons, but there aren't going to be many if any people who take it seriously the way ancient people would have.

[@johnduquette7023]

I spent several hundred dollars on one of the BRILL volumes covering these. As a writer, the money was well worth it, as certain choice words used in the Syrian bowls (admittedly, possible artifacts of translation to English) are fodder for the stuff I do.

[@rosebroady6618]

A really interesting episode. I really like the bowl, I can just see an irritated scribe scribbling this thinking about the master of house. Perfectly normal curse with the added personal thoughts

[@moonpearl4736]

I wish Amazon sold Aramaic Incantation Bowls!!!

[@johnduquette7023]

It does sell BRILL volumes on them, if you've got $300+ dollars to throw at them.

[@lucky6666]

They might accidentally trap their own demonic souls and ship them to a customer though 😈.

[@johannahidalgo7738]

Very interesting, a topic you don’t hear about much, thanks for another awesome vid!👍😻

[@aarongreatrex-sweeney4954]

Yes you're absolutely right we would say these are magic porridge bowls

[@BeekuBird]

Yes indeed. In the UK we love our porridge bowls. Sometimes we talk of little else but porridge and associated bowls.

[@aarongreatrex-sweeney4954]

@@BeekuBird what's your favourite porridge bowl mate?

[@BeekuBird]

@@aarongreatrex-sweeney4954 Wedgwood Rupert Bear porcelain... reminds me of dear old nanny. She had to go after using the gardenias as a toilet, but I still have fond memories.

[@dmo848]

Never seen anything like it

[@jblackmon5698]

Some really cool later examples of these made out of precious metals and stones in the Brooklyn Museum's Persian art collection if anyone wants a chance to see some in real life.

[@chaosspork]

This is especially fascinating to me since Lilith is a major antagonist of the newest Shin Megami Tensei game. So it's interesting to learn more about her history and how people protected themselves from her.

[@concerninghobbits5536]

All the gamers showing up in the comments, I love to see it. I saw someone else mention Vampire: The Masquerade. Both games I need to play but yeah Lilith is a really interesting character. She's also in Diablo I think in the third game mainly? But yeah she's so well known as an inspiration for media and so little known from any other perspective. As far as religion goes she doesn't seem to be a thing really in modern times.

[@TheWayshower]

Love your channel! Wondering if you can read Aramaic?

[@ssolomon999]

I can imagine a scenario where it's not about the bowls per se. Rather, you're worried about infant mortality, illness, whatever, and there's a person in town who claims to be able to help. "Yeah, so your problem is you have a severe lilith infestation. For a nominal fee, I'l inscribe a personalized bowl just for you, then we'll have a spooky ceremony where I chant some mysterious words as we bury the bowl in your house." Your neighbors say it worked for them, and what could it hurt? That sort of thing goes on all the time even today, except maybe they're burning sage rather than inscribing bowls. While the person who bought the bowl must have had some trust or respect in the abilities of the practitioner who made it, they weren't necessarily aligned or maybe even aware of the specifics of that practitioner's beliefs.

[@diagoscarrone4119]

Make a video about The Instructions of Shuruppak, Eridu Genesis, and Sumerian Wisdom literature

[@haroldshea3282]

12:52 heh, ancient magical pokeball, basically. gotta bind them all. actually, seems like a very neat concept for megaten type game set in a medieval fantasy world. prolly better make those incantation balls not from ceramic but from somthn like brass tho.

[@TarninTheGreat]

Just reading the divine names and the implied theology from the stuff you put up on screen alone was mind-blowing. I really hope that as many as possible get photographed and translated, and then shared in some way. This seems like an amazing cultural bundle to lay fallow. And that it's phonetic in many cases makes me think that linguists could probably glean a lot from it about the way those languages were spoken. Fascinating all around. Keep up the amazing work Dr 🔨

[@johnathonlangley5699]

Excited for this one. :) I watched another video about incantation bowls last week, so when I saw Dr Sledge had this one planned for release, I’ve been wiggling in anticipation since!

[@MrHodoAstartes]

How do these interact with cereal? Could my incantation bowl of Bircher Muesli release an angry desert spirit?

[@lilykatmoon4508]

“The kind of cartoon drawn by John Wayne Gacy”- I’m dead 😂! This was absolutely fascinating! As a neo pagan and modern witch, I love learning about magical practices from the past as well as the historical context in which they occurred. Your channel is outstanding! True scholarship with a heavy dose of sarcastic wit. Can’t go wrong! Is it known, were the bowls fired prior to or after the inscription before being buried? Was there any kind of glazing or was it just paint? Very curious. Take care.

[@BennettBenson]

I would love to see a joint effort between you and UsefulCharts showing a list of deities and demons and spirits and entities and their transformations through the ages although i suspect it would be a really large list with lots of them sliding back and forth between good and evil. Anyways, keep up the excellent work. Thank you Justin.

[@ethonlee5909]

Amazing video again 好，很好

[@deanharris7149]

I would LOVE to know what the cultural aspects of these bowls were! Did the religious men at the time see them as evil but the women, mothers, and new brides secretly put them in the 4 corners of the house without the man of the house consent?

[@deannfrey3469]

I truly love your channel. Your mix of intriguing scholastic presentation and geeky humor makes for such an enjoyable view. Love what you do, keep them coming. 💕

[@iatebambismom]

That one figure you mentioned that soared to be holding a weapon really reminded me of some depictions of Asherah, with the sprouting almond branch.. But these bowls must be 500+ years older? Still, an interesting thought for a protector of the home if she survived underground for that long after the Deuteronomists did their thing.

[@dvklaveren]

For my TTRPG Vogue Minions, inspired by pokémon but set in the middle ages, incantation bowls were an inspiration behind the capture shield; basically a giant incantation bowl that forcefully pacifies monsters for capture!

[@David-yp4fl]

🌿 LOVE FROM MISSISSIPPI USA 🇺🇲

[@TheSorcererAhrimanahsul]

Excellent Material, Thank You very much.

[@bobblehead67]

The Undoers and The Plaguers sound like first generation 70s CBGBs era punk bands. Fascinating as always, Dr. Sledge; thanks.

[@bonech1p]

My jaw dropped when you showed your personal incantation bowl!! What a legendary Sledge video

[@amberroberts411]

Thanks!

[@typhvam5107]

00:20:20 camera artifact while the psythingy/esper thingy on the top left rotates slowly is funny (forgot its name :D)

[@hellokittysays6333]

@30:53 No, thank you for putting out accessible scholarly content. On a regular basis, no less. ❤

[@lolaloliepop]

scary stories you tell in the dark JUMPSCARE

[@johnathonlangley5699]

Hey! You got a bowl. That’s awesome! …you gonna bury it?

[@peterkarargiris4110]

Why hasn't IKEA produced an incantation bowl dinner set? I guess the medieval (and later) 'Witch Bottles' are Europe's successors to the incantation bowls. I remember reading about pairs of similar but uninscribed bowls buried , one upturned upon the other, under the floors of buildings and containing the skeleton of a snake, from the very ancient Dilmun culture of Bahrain c. 2300 BCE (ref. Looking for Dilmun (1969) by Geoffrey Bibby) Fascinating video yet again Justin.

[@laurenganim9092]

I purchased a bowl fragment and I treasure it. Thank you for this background!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Still need to get back to you - Sorry about the delay!

[@daughterofbastet]

A real one? Have you considered giving it to a museum?

[@dinkumtotzquare]

Laughed almost the entire thing 🐇💯🙃🥸😆🤯

[@dinkumtotzquare]

Omg the diagnostic free commences ha hahaha ha 😂😅🧿❤️‍🔥🪶ahhhh your a smart person Mr sledge

[@kaziticus4308]

Oh man, those illustrations from the Scary Stories series were the absolute worst. Like, why'd they have to go so hard on a kids book? Still, super effective!

[@palethreshold]

Thank you for covering this topic! I have been so fascinated by incantation bowls for a couple of years now and it's awesome to hear your take on it :D

[@ChrisWizzerd]

Love this channel

[@0therun1t21]

I've seen something about this before, from you maybe? These bowls are some of the most interesting artifacts I've ever heard of, thank you! I love how these work, nested, with eggshells, it all makes sense to me. I'd feel like I'd need to live in a fortress before I aquired anything like this, I'm really happy you got one. I hope the rest are in as good of hands as yours! (

[@Nekorbmi]

This is the closest i get to any weekly religious content. Thank you sir.

[@sergioin3D]

I wonder how people back then thought to themselves about the “sex” of a demon; like back then did we also notice behaviors related to males and females， and how did people back then think “yeah, this is not a male demons work.”

[@Irredescnt25]

I'm higher realms we are hermaphoditic. Once you truly merge your masculine & feminine you lose such questioning. In order to travel or to "fly" so to speak in the spirit realms (higher dimensions) You need to really have to understand both sexes as yourself. We are both. We are plasmic light beings.🎉

[@sergioin3D]

@@Irredescnt25 that’s not what I meant

[@Irredescnt25]

@@sergioin3D What did you mean?

[@CaminoKev]

I think he means when we call a malevolent force a demon, or demoness, how we determine that their actions, behaviors, temperament are masculine or feminine?

[@heartonfire583]

Thank god someone like this exist as well as let’s talk religion among a few others. But this is hands down the best channel for a genuine scholarly insight into the esoteric of magic, occult, ect. Thank you so much for these!

[@ChemistTea]

Nice atmosphere with the rain for you. The incantation bowls are very interesting, thanks for another great video!

[@pttpforever]

Many thanks to you once again, Dr. Sledge! I do hope you'll follow up this insightful presentation with additional explorations of the Divine Feminine in Western Philosophies and Religions. Aiya Sophia has been much neglected, IMO.

[@TheMarkRich]

I am bowl'd over. 😂

[@alexreid1173]

9:22 a huge storm started while I was watching this. It wasn’t raining at all and now it’s pouring lol. Thanks Dr. Sledge

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I do my best ;)

[@didelphimorphia2925]

Bastion of stability due to my country's ingenious foreign policy. Brilliant sarcasm as always. ❤ Be safe, always, everywhere.

[@JeremyBowkett]

12:30 “Look, maybe I didn’t say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah.” - Ash, _Army of Darkness_

[@niyamimbi1179]

its strange to hear, though totally understandable to hear, practicAL humans after all, the redundancy of having ward bowls all over the place!

[@emanuelbabayagaortiz7333]

Lillith. You can’t replace her, she’s irreplaceable

[@Bildgesmythe]

Odd there is no literature condemning the bowls. You'd think someone would be screaming superstition and witchcraft. The multi language is also fascinating.

[@YuTg-or8rc]

Keep up the good work❤

[@loveless131]

Anti Brill incantation bowls would be amazing channel merch. Start your day with a balanced breakfast and a ward against financial evil.

[@andresmaynez3060]

Im curious to know why you chose a Mayan glyph as your logo. I’m more so because I’m Mexican and I know the Mayans had little to do with Middle East and am flattered that you chose a glyph of their language

[@eljefeamericano4308]

Okay, but... is there a bowl featuring Count Chocula? Is there one to protect me from having the roof of my mouth cut by Captain Crunch?

[@OrinSorinson]

a bowl made of glass that you can put over a light source, so that the spell is projected all around. I think that's the next big thing in magic bowl technology. 😊

[@K_F_fox]

There's this song about the incantation bowl figures that I heard once or twice "She's so mean, but I don't care; I love her eyes and her wild, wild hair"

[@nicholasnewell6360]

Humanity has learned to sail in the skies, to speak to men on the other side of the planet, to literally move mountains, and after all these countless ages of struggle and progress, "I've been pooping WAY too much lately." is still a concern that we can all share, and connects us to those who came before.

[@sirlancealittles]

You better be careful. That little bowl may have a previous inhabitant LOL

[@tonycekada5811]

Smudging your home with sage smoke the keeps thedemons at bay as well as the incantation bowls. Always good to have multiple tools at your disposal when it comes to demons. Nice episode dude. One even a Neanderthal like me could actually follow….somewhat.

[@fugamundi5963]

I was listening to carmina burana and i found myself thinking of you Perhaps it wasnt just any carmina burana, as it is an occasion

[@josephbleazard8115]

Random comment - but do you think that the drawing and character of Little My in the moomins is a reference to Lilith? I feel like the art style and name and theme of id driven female power has an echo.

[@thishandleistacken]

Once again thanks Justin :) Mostly commenting to help bump engagement but this is truly fascinating especially as perhaps ancient feminine writings as well as this all helping me in my endless pursuit of understanding the of who, what and why of Lilith(s)?

[@omicdog]

The demon is trapped under the dip. The chips form a salt ring to prevent it from flying free.

[@She_Nanigans]

I wonder if an incantation bowl would work on my ex-husband.

[@randyoliver5444]

It looks like the moon , round white ,passes over head , whale an much more !

[@therongjr]

9:54 - Why would you do that?! 😂

[@ludo5236]

2,100 views and only 385 likes ?!!! Come on folks.