Galangal (was: Re: Cannabis/Hash)
Joseph H Peterson
news:m2fzvc3...@nopressedpighotmail.com...
> catherine yronwode <c...@luckymojo.com> writes:
> > Andralphus wrote:
> > > catherine yronwode <c...@luckymojo.com> wrote: <Big Snip>
> > Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic
> > http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooherbmagic.html
>
> Thanks for an informative post, Cat.
>
> I heard it suggested, once, that the galangal of Abramelin Oil was the
> result of mistranslation. It was said that calamus was to be used
> instead. Any thoughts on that?
> Satyr
Quite true. The German reads "gleichviel Kalmus wie Cassien und soviel wie
Myrrhe und gutes, frisches Olivenöl." (equal parts calmus and cassien, and
as much myrrh and good, fresh olive oil.)
Kalmus-Wurzel, aromatisch, magenstärkend; das Öl (Oleum Calami) wird
medizinisch verwendet. Cassein: Cassia, Kassie, eine Leguminosengattung,
Afrika, Asien, Süd-America. Vielseitige Nutzung, bekannt sind Sennesblätter
als Gewüz, sowie ein Mus als Abführmittel und Tabaksause, auch
Kaffeesurrogat und Fiebermittel, Cassia-Öl aus China, Cassia-Zimt schärfer
als der echte Zimt (Caneel).
Calmus root, aromatic, stomach-strengthening; the oil (oleum Calami) is
medicinally used. Cassein: Cassia, ... Africa, Asia, South America. ...
Cassia oil from China, Chinese cinnamon, more sharp than the genuine
cinnamon (Caneel)
catherine yronwode
>
> "Satyr" <saty...@nopressedpighotmail.com> wrote
> > catherine yronwode <c...@luckymojo.com> writes:
> > > Andralphus wrote:
> > > > catherine yronwode <c...@luckymojo.com> wrote: <Big Snip>
> > > Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic
> > > http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooherbmagic.html
> >
> > Thanks for an informative post, Cat.
> >
> > I heard it suggested, once, that the galangal of Abramelin Oil was
> > the result of mistranslation. It was said that calamus was to be
> > used instead. Any thoughts on that?
> > Satyr
>
> Quite true. The German reads "gleichviel Kalmus wie Cassien und soviel
>
> medizinisch verwendet.
>
> Cassein: Cassia, Kassie, eine
> bekannt sind Sennesbl塼ter als Gew竮, sowie ein Mus als Abf竓rmittel
> und Tabaksause, auch Kaffeesurrogat und Fiebermittel, Cassia-鱨 aus
> China, Cassia-Zimt sch塺fer als der echte Zimt (Caneel).
>
> Calmus root, aromatic, stomach-strengthening; the oil (oleum Calami)
> is medicinally used.
>
> Cassein: Cassia, ... Africa, Asia, South America. ...
> Cassia oil from China, Chinese cinnamon, more sharp than the genuine
> cinnamon (Caneel)
Boy, that's interesting, not only because of the Calamus notation but
because because the Cassie oil mentioned in this recipe is DEFINITELY
NOT Cassia-Cinnamon -- and you can make no mistake because the German
text specifies that this Cassie is a Legume ("eine Leguminosengattung").
Cassie-the-Legume a.k.a Cassie Flower is ACACIA, while Cassia-Cinnamon
is in the Lauracaea (Laurel) family. Another Cassia, Cassia-Senna, is
also a Legume, but it is not an Acacia and is not fragrant -- it is usd
as a laxative.
A blend of Cinnamon and Galangal (a relative of Ginger) with Myrrh would
be very hot and spicy smelling, and way too strong to be applied to the
skin neat.
A blend of Calamus and Cassie with Myrrh would be lovely and aromatic --
a noble perfume, and not too strong for the skin, either.
More botanical details in my book, Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic
http://www.luckymojo.com/hoodooherbmagic.html
Cordially,
cat yronwode
Satyr
Thanks ever so much, Joseph. I had great hopes that someone with
access to other versions might have an answer. Any ideas on which text
is older, the German or the one used by Mathers for his translation?
--
Satyr
****************************************
http://sling.to/kaos/
Joseph H Peterson
It is pretty clear the text was originally written in German. The French
manuscript which Mathers used was apparently based on German manuscript MSW
(the style and wording clearly indicate this) -- Wolfenbüttel, Codex
Guelficus 47.13. Anno 1608. The French translator did not fully understand
the German text it was based on, so the French, and Mathers' English
translation -- cannot be entirely relied upon. Robert Ambelain published
the French text in 1959. (La Magie Sacrée ou Livre d'Abraham le Mage,
Transcrite, présentée et annotée par Robert Ambelain. Repr. Paris: Bussière
édit. 1986 -- available from alapage.com) Mathers follows the French very
closely.
I have included some variants from the German text marked [D: ...] in my
online edition (http://www.esotericarchives.com/abramelin/abramelin.htm) but
Georg Dehn's edition must be considered indispensible until an English
edition based on his texts is available. See
http://www.araki.de/abramelin/index-abramelin.htm for details. From what I
can tell from this web site and Dehn's introduction to his German text,
Steven Guth has completed the English translation, and they have met with
Donald Weiser to discuss publishing it -- not sure where this stands.
Note that with the corrections, there is a close connection between the
lists of spirits and the magical squares.
Some of the texts used by Dehn include:
MSD1 Dresden "TS". SLUB MS N 111. Badly written, ca. 1700.
MSD2 Dresden anonym. SLUB MS N 161. Carefully written manuscript, ca. 1750.
Apparently from a manuscript tradition independent of the Wolfenbuttel
manuscripts.
MSO Bodleian Oxford. MS. Opp. 594. Ca. 1740. Text in Hebrew. Gershom
Scholem judged it to be a poor translation from the German, but according to
Dehn "the Hebrew text shows scholarship and is interesting."
(MSW) Wolfenbüttel, Codex Guelficus 10.1. ca 1612.
MSW Wolfenbüttel, Codex Guelficus 47.13. Anno 1608. This is apparently the
text on which the French translation (used by Mathers) was based.
PH Peter Hammer, Die egyptischen großen Offenbarung, in sich ... Köln 1725.
Reprinted by J. Scheibel, Stuttgart, ca. 1850.
BA Anon. French manuscript from the Bibl. de l'Arsenal. Ca. 1750.
Apparently based on MSW. This was the manuscript used by Mathers, Ambelain,
and Beecken.
SMÜ Samuel (Liddell MacGregor) Mathers. 1893. English translation of the
French manuscript in the Bibl. de l'Arsenal.
Satyr
Thanks so much for this.
Years ago, there was a conversation about Abramelin oil, and David
Jones mentioned off-hand that "galangal" was a mistranslation.
Unfortunately, the discussion veered off in other directions, and I
never thought to ask why he believed this was so.
Your scholarship is greatly appreciated, on this subject as well as so
many others. Love your website, and have used your transcription of
Dee's Mysteriorum Libri for years.
aethyr augoeides
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