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Gaf (Mandaeism)
In Mandaeism, Gaf or Gap ( myz, ࡂࡀࡐ) is the male consort of Ruha, the queen of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') or underworld. His son is Ur, king () of the World of Darkness. He is mentioned in book 5 of the ''Ginza Rabba The Ginza Rabba ( myz, ࡂࡉࡍࡆࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Ginzā Rbā, lit=Great Treasury), Ginza Rba, or Sidra Rabba ( myz, ࡎࡉࡃࡓࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Sidrā Rbā, lit=Great Book), and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest ...''. Gaf is typically portrayed as a giant. In Book 5, Chapter 1 of the '' Right Ginza'' (also known as the "Book of the Underworld"), Gaf and Gafan (Gap and Gapan) are mentioned as a pair of demons. Gafan is a female demon paired with Gaf. References Demons in Mandaeism Giants {{Mandaeism-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Of Darkness (Mandaeism)
In Mandaeism, the World of Darkness ( myz, ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡄࡔࡅࡊࡀ, translit=alma ḏ-hšuka) is the underworld located below Tibil (Earth). It is ruled by its king Ur (Leviathan) and its queen Ruha, mother of the seven planets and twelve constellations. Description The great dark Ocean of Sup (or Suf) lies in the World of Darkness. The great dividing river of Hitpun, analogous to the river Styx in Greek mythology, separates the World of Darkness from the World of Light. Siniawis is one of the regions of the World of Darkness. The ''Ginza Rabba'' mention the Abaddons ( myz, ʿbdunia) as part of the World of Darkness. The '' Right Ginza'' mentions the existence of the "upper Abaddons" () as well as the "lower Abaddons" (). The World of Darkness is sometimes referred to as Sheol ( myz, šiul) in the ''Ginza Rabba'' and other Mandaean scriptures. Inhabitants Various beings inhabit the World of Darkness. See also *Sheol *Ancient Mesopotamian underworld The ancie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruha
In Mandaeism, Rūha ( myz, ࡓࡅࡄࡀ, lit=spirit/breath; also known as Namrūs or Hiwat (Ewath; myz, ࡏࡅࡀࡕ)) is the queen of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') or underworld. She rules the underworld together with her son Ur, the king of the World of Darkness, and her entourage of the seven planets and twelve constellations, who are also her offspring with Ur. Ruha is the daughter of Qin, the Mistress of Darkness in the first underworld. She is the ruler of the third ''maṭarta'' (watch-house or purgatory). She is associated with lust, uncleanness (i.e., menstrual impurity), and other negative feminine qualities. Names and epithets The ''Ginza Rabba'' refers to Ruha using various epithets, such as: *''Rūha Masṭanita'' "Ruha the Seductress" *''Rūha ḏ-Qudša'' "Holy Spirit" *''ḏlibat ʿstra amamit'' "Libat-Ishtar- Amamit" (i.e., Venus) Use of the term "Holy Spirit" for Ruha is primarily confined to polemical texts, and not found in esoteric or ritua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ur (Mandaeism)
In Mandaeism, ʿUr ( myz, ࡏࡅࡓ) is the king ( myz, ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡀ, translit=malka) of the World of Darkness (''alma ḏ-hšuka'') or underworld. He is the son of Ruha, the queen of the underworld, and her brother Gaf (also spelled Gap), one of the giants in the World of Darkness described in book 5 of the ''Ginza Rabba''. Ur is typically portrayed as a large, ferocious dragon or snake. He is represented by the image of a serpent on the ''skandola'' talisman. The Mandaean Book of John contrasts Ur, the King of Darkness, with the King of Light (''Hayyi Rabbi''). Names Ur has also been referred in Mandaean texts as Leviathan ( myz, ࡋࡉࡅࡉࡀࡕࡀࡍ, translit=liuiatan; from '' Right Ginza'' 15.1). According to the ''Right Ginza'' 5.1, his mother Ruha called him "the Great Giant, the Power of Darkness" (''gabara rba, haila ḏ-hšuka''). Ur's epithets include Bar-Spag ( myz, ࡁࡓ ࡎࡐࡀࡂ, lit=Son of Spag) and other names. Parallels Aldihisi (2008) compares Ur to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandaeism
Mandaeism (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, Seth, Enos, Noah, Shem, Aram, Jesus and especially John the Baptist. Mandaeans consider Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem and John the Baptist prophets with Adam being the founder of the religion and John being the greatest and final prophet. The Mandaeans speak an Eastern Aramaic language known as Mandaic. The name 'Mandaean' comes from the Aramaic ''manda'', meaning knowledge. Within the Middle East, but outside their community, the Mandaeans are more commonly known as the (singular: ), or as Sabians (, ). The term is derived from an Aramaic root related to baptism. The term Sabians derives from the mysterious religious group mentioned three times in the Quran alongside the Jews, the Christians and the Zoroastrians as a 'People of the Book', and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. The concept of an underworld is found in almost every civilization and "may be as old as humanity itself". Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people making journeys to the underworld, often for some heroic purpose. Other myths reinforce traditions that entrance of souls to the underworld requires a proper observation of ceremony, such as the ancient Greek story of the recently dead Patroclus haunting Achilles until his body could be properly buried for this purpose. Persons having social status were dressed and equipped in order to better navigate the underworld. A number of mythologies incorporate the concept of the soul of the deceased making its own journey to the underworld, with the dead needing to be taken a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ginza Rabba
The Ginza Rabba ( myz, ࡂࡉࡍࡆࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Ginzā Rbā, lit=Great Treasury), Ginza Rba, or Sidra Rabba ( myz, ࡎࡉࡃࡓࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ, translit=Sidrā Rbā, lit=Great Book), and formerly the Codex Nasaraeus, is the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. It is also occasionally referred to as the Book of Adam. Language, dating and authorship The language used is Classical Mandaic, a variety of Eastern Aramaic written in the Mandaic script (Parthian chancellory script), similar to the Syriac script. The authorship is unknown, and dating is a matter of debate. Some scholars place it in the 2nd–3rd centuries,Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press. while others such as S. F. Dunlap place it in the 1st century. The earliest confirmed Mandaean scribe was ''Shlama Beth Qidra'', a woman, who copied the ''Left Ginza'' sometime around the year 200 CE. Mandaean religious texts may have been ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Right Ginza
The Right Ginza is one of the two parts of the Ginza Rabba, the longest and the most important holy scripture of Mandaeism. The other part of the Ginza Rabba is the Left Ginza. Summaries of each book (or tractate), based mostly on Häberl (2007), are provided below.Häberl, Charles G. (2007). Introduction to the New Edition, in The Great Treasure of the Mandaeans, a new edition of J. Heinrich Petermann's Thesaurus s. Liber Magni, with a new introduction and a translation of the original preface by Charles G. Häberl'. Gorgias Press, LLC. Translated excerpts are from Gelbert (2011), while Mandaic transliterations are derived from Gelbert (2011, 2021). Book 1 Book 1 contains a history of creation and of Mandaeism. The book begins with the opening line (also in Chapter 2 of Book 1): :Praised be Thou, my Lord, with a pure heart (), :thou Lord of all worlds (). Book 2 Book 2 also contains a history of creation and of Mandaeism. It has a total of four sections, since it also contai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Demons In Mandaeism
In Mandaeism, various beings inhabit the World of Darkness. Types According to the '' Right Ginza'', the World of Darkness consists of many demons, dewis, and evil spirits, including: The ''Right Ginza'' describes them as: Demons in the ''Ginza Rabba'' Main demons Other than Ur, Ruha and her entourage of the 7 planets and 12 constellations, some infernal beings mentioned in the ''Ginza Rabba'' are: *Anathan (Anatan) – husband of Qin; described as a "warrior" and "war-like" in Book 5, Chapter 1 of the '' Right Ginza'' *Gaf and Gafan (Gap and Gapan) * Giu (Giuo) *Hag and Mag (Hagh and Magh) – a male and female pair of demons, respectively *Krun (Karun) *Qin – queen of darkness, mother of Ruha, grandmother of Ur; one of her epithets is Sumqaq *Shdum (Ashdum) – a ruler of the underworld *Zahreil (Zahrʿil) – daughter of Qin and wife of Hibil Ziwa *Zartai-Zartanai Minor demons Other demons mentioned in the ''Ginza Rabba'' are: *Aṭirpan (Aṭarpan), literally "f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
