A ''Himmelsbrief'', also known as a "heaven's letter" (Bilardi, 2009) or "heavenly letter" (Kerr, 2002), is a religious documents said to have been written by God or a divine agent. Their purpose is to protect the bearer or place from all evil and danger; however, there is a price for their protection. Bearers will only be protected so long as they abide by the moral covenants detailed in the letter (Bilardi, 2009). They are often said to have miraculously "fallen from sky", claim protection for owners of a copy (encouraging

meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

tic replication) and punishment for disbelievers. Some authors reserve the name for

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

apocryphal documents, but similar pieces are found in

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and pre-Christian religions. Hippolytus of Rome mentions one in ''

Refutation of All Heresies The ''Refutation of All Heresies'' ( grc-gre, Φιλοσοφούμενα ή κατὰ πασῶν αἱρέσεων ἔλεγχος; la, Refutatio Omnium Haeresium), also called the ''Elenchus'' or ''Philosophumena'', is a compendious Christian po ...

'' (third century), and the earlier full text is a Latin one dated in the 6th century. While preaching, Jacob, the organizer of the

Shepherds' Crusade (1251) The Shepherds' Crusade of 1251 was a popular crusade in northern France aimed at rescuing King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade. In 1249, Saint Louis IX of France went away on crusade, leaving his mother, Blanche of Castile, as regent du ...

, held one which was allegedly given by the Virgin Mary.

Pennsylvania German

In the

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...

community, they are part of

Pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an ...

tradition and contained

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

verses and other charms and assurances that their owners would be protected from death, injury, and other misfortune. The text of these letters is often written according to a long established formula (Herr, 2002) This is why it is sometimes believed that Himmelsbrief are the original chain letters. Pow-wow practitioners charged handsome sums for these magical letters; the price they commanded depended on the reputation of the practitioner. However, some traditions call for it to be given free of charge. A hand-written letter produced by a respected Hexenmeister or Braucher is regarded as a powerful talisman (Herr, 2002). Himmelsbrief may be written in order to communicate with someone departed, or to request assistance from God in heaven. (Herr, 2002) According to C.R.Bilardi in his book, The Red Church: or the Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherei (2009), two well known examples of these letters are the Koenigsberg Fire Brief of 1714 and the Magdeburg Himmelsbrief of 1783.

References

Bilardi, C.R. (2009) The Red Church: or the Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherie; Pendraig Publishing, Los Angeles, CA Herr, Karl (2002) Hex and Spellwork: The Magical Practice of the Pennsylvania Dutch; Weiser Books, Boston, MA
Chain Letter Evolution
, * Hans Günther Bickert / Norbert Nail (2019): Das Wirtshaus an der Lahn: Der legendäre „Gasthof zum Schützenpfuhl“ in Marburg und seine Gäste. Mit einem Beitrag über „Himmelsbriefe“. Marburg: Büchner-Verlag, {{Superstitions Amish Christian folklore Letters (message) Luck Pennsylvania culture

Pennsylvania German

See also

References