Early/Old Yiddish > Healing and Magic
Sefer Refues u-Segulos
Northern Italy, 15th century
General MS 262
General Manuscripts Collection
The earliest known manuscript with Yiddish text is the Worms Mahazor, a prayer book dating back to the 12th century. The manuscript here, a compilation of folk remedies with a generous sprinkling of mystical incantations, was produced in Italy about three centuries later. The manuscript is mostly written in Yiddish, with the exception of some medical and herbal terms that are taken from Italian. There is also an incantation (l 7v.) in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) against the evil eye. Among the most interesting remedies is one for birth control (hanging excrement of a hare around one’s neck) and an incantation (to be used only if very necessary) for releasing a prisoner that was “procured from a convert,” which invokes Jesus Christ. The entire manuscript has been digitized and can be found online.