AGLA

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For other uses, see AGLA (disambiguation).
A medieval silver cross pendant inscribed with the letters AG LA

AGLA (אגלא‎) is a magic word that appears in some charms. Its meaning is unsettled, but is widely repeated to be a noṭariqōn (kabbalistic acronym) for אַתָּה גִּבּוֹר לְעוֹלָם אֲדֹנָי‎ ʾAtā gībōr ləʿōlām ʾĂḏōnāy, "Thou, O Lord, art mighty forever." It is said daily in the Gevurot, the second blessing of the Amidah, the central Jewish prayer. According to Katelyn Mesler however, "after much searching, I have yet to find evidence of such an interpretation prior to the late fourteenth or fifteenth century, a couple centuries after AGLA begins appearing in magical writings."[1]

AGLA is found in at least 31 runic inscriptions.[2] During the Middle Ages, the word was reinterpreted in Germany as an initialism for Allmächtiger Gott, Lösche Aus, "Almighty God, extinguish the conflagration" and used as a talisman against fire.[3] It has been inscribed on several Medieval silver crosses from England recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme where it was interpreted as a charm against fever.[4][5]

References[]

  1. ^ Mesler, Katelyn "The Latin Encounter with Hebrew Magic" in; Page, Sophie, and; Rider, Catherine (2019). The Routledge History of Medieval Magic. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 88.
  2. ^ R. Cole (2015), "Hebrew in Runic Inscriptions and Elsewhere", Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 11:33–77. doi:10.1484/j.vms.5.109599
  3. ^ AGLA’, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion, 2nd ed., edited by Adele Berlin (Oxford University Press, 2011).
  4. ^ "PENDANT (HAMP-C1876C)". Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  5. ^ "PENDANT (LIN-D23796)". Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
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