Enochian
Encyclopedia
Enochian is a name often applied to an occult
or angelic
language recorded in the private journals of John Dee
and his seer Edward Kelley
in the late 16th century. The men claimed that it was revealed to them by angel
s. Some contemporary scholars of magick
consider it a constructed language
that is nonetheless viable for magickal workings, while other scholars of constructed languages simply consider it a very poor imitation of an ancient language, with grammar derived primarily from English.
The angelical language as revealed to Dee and Kelley encompasses a limited text corpus. Additionally, only parts of it come with English translations. Nonetheless, some linguists, notably Donald Laycock
, have studied Enochian, and argue against any extraordinary features in the language.
Dee's journals did not describe the language as "Enochian", instead preferring descriptors like "Angelical", the "Celestial Speech", the "Language of Angels
", the "First Language of God-Christ", the "Holy Language", or "Adamical
" because, according to Dee's Angels, it was used by Adam
in Paradise to name all things. The term "Enochian" comes from Dee's assertion that the Biblical Patriarch
Enoch
had been the last human (before Dee and Kelley) to know the language.
language was common during Dee's time. If one could speak with angels, it was believed one could directly interact with them.
In 1581, Dee mentioned in his personal journals that God had sent "good angels" to communicate directly with prophets. In 1582, Dee teamed up with the seer
Edward Kelley
, although Dee had used several other seers previously. With Kelley's help as a scryer, Dee set out to establish lasting contact with the angels, which resulted, among other things, in the reception of the Enochian or Angelical language.
According to Dee's journals, Angelical was supposed to have been the language God used to create the world, and which was later used by Adam to speak with God and the angels, and to name all things in existence. After his Fall from Paradise, Adam lost the language and constructed a form of proto-Hebrew
based upon his vague memory of Angelical. This proto-Hebrew, then, was the universal human language until the time of the Confusion of Tongues at the Tower of Babel
. After this, all the various human languages were developed, including an even more modified Hebrew (which we know as "Biblical Hebrew"). From the time of Adam to the time of Dee and Kelley, Angelical was hidden from humans with the single exception of the patriarch Enoch who, according to the angels, recorded the "Book of Loagaeth" (Speech From God) for humanity. The book was then lost again in the Deluge of Noah.
The reception of Enochian started on March 26, 1583, when Kelley reported visions in the crystal of the twenty-one lettered alphabet characteristic of the language. A few days later, Kelley started receiving what became the first corpus of texts in the purported Angelic language. This resulted in the book Liber Loagaeth ("Book [of] Speech from God"). The book consists of 49 great letter tables, or squares made of 49 by 49 letters (however, each table has a front and back side—making 98 49x49 tables in all). Dee and Kelly said the angels never bothered translating the texts in this book.
The other set of Enochian texts was received through Kelley about a year later, in Krakow
. These are more important since they come with English translations, thus providing the basis for the Enochian vocabulary. The texts comprise 48 poetic verses, which in Dee's manuscripts are called "Claves Angelicae", or "Angelic Keys". The Keys are assigned certain functions within the magical system. Dee was apparently intending to use these Keys to "open the 49 Gates of Wisdom/Understanding" represented by the 49 magic squares in Liber Loagaeth:
While these texts contain most of the vocabulary, dozens of further words are found hidden throughout Dee's journals, and thousands of undefined words are contained in the Liber Loagaeth. Marked stylistic differences between the words in Loagaeth and in the Keys have led some present-day magicians to assume that these represent two different "dialects" of the language .
have pointed to this discrepancy between the two revealed sets of Enochian texts as an indication that Enochian is not a consistent language. For instance, it has been noted, especially by the Australian linguist Donald Laycock
, that the texts in the Loagaeth material show phonetic features that do not generally appear in natural languages. Rather, the features shown are commonly found in instances of glossolalia
, suggesting that Kelley actually produced at least this set of writings via "speaking in tongues."
Building on Laycock’s linguistic analysis, skeptics also point out that there are even problems with holding that the texts of the Enochian keys represent a genuine natural language
. It is observed that the syntax of the Enochian calls is almost identical with that of English. Also, the very scant evidence of Enochian verb conjugation seems quite reminiscent of English, more so than with Semitic languages
as Hebrew or Arabic, which Dee claimed were debased versions of the original Angelic language. There are only two known verbs with conjugations, one of which, "to be," is highly irregular. While some phonetic features of Enochian show a connection to glossolalia, others show similarities to the English language. Both languages have soft and hard consonants such as c and g, and combine s and h to make the sh sound.
As for the semantics
of Enochian, addition similarities to English have been found. For example, luciftias, a term meaning brightness, may very possibly have a connection to Lucifer
, whose name means "light bringer." Londoh, a word meaning kingdom, may have come from Dee's admiration for the Queen of England. These and other examples have led skeptics to believe that many of these terms are derived from notions that would have been contemporary in Dee and Kelley's time.
These points arguably make the reception of the Enochian language less mysterious than some practitioners of Enochian magic
have typically contended.
included nineteen of the Enochian Keys, in the original and in English translation, in his The Satanic Bible
, a manual for Satanists written in 1969. LaVey edited this translation to fit in with the Satanic Bible by creating a Satanic theme in his English and Enochian translations.
's fourth studio album, Lateralus
, the 13th and final track is named "Faaip de Oiad," which means "Voice of God" in Enochian. The Finnish
black metal
band Enochian Crescent is strongly influenced by the Enochian language. The Swedish symphonic metal
band Therion
used the Enochian word for dragon ("vovin") as the title of their 1998 album, Vovin. Impaled Nazarene
has some songs and album titles in Enochian: Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz ("Thy shall all be marked 666") and I Al Purg Vonpo ("Flames, the burning wrath"). The Russian band Dvar
write their lyrics in Enochian.
, spells and certain bits of dialogue are in Enochian.
The final spell in The Black Mirror
point-and-click horror adventure game and its sequel Black Mirror II is in Enochian.
The vocal sections of the soundtrack of Dante's Inferno
are sung in Enochian.
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
or angelic
Angelic
The term Angelic may refer to:* Angel, a supernatural being* Angelic, a UK dance band featuring Darren Tate, Judge Jules and Jules's wife, Amanda O'Riordan.* Angelic acid, an organic compound* Angelic de Grimoard, brother of Pope Urban V...
language recorded in the private journals of John Dee
John Dee
John Dee was a Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I.John Dee may also refer to:* John Dee , Basketball coach...
and his seer Edward Kelley
Edward Kelley
Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot was an ambiguous figure in English Renaissance occultism and self-declared spirit medium who worked with John Dee in his magical investigations...
in the late 16th century. The men claimed that it was revealed to them by angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s. Some contemporary scholars of magick
Magick
Magick is an Early Modern English spelling for magic, used in works such as the 1651 translation of De Occulta Philosophia, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, or Of Magick...
consider it a constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
that is nonetheless viable for magickal workings, while other scholars of constructed languages simply consider it a very poor imitation of an ancient language, with grammar derived primarily from English.
The angelical language as revealed to Dee and Kelley encompasses a limited text corpus. Additionally, only parts of it come with English translations. Nonetheless, some linguists, notably Donald Laycock
Donald Laycock
Dr Donald Laycock was an Australian linguist and anthropologist. He is best remembered for his work on the languages of Papua New Guinea.-Biography:...
, have studied Enochian, and argue against any extraordinary features in the language.
Dee's journals did not describe the language as "Enochian", instead preferring descriptors like "Angelical", the "Celestial Speech", the "Language of Angels
Language of angels
Language of angels may refer to:*Enochian a name often applied to an occult or angelic language recorded in the private journals of John Dee and his seer Edward Kelley in the late 16th century....
", the "First Language of God-Christ", the "Holy Language", or "Adamical
Adamic language
The Adamic language is, according to certain sects within Abrahamic traditions, the language spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, i.e., either the language used by God to address Adam, or the language invented by Adam ....
" because, according to Dee's Angels, it was used by Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
in Paradise to name all things. The term "Enochian" comes from Dee's assertion that the Biblical Patriarch
Patriarchs (Bible)
The Patriarchs of the Bible, when narrowly defined, are Abraham, the ancestor of all the Abrahamic nations; his son Isaac, the ancestor of the nations surrounding Israel/Judah; and Isaac's son Jacob, also named Israel, the ancestor of the Israelites...
Enoch
Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
had been the last human (before Dee and Kelley) to know the language.
Dee's Angelical
According to Tobias Churton in his text The Golden Builders, the concept of an Angelic or antediluvianAntediluvian
The antediluvian period meaning "before the deluge" is the period referred to in the Bible between the Creation of the Earth and the Deluge . The narrative takes up chapters 1-6 of Genesis...
language was common during Dee's time. If one could speak with angels, it was believed one could directly interact with them.
In 1581, Dee mentioned in his personal journals that God had sent "good angels" to communicate directly with prophets. In 1582, Dee teamed up with the seer
Seer
Seer or Seers or SEER may refer to:Predicting the future* A clairvoyant, prophet, oracle, or diviner* The Seer , a fictional character on the television series Charmed...
Edward Kelley
Edward Kelley
Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot was an ambiguous figure in English Renaissance occultism and self-declared spirit medium who worked with John Dee in his magical investigations...
, although Dee had used several other seers previously. With Kelley's help as a scryer, Dee set out to establish lasting contact with the angels, which resulted, among other things, in the reception of the Enochian or Angelical language.
According to Dee's journals, Angelical was supposed to have been the language God used to create the world, and which was later used by Adam to speak with God and the angels, and to name all things in existence. After his Fall from Paradise, Adam lost the language and constructed a form of proto-Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
based upon his vague memory of Angelical. This proto-Hebrew, then, was the universal human language until the time of the Confusion of Tongues at the Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
. After this, all the various human languages were developed, including an even more modified Hebrew (which we know as "Biblical Hebrew"). From the time of Adam to the time of Dee and Kelley, Angelical was hidden from humans with the single exception of the patriarch Enoch who, according to the angels, recorded the "Book of Loagaeth" (Speech From God) for humanity. The book was then lost again in the Deluge of Noah.
The reception of Enochian started on March 26, 1583, when Kelley reported visions in the crystal of the twenty-one lettered alphabet characteristic of the language. A few days later, Kelley started receiving what became the first corpus of texts in the purported Angelic language. This resulted in the book Liber Loagaeth ("Book [of] Speech from God"). The book consists of 49 great letter tables, or squares made of 49 by 49 letters (however, each table has a front and back side—making 98 49x49 tables in all). Dee and Kelly said the angels never bothered translating the texts in this book.
The other set of Enochian texts was received through Kelley about a year later, in Krakow
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. These are more important since they come with English translations, thus providing the basis for the Enochian vocabulary. The texts comprise 48 poetic verses, which in Dee's manuscripts are called "Claves Angelicae", or "Angelic Keys". The Keys are assigned certain functions within the magical system. Dee was apparently intending to use these Keys to "open the 49 Gates of Wisdom/Understanding" represented by the 49 magic squares in Liber Loagaeth:
- I am therefore to instruct and inform you, according to your Doctrine delivered, which is contained in 49 Tables. In 49 voices, or callings: which are the Natural Keys to open those, not 49 but 48 (for one is not to be opened) Gates of Understanding, whereby you shall have knowledge to move every Gate…
- But you shall understand that these 19 Calls are the Calls, or entrances into the knowledge of the mystical Tables. Every Table containing one whole leaf, whereunto you need no other circumstances.
While these texts contain most of the vocabulary, dozens of further words are found hidden throughout Dee's journals, and thousands of undefined words are contained in the Liber Loagaeth. Marked stylistic differences between the words in Loagaeth and in the Keys have led some present-day magicians to assume that these represent two different "dialects" of the language .
Alphabet
The Enochian script is written from right to left, and may include accents. Different documents have slightly different forms of the script. Some of the letter names are pronounced as they would be in English, but many are pronounced differently. The Enochian letters have English letter equivalents. A number of different fonts for the Enochian alphabet are available, which use the English letter equivalents to access the Enochian glyphs.Skeptical and linguistic evaluations
SkepticsScientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
have pointed to this discrepancy between the two revealed sets of Enochian texts as an indication that Enochian is not a consistent language. For instance, it has been noted, especially by the Australian linguist Donald Laycock
Donald Laycock
Dr Donald Laycock was an Australian linguist and anthropologist. He is best remembered for his work on the languages of Papua New Guinea.-Biography:...
, that the texts in the Loagaeth material show phonetic features that do not generally appear in natural languages. Rather, the features shown are commonly found in instances of glossolalia
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
, suggesting that Kelley actually produced at least this set of writings via "speaking in tongues."
Building on Laycock’s linguistic analysis, skeptics also point out that there are even problems with holding that the texts of the Enochian keys represent a genuine natural language
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
. It is observed that the syntax of the Enochian calls is almost identical with that of English. Also, the very scant evidence of Enochian verb conjugation seems quite reminiscent of English, more so than with Semitic languages
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
as Hebrew or Arabic, which Dee claimed were debased versions of the original Angelic language. There are only two known verbs with conjugations, one of which, "to be," is highly irregular. While some phonetic features of Enochian show a connection to glossolalia, others show similarities to the English language. Both languages have soft and hard consonants such as c and g, and combine s and h to make the sh sound.
As for the semantics
Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata....
of Enochian, addition similarities to English have been found. For example, luciftias, a term meaning brightness, may very possibly have a connection to Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
, whose name means "light bringer." Londoh, a word meaning kingdom, may have come from Dee's admiration for the Queen of England. These and other examples have led skeptics to believe that many of these terms are derived from notions that would have been contemporary in Dee and Kelley's time.
These points arguably make the reception of the Enochian language less mysterious than some practitioners of Enochian magic
Enochian magic
Enochian magic is a system of ceremonial magic based on the evocation and commanding of various spirits. It is based on the 16th-century writings of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley, who claimed that their information was delivered to them directly by various angels. Dee's journals contained the...
have typically contended.
LaVeyan Satanism
Anton LaVeyAnton LaVey
Anton Szandor LaVey , born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician...
included nineteen of the Enochian Keys, in the original and in English translation, in his The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It contains the core principles of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary...
, a manual for Satanists written in 1969. LaVey edited this translation to fit in with the Satanic Bible by creating a Satanic theme in his English and Enochian translations.
Novels
Cotten Stone of the Cotten Stone thriller novels, by authors Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore, can speak Enochian because she is the daughter of Furmiel, a fallen angel. In John Connolly's novel The Lovers, the two evil angels Anmael and Semjaza each have a letter tattooed or burned on one arm (Un for Anmael and Fam for Semjaza, although Connolly misidentifies Un as "Und"). Each one also leaves his or her letter carved on or near a victim. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series uses English, written with Enochian letters as a cipher alphabet, as the language of the Golems. Charles Stross' The Laundry series uses Enochian as a magical programming language.Television and movies
- In television, the Simpsons episode Sideshow Bob RobertsSideshow Bob Roberts"Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and it originally aired on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns as villain Sideshow Bob, who, in this episode, wins the Springfield mayoral election through electoral fraud. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh...
satirizes a Republican party gathering where the participants greet each other with an Enochian call, as identified by the writers and producers on the DVD commentary.
- Several episodes of SupernaturalSupernaturalThe supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
feature references to Enochian. CastielCastiel (Supernatural)Castiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
, an angel, etches Enochian sigils into the ribs of SamSam WinchesterSamuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural along with his older brother Dean. He is portrayed by Jared Padalecki.-Background:...
and Dean WinchesterDean WinchesterDean Winchester is a fictional character from The CW Television Network's Supernatural, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. He hunts demons, spirits and other supernatural creatures with his younger brother Sam.-Background:...
to hide them from the sight of both angels and demons.
- In season five of the television series AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
, recurring villain Lindsey McDonaldLindsey McDonaldLindsey McDonald is a fictional character from the television series Angel. He first appeared in the series' first episode, "City of," and featured prominently in the story arcs of seasons one, two, and five. Lindsey is the only character besides Angel himself to appear in both the first and last...
has symbols derived from Enochian tattooed on his body to avoid detection by any means other than the naked eye, including the powers of the Senior Partners. Later in the same season, his lover Eve hides out in a house with the same symbols painted on the walls.
- In the 2010 movie Legion, the tattoos on the body of Michael, and later on Jeep's body, are Enochian.
- In the anime Hetalia, England is shown casting an Enochian curse on Germany, describing it as his secret weapon.
Music
On ToolTool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
's fourth studio album, Lateralus
Lateralus
Lateralus is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for...
, the 13th and final track is named "Faaip de Oiad," which means "Voice of God" in Enochian. The Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Enochian Crescent is strongly influenced by the Enochian language. The Swedish symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band Therion
Therion (band)
Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
used the Enochian word for dragon ("vovin") as the title of their 1998 album, Vovin. Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....
has some songs and album titles in Enochian: Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz ("Thy shall all be marked 666") and I Al Purg Vonpo ("Flames, the burning wrath"). The Russian band Dvar
Dvar
Dvar is a virtual band from Moscow, Russia that plays darkwave music, though their more recent releases have been coined as Lightwave, for a lack of an existing genre to file their unique sound under.-History:...
write their lyrics in Enochian.
Games
In Platinum Games' action game BayonettaBayonetta
is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
, spells and certain bits of dialogue are in Enochian.
The final spell in The Black Mirror
The Black Mirror
The Black Mirror is a third-person point-and-click horror adventure game developed in 2003 by Future Games, a Czech company. Its original name is Posel Smrti . The game features 150 locations and 5 hours of spoken dialogoue...
point-and-click horror adventure game and its sequel Black Mirror II is in Enochian.
The vocal sections of the soundtrack of Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (video game)
Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...
are sung in Enochian.
See also
- Enochian angelsEnochian angelsEnochian angels are entities as expressed in the Enochian magic system, introduced in the 16th century by John Dee and Edward Kelley .-History:...
- Enochian magicEnochian magicEnochian magic is a system of ceremonial magic based on the evocation and commanding of various spirits. It is based on the 16th-century writings of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley, who claimed that their information was delivered to them directly by various angels. Dee's journals contained the...
- List of magical terms and traditions
- Occultism