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Difference between revisions of "Witch of Endor"
→Etymology
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==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
The woman of the story is called in Biblical [[ | The woman of the story is called in Biblical [[Judaism|Hebrew]] אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת־אֹוב בְּעֵין דֹּור, "a woman, possessor of an ''’ōḇ'' at 'Endor' (Ein Dor, a location name meaning a circular well or spring). The word אֹ֖וב ''’ōḇ'' has been suggested by Harry A. Hoffner to refer to a ritual pit for [[channeling|summoning the dead]] from the netherworld, based on parallels in other Near Eastern and Mediterranean cultures. The word has cognates in other regional languages (cf. Sumerian ''ab'', Akkadian ''âbu'', Hittite ''a-a-bi'', Ugaritic ''ib'') and the medium or [[witch]] of Endor's ritual has parallels in Babylonian and Hittite [[grimoire|magical texts]] as well as the Odyssey. | ||
Other suggestions for a definition of ''’ōḇ'' include a [[familiar]] spirit, a [[talisman]], or a wineskin, in reference to ventriloquism. | Other suggestions for a definition of ''’ōḇ'' include a [[familiar]] spirit, a [[talisman]], or a wineskin, in reference to ventriloquism. | ||