I - MANUSCRIPT OF MAGIC & WITCHCRAFT - 1600

Elegitur presents: Burmese manuscript of yantra iconography, protective magic, and esoteric medicine ᚜

Myanmar (Burma)

Manuscript on folded paper (parabaik), in black and red ink, with talismanic figures, magical diagrams, and texts in the Burmese language.

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

General introduction

The manuscript we present is a magnificent example of the Burmese scribal tradition linked to ritual magic (weikza), traditional medicine, and apotropaic protection. These objects, commonly called parabaik (accordion books made from paper derived from the bark of the Daphne papyracea tree), were valuable tools intended for monks, healers, diviners, and esoteric masters (weikza-do, literally 'practitioners of occult knowledge').

The figurative tables accompanying the text place this manuscript among the most sought-after copies by oriental bibliophiles: anthropomorphic figures, protective demons, magical diagrams, and numerical squares (yantra) are drawn with a decisive and incisive stroke, following the Burmese-Mon aesthetic typical of the 19th century.

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

II. Material and Iconographic Structure

Support and form

The manuscript consists of two long strips of paper folded accordion-style, as is traditional with parabaik texts. The paper shows rounded edges from time and a slight yellowing, testifying to intense ritual use.

Execution technique

The drawing is created with fine brush-stroked vegetable black ink, with occasional highlights in light brown due to wear. The calligraphy is an example of rounded, elegant, and flowing Burmese script that follows the curvature of the figures.

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

III. Content of the manuscript

The work consists of illustrated plates alternating with brief explanatory texts that serve a function:
protective (apotropaic)
diagnostics (traditional medicine)
magical ritual (yantra and spells)
astrological (numerical tables)

1. Anthropomorphic figures and protective demons

The panels depict stylized humans alongside monstrous figures with open mouths and sharp teeth. These are not malevolent entities but guardians, called nats (spirits) or yakkha (benevolent demons), who in Burmese tradition protect against evil, enemies, and unfavorable astrological influences.

Recurring iconographic features
Elaborate test with ornamental elmi.
Long mustaches or curved tusks.
ritual weapons (daggers, machete) symbols of defense
Text inscribed on the torso and limbs.
a form of cosmic tattoo

2. Magical diagrams (Yantra) and numerical squares

Numerous boards feature magic squares (often 3×3, 4×4, 6×6) with Burmese numbers and syllables. These diagrams — called yat or yantra — function as:
astrological talismans
Protective grids against hostile spirits.
Thin maps of the human body (correspondences between organs and cosmic forces)

The presence of a large tripartite circular diagram, similar to a mandala, shows the association of the planets from Burmese tradition (Bhuddha, Rahu, Candra, etc.) with parts of the body.

Medical Divination Texts

Around the figures, it is read:
Recipes for traditional treatments.
lists of symptoms
Ritual instructions on how to trace or activate the yantra.
protective prayers

This dual function, medical and magical, was typical of pre-modern Burmese medicine, which combined:
astrology
phytotherapy
ritual invocations

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

IV. Cultural Significance and Historical Context

The Burmese world between the 18th and 19th centuries

The manuscript reflects a historical moment in which:
The Burmese kingdom was infused with Buddhist-animist syncretism.
The figure of the monk-healer was central in society.
Magical and astrological aspects were an integral part of daily life.

The yantra were used by:
Soldiers, before entering battle.
Travelers, like talismans against dangers.
• Healers, for the spiritual diagnosis of illnesses.
Faithful, as instruments of blessing.

2. Iconography and social function

The representation of 'demons' with weapons is an iconographic codification that is also found in:
Siamese-Thai manuscripts
Cambodian treatises on magical medicine.
19th-century Mon-birmani notebook.

It was believed that such figures could 'consume' or divert the malicious forces directed towards the individual.

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

Historical, anthropological, and collecting value

This manuscript is an extremely rare object because:
Notebooks of medicine and magic survivors are very few.
Many were destroyed during the colonial era or considered forbidden superstitions.
The complete figurative tables significantly increase the value of the work.
Numerical diagrams are considered among the most fascinating and sought-after aspects of Burmese esoteric culture.
The excellent readability of the inscriptions — despite their age — makes it a valuable study document for:
orientalists
religious anthropology
historians of traditional medicine
Asian esoteric art collectors

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.

VI. Conclusion

The manuscript is a masterpiece of the Burmese esoteric tradition, a living object created not only to be read but to be activated, consulted, venerated.
It encompasses a heritage of ritual, therapeutic, and astrological knowledge that testifies to the complexity of the pre-modern Southeast Asian spiritual world.

It is a work that combines:
The art of ritual drawing.
the symbolic power of yantra
traditional medical wisdom
the imaginary of protective spirits
the refined Burmese calligraphy

Turning it not just into a literary document, but into an anthropological artifact of immense charm and rarity.

The input is a dash character, which does not require translation.