Sacred and Profane: Tabooing in Russian Magical Manuscripts of the 17th–18th Centuries (Incantations and Herbals)

Linguistic taboos (euphemisms, omissions, and other) are an essential part of Slavic verbal written culture. In this article, we analyze cryptography as a form tabooing in the magical texts grassroots manuscript tradition 17th 18th centuries (handwritten incantations herbals). Our main objective is trying to see system behind separate examples define which kinds usually tabooed herbals, their topics, messages. We have managed find out that function keeping secrecy not relevant for tradition; rather, encryption was used emphasize elements special importance. book called Olonets Codex, dating back century, ciphering names titles sacred demonological characters, antagonists, descriptions certain rituals, closing phrases (amen, “key”), etc. hypothesize Codex means retaining strength all manuscripts, protecting from hostile beings, sacralizing where necessary, what considered sinful religious reasons, accentuating meanings incantations, basically “sinful” or trappy topics (love magic, magic against courts authorities, some contexts concerning sorcery, jinx, “secret” knowledge), had bear sacral meaning (incantations prayers).