Page - 49 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/01

Born under a Lucky Star | 49www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 45–65 with vowel signs, as it was usually set without vocals. It can be assumed that he also decided on the selection and placement of the woodcuts. After these general explanations, the focus will now be on the type of amu- lets with a single image. So far, I am aware of a total of 12 different subtypes, each with a different illustration for the versions for a girl and for a boy. The motives vary, but in most cases a female figure is shown in the version for a girl, while a male figure is shown in the version for a boy. Accordingly, the illustrations probably served to facilitate the purchase of a suitable amulet for a male or a female infant by visualizing the gender of the child. This role was especially important for women, who sometimes had only limited knowledge of Hebrew. It is likely that they also served as “eye-catchers”, to increase the attractiveness of the products. This corresponds to the function of the text elements in the upper third of the prints, which primarily served as information for the user and were prob- ably particularly important in the purchasing situation. As far as I am aware, this “part of information” is typical of amulet prints, whereas neither pictures nor Yiddish explanations can be found on handwritten amulets. One can as- sume that these additions on the prints served as a substitute for the direct or indirect relationship between the writer of the handwritten amulets (who was often a rabbi and/or a kabbalist) and the amulet users. This relationship possibly had a positive influence on the user’s subjective feeling of protection. In the case of the amulet prints, which were produced by an anonymous type- setter and a printer, this form of relationship did not exist. In addition to the picture and the headline indicating whether the print is intended for a boy or a girl, there is also at least one Yiddish text summarizing the content of the Hebrew story about Elijah and Lilith that follows.13 Yiddish was the everyday language, while Hebrew was used for ritual purposes, and the Yiddish summary therefore enabled the user to get a rough overview of the content of the Hebrew text, which might otherwise be incomprehensible. In some prints, this summary is preceded by another Yiddish text, which prais- es the protective effect of the amulet against demons, ghosts, and sorcerers. It is noteworthy that the Yiddish texts are printed in a different font than the Hebrew ones. This semi-italic font is called vaybertaytsh (yidd.: “women’s Ger- man”), because it was used especially in Yiddish literature for women and less 13 A closer examination of this Yiddish text shows, however, that not only is the following text paraphrased, but other text elements, especially the versions of Exod. 22:17, are also interpreted and thereby connected with the other texts of the amulet.