Enochian

This article is about the mystical language recorded in the journals of John Dee. For Dee's system of angelic magic, see Enochian magic. For other examples of divine or angelic languages, see Divine language.
Enochian
John Dee’s manuscript diary for 6 May 1583, showing the 21 letters of the Enochian script
Created byJohn Dee
Edward Kelley
Date1583–1584
Setting and usageOccult journals
Purpose
Latin script, Enochian script
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
GlottologNone
IETFi-enochian (deprecated)[1][2]

Enochian (/ɪˈnoʊkiən/ ə-NOH-kee-ən) is an occult constructed language[3]—said by its originators to have been received from angels—recorded in the private journals of John Dee and his colleague Edward Kelley in late 16th-century England.[4] Kelley was a scryer who worked with Dee in his magical investigations. The language is integral to the practice of Enochian magic.

The language found in Dee's and Kelley's journals encompasses a limited textual corpus. Linguist Donald Laycock, an Australian Skeptic, studied the Enochian journals, and argues against any extraordinary features. The untranslated texts of the Liber Loagaeth manuscript recall the patterns of glossolalia rather than true language. Dee did not distinguish the Liber Loagaeth material from the translated language of the Calls, which is more like an artificial language. This language was called Angelical by Dee and later came to be referred to as "Enochian" by subsequent writers. The phonology and grammar resemble English, though the translations are not sufficient to work out any regular morphology.[5] Some Enochian words resemble words and proper names in the Bible, but most have no apparent etymology.[6]

Dee's journals also refer to this language as "Celestial Speech", "First Language of God-Christ", "Holy Language", or "Language of Angels". He also referred to it as "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.

  1. ^ "Language Subtag Registry". Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Language Subtag Registration Form for 'i-enochian'". Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  3. ^ Bowern & Lindemann (2021).
  4. ^ The Private Diary of Dr. John Dee by John Dee at Project Gutenberg.
  5. ^ Laycock (2001), p. 43.
  6. ^ Laycock (2001), p. 42.