Translation of the Enochian Rib-Carvings from 5x02
This was a really fun exercise. Thanks to my first draft saloon buddies for tasking me with giving this another go around after so many years.
Okay so a bit of backstory here. Way back in 2009 a group of fans attempted a translation of the rib-carvings over here https://supernatural-tv.livejournal.com/1991062.html with a low-res screencap. My only contribution at the time was recognizing the sigil of Lucifer on the sternum.
The sigils in the center all have meaning, which may or may not be relevant to the Enochian phrases surrounding them. From top to bottom the symbols are as follows: Air, Fire, Lucifer, Earth.
If you want to assign angels to each of the elements, we can do that too. There's a lot of options for each angel, but the most consistent associations between angels and elements would be as follows:
Raphael (Air)
Michael (Fire)
Lucifer
Uriel (Earth)
All angels that appeared in spn canon. Coincidence? You decide!
Am I huge nerd? Absolutely (read on to see why!)
Image and much more beneath the cut!
Most translations done so far have been done reading left to right. Enochian is read right to left. The words themselves however are not spelled right to left, they're clearly spelled left to right. Clearly, I say, because I've used the word CNILA (blood) in fic so many times it's instantly spottable for me ; )
However, what I'd never attempted before was reading the words themselves left to right with the word sequence going right to left. Doing this puts the right ribs first in the sentence and gives a very different set of sentences.
If we pair the Enochian text as two sets of ribs per Angel then the text reads as follows (verbatim translation first, my gramatically and textually enhanced version below):
Raphael:
ABRAMG ADOIAN AF(FA) ADGMACH ADRE NT (AMGE)DPHA
I have prepared the face empty glory, the servient angel of fire earth I will begin anew
I have prepared the face of empty glory, the servient angel of fire, on Earth I will begin anew.
Michael:
CONISB(ra) CNILA APILA (ADG)MACH OA(LI) OECRIMI LML GEIAD ENAI
The work of man, blood live forever glory. Give praise to the treasure our lord and master the lord our God.
This work of man, flesh and blood, will live forever in glory. Give praise to the treasure of our lord and master, the lord our God.
Lucifer:
PRD(ZAR) PRAF POILP PAMPHICAS (OM)GG P PVGO PRGE PRAP PELE PAVLACARP
Deceive dwell in divide -unknown insult - servient angel as unto fire balance he who works wonders name of an evil spirit
Deceive those who dwell divided, woe unto you, servient angel, as upon fire shall you be equal to he who works wonders, the evil spirit
Uriel:
QTING T Q QAA PVIM OE IM A P PIAD
Rotten are the contents of your creation, let the sickle sing, apply me the same your God
Rotten are the contents of your creation, let the sickle sing, annoint me the same as your God.
Particularly interesting is Uriel's use of "your God" vs Michael's "our God" and Lucifer's evil spirit.
It almost makes it feel like each Angel carved their own inscription, which isn't show canon, but they all have such a different feel to them. It's fascinating!
A few additional notes: the still from the episode is mirror-flipped, you have to flip it horizontally to get the Enochian letters to be facing the right way. Letters in parenthesis are cutoff from all possible stills and shots of the xray but are the most likely word given the visbile combination of letters.
I really love the varied interpretations that have gone into this one image and am so grateful for the prop designer(s) that came up with it. Not only was thought clearly put into this- but look at all the hours of nerdish joy you've given us! whoever it was clearly left before season 9 when they stopped giving a crap.
Sources as follows:
My beloved Enochian Language Database.
The Magician's Companion, which I've owned since my teen goth years and The Enochian Dictionary
If you have any additional clear screenshots please send them my way and I'll gladly keep stitching them together to see if my guesses on off-screen letters were right.
And if you enjoyed this post you may want to check out my original nerdtastic translation of all the phonetic Enochian spoken in the show seasons 5-9
Okay so a bit of backstory here. Way back in 2009 a group of fans attempted a translation of the rib-carvings over here https://supernatural-tv.livejournal.com/1991062.html with a low-res screencap. My only contribution at the time was recognizing the sigil of Lucifer on the sternum.
The sigils in the center all have meaning, which may or may not be relevant to the Enochian phrases surrounding them. From top to bottom the symbols are as follows: Air, Fire, Lucifer, Earth.
If you want to assign angels to each of the elements, we can do that too. There's a lot of options for each angel, but the most consistent associations between angels and elements would be as follows:
Raphael (Air)
Michael (Fire)
Lucifer
Uriel (Earth)
All angels that appeared in spn canon. Coincidence? You decide!
Am I huge nerd? Absolutely (read on to see why!)
Image and much more beneath the cut!
Most translations done so far have been done reading left to right. Enochian is read right to left. The words themselves however are not spelled right to left, they're clearly spelled left to right. Clearly, I say, because I've used the word CNILA (blood) in fic so many times it's instantly spottable for me ; )
However, what I'd never attempted before was reading the words themselves left to right with the word sequence going right to left. Doing this puts the right ribs first in the sentence and gives a very different set of sentences.
If we pair the Enochian text as two sets of ribs per Angel then the text reads as follows (verbatim translation first, my gramatically and textually enhanced version below):
Raphael:
ABRAMG ADOIAN AF(FA) ADGMACH ADRE NT (AMGE)DPHA
I have prepared the face empty glory, the servient angel of fire earth I will begin anew
I have prepared the face of empty glory, the servient angel of fire, on Earth I will begin anew.
Michael:
CONISB(ra) CNILA APILA (ADG)MACH OA(LI) OECRIMI LML GEIAD ENAI
The work of man, blood live forever glory. Give praise to the treasure our lord and master the lord our God.
This work of man, flesh and blood, will live forever in glory. Give praise to the treasure of our lord and master, the lord our God.
Lucifer:
PRD(ZAR) PRAF POILP PAMPHICAS (OM)GG P PVGO PRGE PRAP PELE PAVLACARP
Deceive dwell in divide -unknown insult - servient angel as unto fire balance he who works wonders name of an evil spirit
Deceive those who dwell divided, woe unto you, servient angel, as upon fire shall you be equal to he who works wonders, the evil spirit
Uriel:
QTING T Q QAA PVIM OE IM A P PIAD
Rotten are the contents of your creation, let the sickle sing, apply me the same your God
Rotten are the contents of your creation, let the sickle sing, annoint me the same as your God.
Particularly interesting is Uriel's use of "your God" vs Michael's "our God" and Lucifer's evil spirit.
It almost makes it feel like each Angel carved their own inscription, which isn't show canon, but they all have such a different feel to them. It's fascinating!
A few additional notes: the still from the episode is mirror-flipped, you have to flip it horizontally to get the Enochian letters to be facing the right way. Letters in parenthesis are cutoff from all possible stills and shots of the xray but are the most likely word given the visbile combination of letters.
I really love the varied interpretations that have gone into this one image and am so grateful for the prop designer(s) that came up with it. Not only was thought clearly put into this- but look at all the hours of nerdish joy you've given us! whoever it was clearly left before season 9 when they stopped giving a crap.
Sources as follows:
My beloved Enochian Language Database.
The Magician's Companion, which I've owned since my teen goth years and The Enochian Dictionary
If you have any additional clear screenshots please send them my way and I'll gladly keep stitching them together to see if my guesses on off-screen letters were right.
And if you enjoyed this post you may want to check out my original nerdtastic translation of all the phonetic Enochian spoken in the show seasons 5-9