Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: spirit posession

  • Spirit possession in Jewish folklore: The dybbuk

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden In the folklore of both Eastern European and Mediterranean Jews, a certain kind of possession was considered a real threat. A demon called a “dybbuk” was a malicious, possessing spirit, believed to be the soul or ghost of a dead, sinful person. The dybbuk was almost always the spirit of a Jewish…