Finder's Guide

Bila Nemoc, Capek play, 1937

sea of Azov between the Ukraine and Russia

name given in Zohar to one of the monsters in Ezekiel's dream

Darío book of poems and stories, 1888 and 1890

city in the province of Buenos Aires

ancient Semitic fertility god

Fishburn and Hughes: "The Semitic for 'Lord': the name of many ancient near-eastern fertility gods. In Babylon, Baal was identified with the planet Jupiter and later became one of their chief gods. Though used at times to designate the god of Israel, the name is normally associated in the Old Testament with lesser, more local gods and condemned by the Hebrew prophets. Jeremiah associates the cult with heathen practices of a violent and cruel kind. Given the fluidity of the worship of Baal, it is difficult to establish the mysteries alluded to. The cult was based on magic, on violent and ecstatic exercises and on human sacrifice." (20)

founder of Hasidism, 1700-1760

Fishburn and Hughes: "A Hebrew word, meaning 'master of the Name' the person who knows how to use God’s name. Israel ben Eliezer (c.1700-1760) was known as Baal Shem Tov. He originated from Podolia and was the founder of eighteenth-century Polish Hasidism. The title Baal Shem is based on his belief in the miraculous power of the Sacred Name, which he invoked to work miracles. 

Any biography of Baal Shem would necessarily be highly fictional, since he left no writings and the little we know of him is interwoven with legend. Borges may, however, be referring to Martín Buber's Die Legende des Baalschem (1908: trans. 1955)". (21)

monster which helps devour the dead in Egyptian mythology

Lewis satirical novel, 1922

character in Lewis novel

Dunsany

Tower of Babel in the Bible

Fishburn and Hughes: "Assyrian word, Bab-ili, meaning 'the gate of the God', the original name of Babylon; cf. Hebrew balal, to 'confuse'. The story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) seeks to explain the diversity of mankind. Man's presumption in building a tower to reach heaven is frustrated by God, who confounds the language of those who built it, dividing their speech. The story was probably inspired by the pyramidal temple-tower in Babylon." (21)

in Spanish, "estar en babia" is to be in the clouds, but Babia is also a place in León, Spain

ancient Babylon

Fishburn and Hughes: "Greek form of Babel. An ancient city on the Euphrates, first mentioned in a tablet of 3800 BC, famous for its astronomical and astrological practices. From 2250 BC Babylon was the capital of an extensive commercial empire periodically fighting for supremacy with the neighbouring Assyrians. After the fall of Nineveh in 606 BC Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt the town, fortifying it with towers and a wall which joined the Tigris to the Euphrates. When the western regions of the empire rose in revolt, led by Egypt, Babylon retaliated, destroying Jerusalem and enslaving the Jews. The decay of Babylon began in 500 BC with King Belshazzar, who saw the 'writing on the wall'. It was occupied first by Cyrus of Persia and then by Alexander of Macedon, after whose death in 323 BC it dwindled to a group of villages.
Among the Babylonians all transactions were carried out on clay tablets, many of which survive, along with documentation of their religion, magic and astrology. A complex system of gods involved a hierarchy of priests and many liturgical rites, including the making of horoscopes. A vast legal organisation governed the life of individuals: capital punishment was applied for theft, and the judicial system was based on the Lex Talionis ('an eye for an eye')." (21)

character in Bustos Domecq story

Spanish writer, 1895-1931

German composer, 1685-1750

character in Borges story, to whom "Le jardin du centaure" is attributed

Shaw play, 1921