Ashkenazic birth amulet (kimpetbrivl)

The kimpetbrivl is a protective sheet from the Ashkenazic tradition, placed around the bed of a woman in childbirth (Kimpetorin in Yiddish) and of the newborn to protect them during the period considered vulnerable during and after birth. Printed or handwritten, it bears angelic names, psalms, the Shema and formulas intended in particular to ward off Lilith, a demonic figure associated in folklore with the threat against infants. It often includes the names of the three angels Senoi, Sansenoi and Samangaloph. This object belongs to a popular culture of magico-religious protection surrounding birth in Central European communities.