The Babylonian Talmud on demons in the toilet:
"On coming from a privy a man should not have sexual
intercourse till he has waited long enough to walk half
a mil, because the demon of the privy is with him for
that time; if he does, his children will be epileptic."
A rabbi's mum, trained a
lamb to accompany her son to
the privy for protection:
"The mother of Abaye
trained for him a lamb
to go with him into the privy
(as a protection against
evil spirits). She
should rather have
trained for him a goat?
(goats were associated
by the ancients with
evil spirits). A satyr
might be changed into a
goat
(the Hebrew word sa'ir
means both 'he-goat' and
'satyr')."
Early version of the "glory
hole":
"Before Raba became head of the Academy, the daughter of
Rabbi Hisda (his wife) used to rattle a nut in a brass
dish (to frighten away the evil spirits). After he
became head, she made a window for him (in the wall of
the house, through which she could put her hand), and
put her hand on his head. In the wall of the house,
through which she could put her hand on his head (As a
protection. After becoming head of the Academy, he was
more exposed to danger from the evil spirits)."
Berakoth 62a
