@jointhecovn never going to read the killing curse the same way again #harrypotter #abracadabra #magicword #daystilhalloween #spookyhistory #witchy #jointhecovn #magicians #history #kotodama #witchtok ♬ original sound - Covn
Ever wondered why "abracadabra" is the magic word for spells?
First appearing in a book from the 3rd century as an incantation against malaria Abracadabra means ‘I create as I speak’. Believed to be Aramic in origin coming from ‘Avra Kadavra’ (which might sound like a familiar killing curse).
It’s probably the most famous incantation but incantations have been used for centuries across cultures. In Japan they had the concept of ‘kotodama’ which means ‘word spirit’ meaning that there are mystical powers in certain words. In the Middle Ages spells and incantations were collected in Grimoires.
Abracabra used to be a talisman, first recorded in a Latin medical poem, De meedicina praecepta. It's believed to have come into English via French and Latin via the Greek word abrasadabra. Roman physician Quintus Serenus Sammonicus said that someone could recover from ill health if they wore an amulet around their neck with a piece of parchment inscribed with the word Abracadabra in a triangle as seen below. This triangular formula would act like a funnel, driving sickness out of the body.
A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R
A B R A C A D A B
A B R A C A D A
A B R A C A D
A B R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R
A B
A
Eventually this placebo affect superstition became less believed, and by the 19th century this practice had died down. At this point, the word started to take on the meaning of "fake magic". Maybe through lack of proof, Abracabra turned from magical incantation to being used by show magicians like other words such as ‘shazam’.
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