Let the magician who has never uttered a magic spell raise their hand... no one? Not surprising, given how widely these expressions are still used today. But do you really know where they come from, what their history is, and what they mean? Let's discover the origin of magic spells!
Ancient Origins
There are almost as many magic spells as there are magicians (in the broad sense) or people. Abraxas, Abracadabra, Hocus Pocus... all these locutions appeal to the same thing: to summon supernatural forces to influence the environment of the one who utters them.
These magic spells are sometimes accompanied by gestures, or a precise ceremony to be performed. Let's take the example of the famous spell Abracadabra.
Although widely used and certainly the best known, the origins of this magic spell are still quite unknown. Several etymologies of various origins are attested. It could come from a transformation of the Aramaic "adhadda kedhabhra" which means "let the thing be destroyed," or "évra kedebra" which means "I will create according to my words." It could also come from the Hebrew "Ha brakha dabra," meaning "the blessing has spoken," or "Abreg ad Hâbra," "send your lightning unto death."
Its first occurrence would be in a Roman poem from the 2nd century, in which the formula is prescribed to anyone suffering from fever. The recommendations would then be to wear an amulet with the word Abrakadabra inscribed in an inverted cone.
It is this word, Abracadabra, that would inspire J. K. Rowling in the creation of the spell Avada Kedavra, well known in the Harry Potter universe.
To conclude in pop culture, the magic spell was also directly reused in the Pokémon video game, with the creature Abra evolving into Kadabra. We can easily see the wink, which is taken to its extreme since Kadabra itself evolves into... Alakazam!
In short, it is always astonishing to see that these magic spells, although almost 2000 years old, are still used today in fields as varied as cinema... or video games!
