~ * THE MAGIC OF THE WORDS * ~ by luciferino
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Description
Hocus Pocus is a generic term used by magicians, usually the magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. It was once a common term for a magician, juggler or other similar entertainer. (See also abracadabra, another magic word derived from an ancient language.)
The origins of the term remain obscure. Some believe it originates from a parody of the Roman Catholic eucharist, after speculation in 1694 by the English prelate John Tillotson:In all probability those common juggling words of hocus pocus are nothing else but a corruption of hoc est corpus, by way of ridiculous imitation of the priests of the Church of Rome in their trick of Transubstantiation.Others believe that it is an appeal to the Norse folklore magician Ochus Bochus. The Welsh hovea pwca (a "goblin's trick", or hoax) could also be the source. Or it may simply be imitation Latin with no meaning, made up to impress people (in UK English its most prevalent modern meaning is "contrived nonsense", as in, "It was all a load of hocus pocus").
Another phrase from the Bible, possibly misunderstood by Romans who thought of Christians as an cannibalistic cult (as described by Tacitus), might be from the holy ritual: hoc est poculum ("this is the cup"), a phrase from the Last Supper, used in Roman Catholic rituals.
ABRACADABRA
The word is now commonly used as an incantation by stage magicians. In ancient times, however, it was taken much more seriously as an incantation to be used as a cure for fevers and inflammations. The first known mention was in the 2nd century A.D. in a poem called De Medicina Praecepta by Serenus Sammonicus, physician to the Roman emperor Caracalla, who prescribed that the sufferer from the disease wear an amulet containing the word written in the form of an inverted cone:
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
This, he explained, diminishes the hold of the spirit of the disease over the patient. Other Roman emperors, including Geta and Alexander Severus, were followers of the medical teachings of Serenus Sammonicus and are likely to have used the incantation as well.
Etymology
Theories about the source of the word are:
"I create as I speak"
A possible source is Aramaic: אברא כדברא avra kedabra which means "Creating as speaking" which is thought to be in reference to God creating the universe (in some belief systems, ex nihilo), by speaking (see also Fiat Lux). An alternative spelling is avda K'Davarah. One may also view it as "I transgress as I speak" in the Aramaic עבריה כדבריה which is phonetically closer.
The curse and the pestilence
There is the view that Abracadabra derives from the Hebrew, ha-brachah, meaning "the blessing" (used in this sense as a euphemism for "the curse") and dabra, an Aramaic form of the Hebrew word dever, meaning "pestilence." They point to a similar kabbalistic cure for blindness, in which the name of Shabriri, the demon of blindness, is similarly diminished. Other scholars are skeptical of this origin and claim that the idea of diminishing the power of demons was common throughout the ancient world, and that Abracadabra was simply the name of one such demon.
Abracadabra may have been from:
• a corruption of the Hebrew avar k'davar which means roughly "it will be according to what is spoken;"
• abrakha adabra - Hebrew for "I shall bless, I shall speak."
• abreq ad Habra - Arabic meaning "hurl your thunderbolt even unto death."
Disappear like this word
Some have argued that the term may come from the Aramaic אבדא כדברא abhadda kedhabhra, meaning 'disappear like this word'. Rather than being used as a curse, the Aramaic phrase is believed to have been used as a means of treating illness.
Comments (44)
Naoo
Cool Work!!!
modyfree
Fabulous scene! well done and please keep gonig you good work >>>>>>>>>>>>>>(^__^)<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
originalkitten
Absolutley magnificent Ori!
janedj
Fantastic art work!!!!!
Heztia
Wow absolutely awesome! great fx's and colours! ;0) Heztia
Propschick
Very charming story combined with a great aura of spookiness! Bravo!
Tracesl
fantastic image, wonderful effects
Bossie_Boots
Wow amazing story and artwork hugs lou x
awadissk
wonderful work
halcon_89
Waoooooooooooow Fantastico, sin plabras. Es buenisimo++++++5
LokiInPigiama
Adorable !!!!!!! ;-D Very Very sweet !!!!!!! ciaooooooo
Erynn
Wow, outstanding image Orietta :) Excellent composition and incredible lighting!! You did really fantastic work on this image :) hugs, Erynn
Turtle
Wonderful Lil Friend. :O)
missgrin
Wow this is cool....
swtmelode
Totally Awesome scene & work Ori!!! I love it!!
Irish
TRULY MAGNIFICENT!!!!!!!!!!!!
scorpion9
Outstanding artwork!!!!
mickeyrony
Humm.... I adore these beautiful incantations.Witch and very good work my Beautiful still it is excellent. Cheer and thank you well still with you ((5++))........................................((Humm.... J'adore ces incantations .Quel beau et très bon travail ma Belle encore c'est excellent . Bravo et merci bien encore à toi((5++))
Kinouk
What a face ;)!! Very cool!! Great image sweetie!! hugz
yakchat
Awesome and spooky....wonderful Halloween art....excellent charaacter and composition....love, Carol
angelbearzs
wow that is very nice image!!!:)
oiram
super cool orietta...wow.
DRAKELOT Online Now!
Beautiful image Ori ... Antonio !!!
gr8lykr
excellent as always
seaayre
A perfect storybook image. Love it. :)
anitalee
Excellent
Surama
Sooooooooooo great Ori!
DM
Wonderful work ... fantastic image! :) HK
tallpindo
The bible assures me none of the pagan spirits survived. "The very stones cry out!" is the replacement. Can she test the words? Of course!
RodolfoCiminelli
Un gran racconto ed una magnifica realizzazione Orietta.....!!! Il personaggio ha senza dubbi un morph splendido....!!! Gran atmosfera ed ambiente.....!!! Favoloso lavoro....!!