~ * 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)
Predatron
Great image Ori, really well done
cmcc
great witch. truly spooky.
Zazou
Fantastic Fantasy Art !
MarciaGomes
EXTRAORDINÁRIA CRIAÇÃO,ESPETACULAR EFEITO,MAGNIFICO CARACTERES.SUPER DETALHES.5
Skydancer917
What a fantastic image!!!
Amaranth
Oh another one i should add to my runtime, wonderful char hun hugs
acclaude
Superb ammazzing magical scenery !! Strong sybolism & super interesting document, Excellent, Gorgeous, xxxxx
Nuria
Absolutely magnificent work !!!!
Aral3D
Absoloutly wonderful work Ori!!!!Stunning scene, pose and your character here really rock!!!!
Thetis
Excellent composition!!
Bernado
Great character. Fantastic lighting. Was this the Internet of old times? 8-)
Magick_Lady
speechless 5++++++++
DINGOH
Exelent work
KDI
Nice, very excellent rendering. Great piece, color, lighting Great. i could uses this image in a RPG side project I'm working on. let me know if your interested in collaborating on it. I'm looking for D&D style fantasy art.