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Anincantation,spell,charm,enchantment, orbewitchery is amagical formula intended to trigger amagical effect on aperson or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung, orchanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremonialrituals orprayers. In the world of magic,wizards,witches, andfairies are common performers of incantations in culture and folklore.[1]
Inmedieval literature,folklore,fairy tales, and modernfantasy fiction, enchantments are charms or spells. This has led to the terms "enchanter" and "enchantress" for those who use enchantments.[2] TheEnglish language borrowed the term "incantation" from Old French in the late 14th century; the correspondingOld English term wasgealdor orgaldor, "song, spell", cognate to ONgaldr. The weakened sense "delight" (compare the same development of "charm") is modern, first attested in 1593 (OED).
Words of incantation are often spoken with inflection and emphasis on the words being said. The tone and rhyme of how the words are spoken and the placement of words used in the formula may differ depending on the desired outcome of the magical effect.[3]
Surviving written records of historical magic spells were largely obliterated in many cultures by the success of the major monotheistic religions (Islam,Judaism, andChristianity), which label some magical activity as immoral or associated with evil.[4][unreliable source?]
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TheLatinincantāre, which meant “to consecrate with spells, to charm, to bewitch, to ensorcel” among other meanings, is the source of the Englishverbincant (“to chant solemnly or recite an incantation”) as well as the derivednounincantation. From the same Latin word viaOld French also comes Englishenchant (the original meaning ofenchantment is the casting of a magic spell or the effects thereof (on a person), now less common than the more figurative and positive meaning due tosemantic drift), making it adoublet withincant. Latinincantāre is a prefixed form of the root wordcantāre, which meant “to sing or chant”, itself going back to theProto-Indo-European root*kan- “to sing, to cry out”, likelyonomatopoeic for the sound of a calling voice.
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Magic words or words of power are words which have a specific, and sometimes unintended, effect. They are oftennonsense phrases used infantasy fiction or bystage prestidigitators. Frequently such words are presented as being part of adivine,adamic, or othersecret orempoweredlanguage. Certaincomic book heroes use magic words to activate their powers.
Examples of traditional magic words includeAbracadabra,Alakazam,Hocus Pocus,Open Sesame andSim Sala Bim.
In Babylonian, incantations can be used in rituals to burn images of one's own enemies. An example would be found in the series of Mesopotamian incantations ofŠurpu andMaqlû. In the Orient, the charming of snakes have been used in incantations of the past and still used today. A person using an incantation would entice the snake out of its hiding place in order to get rid of them.[1]
In Mesopotamian mythology, Udug Hul incantations are used to exorcise demons (evil Udug) who bring misfortune or illnesses, such as mental illness or anxiety. These demons can create horrible events such as divorce, loss of property, or other catastrophes.[5]
In traditional fairy tales magical formulas are sometimes attached to an object.[citation needed] When the incantation is uttered, it helps transform the object. In such stories, incantations are attached to a magicwand used by wizards, witches andfairy godmothers. One example is the spell thatCinderella's Fairy Godmother used to turn a pumpkin into a coach, "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", a nonsense rhyme which echoes more serious historical incantations.[6]
The performance of magic almost always involves the use of language. Whether spoken out loud or unspoken, words are frequently used to access or guide magical power. InThe Magical Power of Words (1968), S. J. Tambiah argues that the connection between language and magic is due to a belief in the inherent ability of words to influence the universe. Bronisław Malinowski, inCoral Gardens and their Magic (1935), suggests that this belief is an extension of man's basic use of language to describe his surroundings, in which "the knowledge of the right words, appropriate phrases and the more highly developed forms of speech, gives man a power over and above his own limited field of personal action."[7]: 235 Magical speech is therefore a ritual act and is of equal or even greater importance to the performance of magic than non-verbal acts.[8]: 175–176
Not all speech is considered magical. Only certain words and phrases or words spoken in a specific context are considered to have magical power.[8]: 176 Magical language, according toC. K. Ogden andI. A. Richards's (1923) categories of speech, is distinct from scientific language because it is emotive and it converts words into symbols for emotions; whereas in scientific language words are tied to specific meanings and refer to an objective external reality.[8]: 188 Magical language is therefore particularly adept at constructing metaphors that establish symbols and link magical rituals to the world.[8]: 189
Malinowski argues that "the language of magic is sacred, set and used for an entirely different purpose to that of ordinary life."[7]: 213 The two forms of language are differentiated through word choice, grammar, style, or by the use of specific phrases or forms:prayers, spells,songs,blessings, orchants, for example. Sacred modes of language often employ archaic words and forms in an attempt to invoke the purity or "truth" of a religious or a cultural "golden age". The use of Hebrew inJudaism is an example.[8]: 182
Another potential source of the power of words is their secrecy and exclusivity. Much sacred language is differentiated enough from common language that it is incomprehensible to the majority of the population and it can only be used and interpreted by specialized practitioners (magicians,priests,shamans, orImams).[7]: 228 [8]: 178 In this respect, Tambiah argues that magical languages violate the primary function of language: communication.[8]: 179 Yet adherents of magic are still able to use and to value the magical function of words by believing in the inherent power of the words themselves and in the meaning that they must provide for those who do understand them. This leads Tambiah to conclude that "the remarkable disjunction between sacred and profane language which exists as a general fact is not necessarily linked to the need to embody sacred words in an exclusive language."[8]: 182
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