Say the Magic Word: The Origins of Abracadabra
Do some words have more power than others? Is there a hidden magic in our language? Did the sorcerers of old wield the power of words, and do those words still have power today?
Of all the words that we associate with magic, surely the most famous is “abracadabra”.
These days, the word is almost exclusively associated with the kind of magic one might expect to see at a child’s birthday party, but the seemingly innocuous word has actually been widely used for all range of mystical purposes for at least the last two thousand years.
There are many theories as to when and how the word “abracadabra” first appeared.
Some say that “abracadabra” is derived from the Hebrew words “abrai seda brai”, which means “out, bad spirit, out”.
Others believe it comes from the Hebrew words “ab, ben, ruach hakodesh” - which translates as “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” — and many scholars believed the term was originally used in religious circles to invoke the Holy Trinity.
According to one theory, “abracadabra” is derived from the Greek word “abraxas”, which holds sacred meaning in numerology as its letters add up to 365 (the number of days in a…
