Abracadabra
From
<http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/word-of-the-day/word-of-the-day-abraca
dabra-1.519857>:
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Word of the Day / Abracadabra
It may be technically Aramaic, but this magical word is easily intelligible
to Hebrew speakers, as well as being a favorite of followers of the occult.
By Ronen Shnidman | May.08, 2013 | 5:31 PM | 1
Abracadabra, what a magical phrase - not only in the way it is used by
magicians to conjure their tricks but also in the many permutations of
meaning attributed to it.
The best-known use of this invocation of late would be the "Avada Kedavra"
or "Killing Curse" in J.K. Rowling's popular magical fantasy Harry Potter
book and movie series. And boy does Rowling give this bit of hocus pocus a
powerful bite. "Harry Potter, the boy who lived...
come to die. Avada Kedavra!," screams Lord Voldermort in "Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire," the first book in which the curse is properly
introduced.
The famed British author - while admitting to fans in an interview at the
Edinburgh Book Festival in April 2004 that she took liberties which much of
her mythological and occult source material - claimed she based her version
of "Avada Kedavra" on the "original" Aramaic form of the phrase. According
to Rowling, the original meaning of the phrase was "let the thing be
destroyed," and that it was used to cure illnesses.
Rowling's interpretation has some backing both in ancient Roman-era sources
but also in the work of the author of "Robinson Crusoe,"
Daniel Defoe. In his account of the London's Great Plague of 1665, "A
Journal of the Plague Year," Defoe described the poor masses of the English
capital resorting to all sorts of religious and occult charms to ward of the
deadly bubonic plague, including abracadabra amulets.
During the mid-19th to early 20th century British obsession with the occult
spirituality took off and famed English occultist Aleister Crowley decided
to take his own stab at appropriating the magical word. He reconstructed
abracadabra through a kabalistic reformulation as "abrahadabra" in his work,
"The Book of the Law," which outlined the basic principles of his new
religion, Thelema. Crowley, described his abrahadabra as "the Word of the
Aeon, which signifieth The Great Work accomplished." He also wrote, "It
means by translation Abraha Deber, the Voice of the Chief Seer."
While Crowley's translation of abracadabra may seem a bit dubious both in
accuracy and his own underlying sanity, the best explanation seems to come
from the self-described Millionaires' Magician Steve Cohen.
Cohen recently created a History Channel special called "Lost Magic Decoded"
in 2012 looking at old and lost magic tricks, but already took a stab at
abracadabra in his 2006 book "Win the Crowd."
"Abracadabra belongs to Aramaic, a Semitic language that shares many of the
same grammar rules as Hebrew," says Cohen in "Win the Crowd."
"'Abra' is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew 'avra,' meaning, 'I will
create.' While 'cadabra' is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew 'kedoobar,'
meaning 'as was spoken.' Together the phrase means, 'I will create as has
been spoken,' a fitting thing for a magician to say before pulling a rabbit
out of his hat."
Just remember, whether hexing your enemies, warding off disease or
performing parlor tricks, please use your Semitic charms with care or expect
a stern talking to from Hogwarts' Prof. Flitwick.
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