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Home > Abracadabra!
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Abracadabra! by Steve Calvert
These days, when we hear the word abracadabra it will probably have just been uttered by a stage musician. The word abracadabra, however, is very old and nobody knows for sure where or when it originated.
The first known mention of the word was in a poem written by Serenus Sammonicus in 2nd Century AD. Serenus Sammonicus was the physician to the Roman Emperor Caracalla and the poem was called De Medicina Praecepta, and in it Serenus prescribes the wearing an amulet around the neck as a cure for sickness. The prescribed amulet consisted of a piece of parchment that had abracadabra written on it. The word was written several times with each repetition being situated below its predecessor, and losing letters in each repetition, until only an A'A' remained of the word. The resultant amulet took the form of a triangle and the idea was that the triangular formation of the magic word would act like a funnel and draw sickness out of the wearer's body.
Abracadabra is actually a little more versatile than this though, and has also been used in amulet form as protection against evil spirits and the evil eye.
As to the origins of abracadabra, there are many theories about that too. Some people believe that it is Kabalistic in origin, perhaps derived from the Hebraic words Ab, Ben and ruach Cadesh (Father, Son and Holy Ghost). Other people say that it comes from the Aramaic avra kehdabra (I will create as I speak). Still others say that it is Chaldean or that it hails from a Gnostic sect in Alexandria called the Basilidians. There are, of course, other beliefs as well, but I think it is true to say that no one will ever know for certain where the real roots of the word lie; they are buried too deep in history and have grown obscure over the centuries. One thing is sure though: there is a lot more to abracadabra, than just as a finishing line for the man on the stage with his magic wand and the deck of cards.
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