Charms and Incantations
Charms are believed to have the same power as an incantation or spell, in fact, charms are some of the earliest known forms of written literature.
The most common form of a charm is an incantation and these can be written in a few different ways, from just a single word, to a sentence or as a verse. The words of an incantation are usually spoken, sung or chanted and it’s done in a way that puts emphasis on the words and the rhythm and tone of it will depend on what the persons desired outcome is.
You may think that the only way to use an incantation is during a ritual, and while this is the most popular way, these can actually be used anywhere and in any way that best suits you.
Magic Words
There are many examples of famous charms and incantations just containing one or two words, for example
Hocus Pocus
Abracadabra
open sesame
Abracadabra is probably the most famous word, its origins are unknown but it can be traced back to a book called Liber Medicinalis from the 2nd century, by Serenus Sammoniaus. In this book, he states that this word can be worn as an amulet to help make lethal diseases go away.
This word is considered to be a form of apotropaic magic and has been used in amulets and spells throughout history.
Abracadabra charm
In History
There are many examples of charms being used across different civilisations throughout history, some of them include,
Babylon - incantations would be used as part of a ritual to get rid of your enemy
Mesopotomion mythology - Udug Hull incantations were used in an attempt to get rid of demons, particularly those who brought illness and misfortune
Anglo-Saxon Metrical Charms - These charms were used to help resolve a situation or even as use against illnesses. These were normally a set of written instructions along with a physical item such as a medical potion.
Merseburg Charms - These are 2 medieval charms that were written in old High German and are believed to be the only surviving charms from this period that give examples of Germanic pagan belief.
