Abrakadabra - a word that contemporary contemporaries use constantly.
Its origin, however, is a bit more interesting and truly ancient.
n the past, this word has been considered magical and capable of helping with fever or infection. The oldest written source that mentions is "Liber Medicinalis" (also known as "Medicina Praecepta Saluberrima"), a third-century work by Quint Seren Samonik, a physician in the court of the Roman emperor Caracalla (Mark Aurelius North Anton Augustus) . A soloist recommended the emperor to wear a triangle pointing downwards on which the word was written.
It was believed that this amulet brings good health. And while this is the first mention in a written source of "Abrakadabra," it is likely that the word is even more ancient. Maybe it even comes from ancient Mesopotamia where it has also been a practice to keep people from demons and diseases through magical amulets.
In Rome, in addition to Caracalla and other emperors, they wore an amulet similar to that recommended by the Samovarius, such as Public Septimius Geta and Alexander Severus. Indeed, archaeologists have found many such amulets.
But what does Abrakadabra mean? There are several theories.
According to some, it comes from the Aramaic phrase "Avrah KeDabra," meaning "I will create as I speak," or "the wizard's word will become a reality."
Another option is to come from the Arabian "Abra Kadabra", which means "let things be destroyed" given the disease to be banished.
Some believe it comes from Hebrew and combines the words "ab" (father), "ben" (son) and "ruach hacadosch" (holy spirit).
The latter theory associates Abrakazabra with the inscription "Abraxas" (Greek Abraxas or Abrassus) found on ancient amulets.
The exact meaning of Abraxas has not been established, but it seems to be a mystical word used by some Gnostics and connecting man to the Sun god, or to the mega archon, the Great Archon, the prince of 365 spheres. According to the Vassilides (the Gnostic sect existed in Alexandria in the third century), the seven letters in the "Abraxas" represent the celestial bodies known at that time - Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. The Sun has been attributed to healing power, and perhaps we really have to look for this connection in "abrakadabra".
"Abrakadabra" continues to be popular not only in antiquity, but also in the Middle Ages, and beyond. Daniel Defoe, considered to be the father of the modern English novel, tells in his historical book "The History of the Plague in London," that in the 1665 and 1666 plague epidemics, some desperate citizens wrote "abracadabra" on their doors.