An incantation
or incantations are the words spoken during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer invoking or praising a deity, or in magic, occultism, witchcraft with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person. The term derives from Latin incantare
(tr.), meaning "to chant (a magical spell) upon," from in-
"into, upon" and cantare
"to sing".
In medieval literature, folklore, fairy tales and modern fantasy fiction, enchantments
(from the Old French enchantement
) are charms or spells. The term was loaned into English since around AD 1300. The corresponding native English term being galdor
"song, spell". It has led to the terms enchanter
and enchantress
, for those who use enchantments.
The weakened sense "delight" (compare the same development of charm
) is modern, first attested in 1593 (OED).
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INCANTATION TICKETS
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Some collections of charms
- The Old English Metrical Charms
- The Carmina Gadelica, a collection of Gaelic oral poetry, much of it charms
- The Atharva Veda, a collection of charms, and the Rigveda, a collection of hymns or incantations
- Hittite ritual texts
In folklore and fiction
In traditional
fairy tales or
fantasy fiction, an
enchantment
is a
magical spell that is attached, on a relatively-permanent basis, to a specific person, object or location, and alters its qualities, generally in a positive way. The most widely-known example is probably the spell that
Cinderella's Fairy Godmother uses to turn a
pumpkin into a coach. An enchantment with negative characteristics is usually instead referred to as a
curse.
Conversely, enchantments are also used to describe spells that cause no real effects but deceive people, either by directly affecting their thoughts or using some kind of illusions.
Enchantresses
are frequently depicted as able to seduce by such magic. Other forms include deceiving people into believing that they have suffered a magical
transformation.
Examples are
"Abracadabra"
as might be said by a
magician during a
trick, or the
Killing Curse in the
Harry Potter books.
Effects of incantations
right
To be
enchanted
is to be under the influence of an
enchantment, usually thought to be caused by charms or
spells.
The
Latin incantare
, which means 'to utter an
incantation', or cast a
magic spell, forms the basis of the word "
enchant", with deep linguistic roots going back to the
Proto-Indo-European kan-
prefix. So it can be said that an enchanter or enchantress casts magic
spells, or utters incantations, similar to what are called
Mantra in
Sanskrit.
See also
- Carmen (verse), the term for an Ancient Roman incantation
- Mantra
- Prayer
- Yajna
References