Abraxas – Abracadabra – Greek Magic!

Circe, an enchantress in Greek mythology, renowned for her vast knowledge of potions and herbs.ohn William Waterhouse

Abracadabra! Circe, an enchantress in Greek mythology, renowned for her vast knowledge of potions and herbs. John William Waterhouse

The magic word, abracadabra, often spoken with great gusto and the wave of a magic wand, just before a rabbit is pulled out of a hat, may have Greek origins, in the name of a Gnostic god, Abraxas,

By the way, magic wands also have Greek origins, they were first mentioned by the ancient Greek writer, Homer, in his works; “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”!

Abracadabra, the Supreme Being, a magical word, representing absolute power, was used by the Gnostics of the sect of Basilides, the early Gnostic teacher of Alexandria, Egypt, who taught from 117 to 138 AD, to conjure up the help of benevolent spirits against adversity.

Abracadabra

Some may say, Abracadabra, is of Hebrew origin, however, the exact origins of many magical words from ancient times is not known, as they were classed as barbarous names, barbarous comes from the Greek barbaroi, meaning those who do not speak the Greek Language, i.e; barbarians.

Meaningless or fictitious words, usually deriving from foreign sources, are not known, maybe because magicians were cautioned not to translate them, even if their meaning was known, owing to the belief that the power of the names was in their sound, not their meaning.

Abracadabra

In the early 19th century, author, Sir Godfrey Higgins, stated the name may have had ancient Druid origins.

He also stated that Abraxas may be the root of the word abracadabra.

Abraxas is a fat-bellied character with the head of a lion or a cock, crowned, with a dragon’s tail, and serpents instead of legs and carries a whip in his hand. From the Infernal Dictionary, 6th Edition.

Abraxas: A mystic word

Abraxas (ἀβραξάς), also spelled Abrasax, is an arrangement of seven Greek letters, considered as a word, or name, most likely used in a mystic or divine sense.

The seven letters are thought to represent each the seven planets in the sky visible to the naked eye the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Abraxas, a mystic word, has been found engraved on ancient amulets and gems called Abraxas stones, in the belief that it possessed magical qualities.

Gemstone carved with Abraxas. (obverse and reverse.)

The original spelling on the stones was “Abrasax” (Αβρασαξ), the spelling of Abraxas (ἀβραξάς), seen today, could originate from the confusion made between the Greek letters Sigma (Σ) and Xi (Ξ) in Latin.

The magic word “Ablanathanalba”, in Greek, ΑΒΛAΘANAΛBA, meaning “You are our father”, used to protect against the forces of evil, also used by Gnostics, which reads in Greek the same backward as forward, also occurs on the Abraxas stones as well as in the magic papyri.

3rd century Roman crystal ball with the Greek word ΑΒΛAΘANAΛBA, sounding the same, read from left to right and from right to left.National Museum of Denmark.

Abraxas is also said to be another name for one of Helios’ four immortal horses (Pyrois – The Fiery One – Aeos – He who turns the sky Aethon – Blazing and Phlegon – Burning) who pulled the Greek sun god’s chariot through the heavens each night.

Helios, Greek sun God on his chariot. Dome of the entrance hall of the Széchenyi Bath, Budapest, Northern Hungary. Photo by Zairon

Abraxas:

The Great Archon

Abraxas resonates with “The Great Archon”.

In Gnosticism, the archons (Greek ἄρχων – ruler), were evil, sadistic demons who controlled the Earth and the thoughts, feelings and actions of humans and helped their master, the demiurge, with the creation of the world.

Michelangelo Buonarroti – The Torment Of Saint Anthony (Maybe by demons or Archons)

Abraxas is found in Gnostic texts such as “The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit” and also appears in “The Greek Magical Papyri” which contain a number of magical spells, formulae, hymns and rituals, used from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD all around the Greco-Roman world.

Greek magical papyri containing two spells; the first, ‘binding spell of Astrampsychus’, a magician and wise man, the second, a request for a dream oracle of Besas (Bes), an Egyptian protector deity.

In the 2nd century AD, some Gnostic sects, who thought of matter as evil and the spirit as good and believed that salvation came through esoteric knowledge, or gnosis, personified Abraxas and initiated a cult.

Basilides, an early Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt, gave God the name, Abraxas; The Great Archon and regarded Abraxas as the supreme deity and the ruler of all the 365 heavens, or spheres of creation, one for each day of the year.

The number 365 corresponds to the numerical value of the seven Greek letters that form the name Abraxas.

The original letters of Abraxas, spelled ABΣPΞ that add up to 365 are:

A = 1, B = 2, Σ = 200, P = 100, Ξ = 60 = 365

In recent centuries Abraxas, has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon.

Symbols of Abraxas by Moe Bedard

Abraxas in literature

In the 1516 novel ‘Utopia’ by Thomas More , the island called Utopia once had the name ‘Abraxa’.

Abraxas is invoked in Aleister Crowley’s 1913 work, ‘The Gnostic Mass’ of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica.

Abraxas, is an important figure in Carl Jung’s 1916 book ‘Seven Sermons to the Dead’.

Salman Rushdie’s novel ‘Midnight’s Children’ (1981) contains a reference to Abraxas in the chapter ‘Abracadabra’.