Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-418).
Summary:
From Abracadabra to the now famous spells of the Harry Potter series, magic words are no longer confined to the practices of pagans, alchemists, witches, and occultists. They have become part of the popular imagination of the Western world. Passed down from ancient Babylon, Egypt, and Greece, these words and the rituals surrounding them have survived through the millenia because they work. And as scholar Claude Lecouteux reveals, often the more impenetrable they seem, the more effective they are.
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