As incantation, summoning or calling is called by means of incantation formulas, which are mostly magical. However, they were not considered a form of magic in Roman antiquity. There were, for example, certain ancient laws which prohibited the use of black magic in Rome, which is why it was forbidden, and consequently punished, to use spells to curse the harvest. Such spells were referred to as mala carmina (lat .: bad sayings / songs / poems). In contrast, there was also “good” Carmina, which includes the incantations, which were regarded as healing as well as healing.
The term can be derived from Latin and goes back to the verb incantare, which can be singled out, but also translated into charming and enchanting. Consequently, the translation of the word already points to what is at issue: namely, a formula which has been called for the purpose of sorcery.
Such forms of invocation and incantation had different functions and varied in their respective cultures. In principle, however, it was about the use of certain words, actions or even formulas in order to achieve extraordinary and supernatural effects.
For example, ancient Babylonian prayers and hymns were often associated with incantation ceremonies. The Babylonians, moreover, brought the incantation into rules and subsequently spread throughout the entire West. Ultimately, many peoples and cultures developed different secret teachings from these approaches. Thus, for example, the Christian incantation of the Middle Ages is derived from the original forms of Oriental magic (cf. Literaturepochen).
