incantation

The use of a set form of words, spoken or sung, with the intention of producing a magical effect. Incantations are used in most religions; for example, certain uses of the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer by Roman Catholics, the ‘Jesus Prayer’ in the Orthodox Church, the mantras of Hindu and Buddhist meditation, and the ecstatic rituals of the Islamic Sufi dervishes.

Magical incantations are often attributed a power to which the gods and the forces of nature are believed to be subject. Many old nursery rhymes were formerly used as incantations against rain and the powers of nature. Some incantations can be used by any individual, but others are the property of a priest or magician, whose influence is due to his or her supposed power for good or evil. Many examples of Babylonian and Assyrian formulas for incantations have been discovered.