Blankichisserando

Blankichisserando is a sibyl’s “word of necromancy” for opening a door into a sanctum sanctorum in Maud Howe Elliott’s Sun and Shadow in Spain (1908). The word's origin is surprisingly mundane: it is based upon the French blanchisserie, meaning “laundry.”

Ruth

Ruth comes from the Hebrew Rut and means “compassion,” “friend,” or “mercy.” Ruth is the name of a Moabite woman from Jewish and Christian scripture.

“‘Ruth.’ He had not thought a simple sound could be so beautiful. It delighted his ear, and he grew intoxicated with the repetition of it. ‘Ruth.’ It was a talisman, a magic word to conjure with. Each time he murmured it, her face shimmered before him, suffusing the foul wall with a golden radiance. This radiance did not stop at the wall. It extended on into infinity, and through its golden depths his soul went questing after hers. The best that was in him was out in splendid flood. The very thought of her ennobled and purified him, made him better, and made him want to be better.” —Jack London, Martin Eden (1909)

Magic Words Quiz

Don't miss this trivia quiz on magic words by James Callan.

Boohbah

The magic word boohbah, representing the power of imagination, is featured in the educational computer program “Boohbah” (2003) to stop action or make things happen.

Ri-too-ri-lal-lural

Ri-too-ri-lal-lural is "the magic word of words" from fairyland.* It is to be pronounced "by persons of innocent hearts, who have not reached the age of twenty, who never use bad language, speak ill of their neighbours behind their backs, or eat fish with their knives."

*Whispers from Fairyland by Edward H. Knatchbull-Hugessen, 1875

Magic

(Larger version available at source.)

Eikaj-Ohuna

Eikaj-Ohuna is a "magickal word from the Chaldean oracle of numbers and letters," created through the tossing of dice. (Michael Bertiaux, The Voudon Gnostic Workbook, 2007)