ABRACADABRA
ABRACADABR
ABRACADAB
ABRACADA
ABRACAD
ABRACA
ABRAC
ABRA
ABR
AB
A





Healers travelling with the Roman legions used the ancient Hebrew name of power, Abracadabra, to make a fever-conquering spell. The letters were arranged in an inverted triangle, beginning with the whole word and ending with a single letter. The word was begun anew on every line, each time losing the last of its letters until only one, "A", remained. The fever was supposed to imitate the decreasing number of letters by gradually waning away.

To effect the cure, the physician set the spell, written on a parchment, around the invalid's neck for nine days. At the end of that time, it was removed and flung over the victim's shoulder into an eastward-flowing stream. The rushing waters drew the heat of the infection away from the patient and back to the rising sun, source of all warmth, thus completing the treatment.