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If you’ve been in Wicca or Witchcraft for any length of time, you have probably heard or participated in a Wiccan mantra. One frequently used mantra in Wicca, or Witchcraft, is the Witches Rune or Witches Chant. It typically starts with “Darksome night and Shining Moon.” and includes the phrase Eko Eko Azarak. But what does Eko Eko Azarak mean? Is Eko Eko Azarak calling a deamon or spirit? What is an alternateive to Eko Eko Azarak?
There are four peculiar lines in this chant. Sometimes we find them at the beginning, but more often at the end. Each line starts with Eko Eko, followed possibly by an unrecognized word. Some examples include:
Eko Eko, Azarak
Eko Eko, Zomilarak
Eko Eko, Cernunnos
Eko Eko, Aradia
Eko, Eko, Azarak,
Eko, Eko, Zomelak,
Eko, Eko, Pan,
Eko, Eko, Dianna!
Eko, Eko, Azarak!
Eko, Eko, Zamilak!
Eko, Eko, Karnayna!
Eko, Eko, Aradia!
Eko; Eko; Azarak
Eko; Eko; Zomelak
Bagabi Lacha Bachabe
Lamac cahi achababe
Karrellyos
What is the meaning behind these words that everyone is mindless changing without regard to their power, significance or lack thereof?
What does Eko Eko Azarak Mean?
Most Pagans are familiar with Cernunnos, Pan, Diana, and Aradia. These can easily research with many quality results.
Azarak, Zomelak, Karnayna (and variants) mean what exactly? In Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft Ronald Hutton found them referenced in an article by J.F.C. Fuller. The article, published in 1926, described them on as “a sorcerer’s cry in the Middle Ages.” Mr. Fuller does not provide a source for this reference. Many academic books on witchcraft have been published, yet none have found other references.
Hutton speculates these phrases were formed by merging two equally enigmatic chants discovered in separate twentieth-century texts. Gerald Gardner carried this amalgamation out in “Ye Bok,” a work he authored in 1947-48 before his Book of Shadows.
So, what does Eko Eko Azarak mean? No one knows the meaning of Eko Eko Azarak, as it is lost or had no real meaning.
How did the meaning of these words get lost within a century? Agrippa’s 16th century work Occult Philosophy references many works. In some cases, Agrippa made references to works that were secondary references. The original manuscripts had already been lost prior to or during Agrippa’s time. Meanings lost over hundreds of years in a time when books and literacy were not widespread is understandable. However, to lose the meaning of a word or its source in the 20th century is confounding!
Perhaps the work was fiction and there were no such words or meaning. Scholar Steven Posch, who isn’t a language expert but studies Semitic languages, suggests the phrase might be Arabic. In his article on this phrase, his word smithing produces the translated phrase:
“Most strong, most strong, O Blue One:
most strong, most strong, your beauty.”
Let’s say this is accurate. Who is this most strong and beautiful blue one you are calling on for power? If you don’t know, then why do you say it? Aren’t we responsible for what powers, deities, and entities we draw forth or call up? The cosmic balance does not accept “I didn’t know” as an excuse. “Well, everyone else is using it without harm.” And if everyone else jumps off a bridge?
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Do You Have to Know Before You Will?
How can you possibly will the power of an unknown word? You can’t. Not without significant time spent with the word in contemplative meditation and/or meditative repetition.
The first origin of proper names is in the mind. You must first know in order to imagine, then to will. Some believe that all things being connected, you may call anything into being to itself by any name. That is to say, you can call Venus for Saturn because all intelligences are one with the universal conscious. While the theory holds, the intelligence of Saturn is more likely to appear when called by its proper name, Saturn, and not the name of Venus.
A thing can have more than one name. The Egyptian God Horus or the Greek Titan Crono’s are equated with Saturn. And names of different languages like Latin- Sāturnus, Hebrew- shabtá’I, Hindi- śani, or Irish- Satarn. Although I am not suggesting you use languages you are not familiar with. Names lose historical and cultural significance when taken out of context.
Is Eko Eko Azarak calling a Deamon or Spirit?
Azarak, Zamilak, Karnayna and their variants could be, maybe, possibly, be a name of a spirit. Maybe a good spirit, maybe a bad spirit. If it is a spirit, we don’t know what or who it represents.
Our first hurdle is that these are English versions of some other language. The Zoroastrians had a rule that any magical phrase would lose its power and meaning when translated out of its native language. Well, in this case, it appears that there is support for that fact.
How many spirits could there be? The Lesser Key of Solomon list 72 names or spirits. However, those 72 rule over 5,609 legions of spirits. A legion is 3000-6000 so between 16,827,000 to 33,654,000 spirits, presumably with names.
There is an ancient Kabbalist key to discover the good and bad spirit names for any individual. Subsequently, you can calculate the good name into 9 more good spirit names, as well as 9 for the evil spirit’s name. That’s 20 spirits with names for every person and the world population is 8.1 billion, which equates to another 162 billion good or bad spirit names.
Attempting to uncover the original name and any potential connection is statistically futile.
What is an Alternative to Eko Eko Azarak?
That depends on what your intent is. I work in natural magick. The elements and those things related to them are what I use is ritual. I also honor my Scott-Irish ancestry by using insular Celtic references.
Here’s an alternative based on the four treasures of the Tuatha.
Called By Gift of Sword
Called By Gift of Spear
Called By Gift of Cauldron
Called By Gift of Stone
That is, Nuada’s sword, Lugh’s spear, the Dagda’s cauldron and the stone of destiny.
An alternative to Eko Eko Azarak that relates personally to the elements is:
By the Power of Air Out of Me
By the Power of Fire Within Me
By the Power of Water Through Me
By the Power of Earth Which is Me
Here you are drawing the energies of the elements through you, not just to you. It changes the dynamic from “Out their” to a personal connection.
Here is an option using Ogham relationships developed by John Michael Greer in The Druid Magic Handbook:
Come Now Come Now Nuin
Come Now Come Now Duir
Come Now Come Now Straif
Come Now Come Now Ioho
Greers chart on page 48 lists Nuin as air of air, Duir is fire of fire, Straif is water of water, and Ioho is earth of earth.
You can just as easily replace the call (i.e. called by gift of, by the power of, come now) with another two-syllable phrase that holds personal significance. You’re allowed to personalize your Wiccan mantra with meaning.
As you can see, an alternative to Eko Eko Azarak exists within your craft, pantheon, cosmology, and bardic skills.
Conclusion
No one but Gerald Gardner or J.F.C. Fuller knows what the Eko Eko Azarak means, and a dead man tells no tales. The academic conclusion is there is no proof of any meaning. The mythological conclusion is it means anything based on whatever someone tells you.
What can we learn from this? First, know what you are saying. Second, if you are unsure of the meaning of a word, you can use a familiar word with the intended meaning instead.
Bibliography
Greer, John Michael. The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic Rooted in the Living Earth. Weiser, 2008. p48.
Hutton, Ronald. Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 232.
Posch, Steven. Was “Eko Eko Azarak” Originally an Arabic Chant to the Devil? – PaganSquare, 4 NOV 2016. witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/paganistan/was-eko-eko-azarak-originally-an-arabic-chant-to-the-devil.html. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.
