historiola means A spell which invokes a mythical narrative, asking for the events it describes or similar ones to be enacted (as found in some Greek, Egyptian and other inscriptions). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “historiola” is a great word
HISTORIOLA — [Noun] A short, efficacious narrative embedded within a magical charm, where the recounting of a mythical precedent is intended to compel a parallel outcome in the present. From the Latin historiola, a diminutive of historia ("history, narrative"), thus meaning "a little history." Unlike an "incantation" (a general spoken formula) or a "myth" (an explanatory, cultural story), a historiola is a pragmatic narrative engine, a story put to work. It is the whispered tale of Isis healing Horus used to mend a broken bone, the concise recitation of a god's victory over chaos to calm a storm, or the murmured parable of a stone worn smooth by a river spoken to ease a difficult birth—a fragile bridge of words where the past is not remembered, but repeated.
Etymology
From Latin historiola, from historia.
noun
- A spell which invokes a mythical narrative, asking for the events it describes or similar ones to be enacted (as found in some Greek, Egyptian and other inscriptions).“[A] Mandaic specimen from Kutha (BM 91715) which contains two independent incantations separated by a line: a historiola relating the expulsion of a particular lilith and the report of a dream purportedly dreamt by the client[.]”