The Real Meaning of Io Evohe!
The phrase "Io Evohe" is used very commonly in Wicca, on loan from the western mystery schools. For a long time, I thought these were just "barbarous words." A little research showed they are not. I got curious if there was a translation for this phrase. Barbarous words are made up of seed sounds strung together to create nonsensical words. We sometimes say nonsense because the sounds have a transformative nature on the mind of the speaker as a result of the particular vibrations the sounds make. Sound can transform the mind. This can be true particularly with the names of some deities, which can be chanted to modify your inner self. The first word of the phrase is very simple. It is the Latin translation of the Egyptian, Isis, goddess of fertility. The second word is a bit more complex. Collins English Dictionary tells us that "evohe" is a variant of "evoe," which is "an exclamation of Bacchic frenzy." As is common when transc...