Talk:Harry August Jansen

Sim Sala Bim
While trying to research the origins of this phrase, I came across this entry. Cursory inspection indicates it's rather unlikely these are "nonsense" words -- even if they are occasionally used this way. Unfortunately, I couldn't find more than speculation (and not of the primary-source variety) such as:

"Like most magic tricks, it's not entirely clear where the word comes from. It could be a version of the Muslim invocation of God that made its way into the language in the late Middle Ages; non-Muslims may have thought it was an incantation. Others believe it might stem from the Latin 'similia similibus' ('similar things take care of similar things'). –DW.com"

One can find more specific claims, but still not of sufficient quality: Sim salabim is spoken by a Turkish alchemist with magical powers in the early medieval folk play entitled Robyn Hode: A Mummers Play: “I have here a potion, brought from the east. It is called the golden elixir, and with one drop I will revive Robyn Hode with these magic words: ‘Sim Salabim.’ Rise up young man and see how your body can walk and sing.” –Magic Words Blogspot entry

The Sim Sala Bim entry currently redirects to this page. Perhaps this should be re-evaluated, as (no matter how many references to Danish children's songs are included) it seems misleading. Better sources for all the origin theories would seem desirable.

– OrinZ (talk) 23:06, 9 March 2023 (UTC)

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