Chants/Incantations (詠唱・呪文 , Eishō・Jumon?), also known as Aria, is an activity necessary for the activation of Magecraft. Procedure-wise, incantations would be the “application” part in a system of application, acceptance, examination and issuance. Aria is employed by types of spellcasters, including some Psychics, but is most closely associated with the magi.
When making use of a Thaumatugical Theory stabilized by a first-rate school, one has to go through a pre-established process. For large-scale system like these, incantations are just a part of said process. For a personal-style of Thaumaturgy however, they play the important role of self-hypnosis: to place the mind of the magus in a state in which it can effectively control the Magic Circuits.[1]
Spells have predetermined capabilities; so the powers of a particular spell will always remain the same, no matter which magus uses it. The incantations, however, may differ. Regular incantations are something chanted not towards the outer world, but to one’s inner world; they are actions that activate the thaumaturgical process inside one’s body and reflect one’s nature. As long as the incantation of a spell possesses a specific meaning and/or a set of keywords are included in it, the particulars of said incantation are left to the caster's personal tastes. Therefore, it is only natural that they differ from magus to magus. No surprise, magi that boast a great ego usually have long incantations for their spells.
The greater the meaning behind the contents of an incantation to the caster, the better the final result will be. The stronger the self-hypnosis, the more the magus can optimize the use of his Circuits. Changing the words of an incantation does not mean much; what matters is the meaning behind them.
Incantations chanted towards the outer world are called Grand Incantations and are related to Greater Rituals. Performance of one of those alone is said to be impossible. When they are done, it is always in groups. Note that for spells with long incantations, an observable effect on the outer world will usually appear before the process is fully completed. Exception being the cases of the activation of Reality Marbles.
Spells are classified accordingly with the length of their incantations:
Single-Action – Instantaneous spells. Requirement for activation is only to pass energy through the Magic Circuits. (ex: Gandr, most of Mystic Eyes).[2]
One-Line – Spells that the incantation is made of a single phrase composed of one word at the very least. A thaumaturgical process very well stabilized and easily activated. (ex: Rin using a spell stored inside her family’s Crest).[1]
Five-Line – Spells with incantations made of five phrases.
Ten-Count – Instantaneous Contract. Already considered a simple ritual. The minimum step necessary to activate High Thaumaturgy (spells with power ranked A or above). Consisting of ten phrases or more. A fully trained magus can perform them in about a minute.[1]
More than the power of the spell, this particular classification seems to be related on how smoothly a mystery can be reenacted: the easier a miracle can be actualized the shorter its incantations will be. On that account, Archer and Shirou’s incantations to activate their Reality Marble are all above Five-Line, coming really close to Ten-Count types.
High-Speed Incantation (高速詠唱 , Kōsoku Eishō?) is a skill of modern magi that allows chanting of incantations at a faster pace. Activation of thaumaturgy is done in half the normal time (ex: Ten-Count spells are done in 30 seconds). A skill possessed by Aoko Aozaki. This ability also exists as a Servant Skill.
High-Speed Divine Words (高速神言, Kōsoku Shin Gon?) is a skill to activate thaumaturgy using Divine Words (神言, Shin Gon?). They are languages from the Age of Gods, back when words played a heavy role in spellcasting, and that modern humans can no longer pronounce. The users can do High-Thaumaturgies in one second because they give the World orders directly without connecting their Magic Circuits. All mythologies have different Divine Words and two of them appeared so far; the Greek one that Medea and Circe use and the Egyptian one Nitocris casts. In the other words, Divine Words are newer than Unified Language spoken when it was still the only one language in the World. [3]
Due to her use of Divine Words, Medea’s spells do not work the same way that of those of modern Magecraft. For one, she can cast even High Thaumaturgy-level spells with the speed equivalent of Single-Action ones. Furthermore, while the majority of her spells fall under the One-Line category, their power-level is easily on par with Five-Line ones. Finally, due to the different dynamics, only a Servant with Magic Resistance ranked A or above is immune to her spells.
"I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and heal. None will escape me. None will escape my sight.
Be crushed.
I welcome those who have grown old and those who have lost.
Devote yourself to me, learn from me, and obey me.
Rest. Do not forget song, do not forget prayer, and do not forget me.
I am light and relieve you of all your burdens.
Do not pretend. Retribution for forgiveness, betrayal for trust, despair for hope, darkness for light, dark death for the living.
Relief is in my hands. I will add oil to your sins and leave a mark.
Eternal life is given through death.
— Ask for forgiveness here. I, the incarnation, will swear.
— Kyrie eleison".
I kill, I give life. I injure, I heal. There are none who escape from my hands. There are none who escape from my eyes.
May it be so that you are shattered.
I welcome the defeated, the aged. Surrender to me, learn from me, obey me.
May you be at rest.
Do not forget the song, do not forget the prayer, do not forget me .I relieve you of all burdens.
May it be so that there is no deception.
Retaliation unto forgiveness, betrayal unto belief, despair unto hope, darkness unto light, death unto life.
May you rest in my hands. Let there be mark of your sins. Eternal life is found only in death.
Forgiveness is before you, and so my incarnation vows.
"May God have mercy of this soul (Lord, have mercy )"
Watashi ga korosu, watashi ga ikasu. Watashi ga kizutsuke, watashi ga iyasu. Waga te wo nogareuru mono wa hitori mo inai. Waga me no todokanu mono wa hitori mo inai
Uchikudakareyo.
Yabureta mono, oita mono wo watashi ga maneku. Watashi ni yudane, watashi ni manabi, watashi ni shitagae
Kyuusoku wo.
Uta wo wasurezu, inori wo wasurezu, watashi wo wasurezu, watashi wa karuku, arayuru omomi wo wasuresaseru
Yosoou nakare
Yurushi ni wa houfuku wo, shinrai ni wa uragiri wo, kibou ni wa zetsubou wo, hikari arumono ni wa yami wo, sei aru mono ni wa kurai shi wo
Kyuusoku wa watashi no te ni. Anata no tsumi ni abura wo sosogi shirushi wo shirusou. Eien no inochi wa, shi no naka de koso ataerareru.
Yurushi wa koko ni. Juniku shita watashi ga chikau
Kono tamashi ni awaremi wo (Kyrie Eleison)
Spirit and technique, flawless and firm
Our strength rips the mountains
Our swords split the water
Our names reach the imperial villa
The two of us cannot hold heavens together
—Two great men, sharing a life.
Shingi, muketsu ni shite banjaku
Chikara, yama wo nuki
Tsurugi, mizu wo wakatsu
Seimei, rikyuu ni todoki
Warera, tomo ni ten wo idakazu
鶴翼欠落不
心技泰山至
心技黄河渡
唯名別天納
両雄共命別
Crane wings (Spirit and technique), without opening (flawless and firm)
Spirit and technique (Strength), reaching the mountain (pierce the mountain)
Spirit and technique (Sword), crossing the Yellow River (split the water)
Name (Fame), ending in a different heaven (reaching the imperial villa)
Two rivals / Two great men (We), sharing a life (cannot embrace heavens together)
Be gone, shadows
Thou of the unseeable
Fade back into oblivion, if of darkness
Be returned to the immaterial
Ask not me, my answer is clear
In my hand is light. Know that all is in this hand
I am the truth of creation,
In face of all things, thy defeat is certain.
Kage wa kieyo
Onore ga fushi no shudan wo motte
Yami naraba boukyaku seyo
Onore ga fushoku no joushiki ni tachikaere
Tou koto wa atawaji waga kaitou wa meihaku nari
Kono te ni wa hikari. Kono te koso ga subete to shire
Ware wo ikasu wa banbutsu no kotowari. Subete no mae ni, nanji.
Kokoni, haiboku hitsujou nari…
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."
"Let it be filled. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling.
Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Let each be turned over five times, simply breaking asunder the fulfilled time.
Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let my great master ■■■■■■■■ be the ancestor. Raise a wall, against the wind that shall fall. Close the four cardinal gates. Come out from the crown. Rotate the three-branched road reaching the Kingdom.
– I shall declare here. Your body shall serve under me. My fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. If you will submit to this will and this reason…… then answer!
– An oath shall be sworn here! I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell! – From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, Protector of the Balance!
Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let black be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
Let it be declared now;
your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail.
Answer, if you would submit to this will and this truth.
An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven;
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell.
(For Berserker)
Yet you shall serve with your eyes clouded by chaos.
For you would be one caged in madness.
I shall wield your chains.
(For Berserker)
From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance!
I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life
Have withstood pain to create many weapons
Yet, those hands will never hold anything
So as I pray, unlimited blade works.
His body is made out of swords
His blood is of iron and his heart of glass
He survived through countless battles
Not even once retreating
Not even once being understood
He was always alone
Intoxicated with victory in a hill of swords
Thus, his life has no meaning
That body was certainly made out of swords
Karada wa tsurugi de dekiteiru
Chishio wa tetsu de kokoro wa GARASU
Ikutabi no senjou wo koete fuhai
Tada no ichido mo haisou wa naku
Tada no ichido mo rikai sarenai
Ka no mono wa tsune ni hitori
Tsurugi no oka de shouri ni you
Yue ni shougai ni imi wa naku
Sono karada wa kitto tsurugi de dekiteita
I am the flesh and bone of my own sword.
Steel flows through my body, and fire is what courses through my blood.
I have created over a thousand blades.
Unknown to death.
Nor known to life.
Many times I have withstood enormous pain to create thousands of weapons.
And yet, those hands that have braved so much will never hold anything.
So as I pray now, I call forth 'Unlimited Blade Works'."
I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and Fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unknown to death, nor known to life
Through the centuries, I have withstood great pain to create many weapons for you
Yet the hands I speak of will never hold anything ever again
So as I pray to you, I pray, give me Unlimited Blade Works!
I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain
Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one’s arrival
I have no regrets. This is the only path
My whole life was unlimited blade works
His body is made out of swords
His blood is of iron and his heart of glass
He survived through countless battles
Not even once retreating
Not even once being victorious
The bearer lies here alone
Forging iron in a hill of swords
Thus, my life needs no meaning
This body is made out of infinite swords
Karada wa tsurugi de dekiteiru
Chishio wa tetsu de kokoro wa GARASU
Ikutabi no senjou wo koete fuhai
Tada no ichido no haisou mo naku
Tada no ichido no shouri mo nashi
Ninai te wa koko ni hitori
Tsurugi no oka de tetsu wo utsu
Naraba waga shougai ni imi wa fuyouzu
Kono karada wa mugen no tsurugi de dekiteita
I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body and fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unaware of beginning, nor aware of of the end
Withstood pain with inconsistent weapons. My hands will never hold anything.
Yet, my flame never ends.
My whole life was still "Unlimited Blade Works"
His body is made out of swords
His blood is of iron and his heart of glass
He survived through countless battles
Not even once retreating
Not even once being victorious
The orphan is alone again,
Striking diamond dust on a hill of swords
But, this life is not yet over
This false body was still made of swords
Karada wa tsurugi de dekiteiru
Chishio wa tetsu de kokoro wa GARASU
Ikutabi no senjou wo koete fuhai
Tada no ichido no haisou mo naku
Tada no ichido no shouri mo nashi
Ishi wa mata hitori
Tsurugi no oka de saihyou wo kudaku
Keredo kono shougai wa imada hatezu
Itsuwari no karada wa soredemo tsurugi de dekiteita
Note that when you expand this table, it may become wider than your display and break the page layout. This is trade-off to preserve the structure of incantations, with every verse occupying exactly one line.
Touei (TRACE), kaishi (ON)
Hyoui keiken kyoukan shuryou
Koutei kanryou (ROLL OUT). Zen touei taiki (BULLET, CLEAR)
Teishi kaitou (FREEZE OUT). Zen touei renzoku sousha (SWORD BARREL FULL OPEN)
Begin projection
Ending resonance of possession experience
Processes completed. All projections stand by
Ceasing decompression. All projections successive fire
So ni gin to tetsu. So ni ishi to keiyaku no taikou. So ni wa waga daishi Schweinorg.
Oritatsu kaze ni wa kabe wo. Shihou no mon wa toji, oukan yori ide, oukoku ni itaru sansaro wa junkan seyo.
Tojiyo (mitase). Tojiyo (mitase). Tojiyo (mitase). Tojiyo (mitase). Tojiyo (mitase).
Kurikaesu tsudo ni godo.
Tada, mitasareru toki wo hakyaku suru.
――――Tsugeru.
Nanji no mi wa waga moto ni, waga unmei wa nanji no ken ni .
Seihai no yorube ni shitagai, kono i, kono kotowari ni shitagau naraba kotae yo.
Chikai wo koko ni. Ware wa tokoyo subete no zen to naru mono, ware wa tokoyo subete no aku wo shiku mono.
Nanji sandai no kotodama wo matou shichiten, yukushi no wa yori kitate, tenbin no mamorite yo――――!
Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).
Repeat every five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
――――I announce.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――！
Das Material ist aus Silber und Eisen. Der Grundstein ist aus Stein und dem Großherzog des Vertrag. Der Ahn ist mein großer Meister Schweinorg.
Schutz gegen einen heftigen Wind. Schließ alle Tore, geh aus der Krone, zirkulier die Gabelung nach dem König.
Füll, füll, füll, füll, füll.
Es wird fünfmal wiederholt.
Nur ist es die volle Zeit gebrochen.
－Satz.
Du überläßt alles mir, mein Schicksal überläßt alles deinem Schwert.
Das basiert auf dem Gral, antwort wenn du diesem Willen und diesem Vernunftgrund folgst.
Liegt das Gelübde hier. Ich bin die Güte der ganzen Welt. Ich bin das Böse der ganzen Welt.
Du bist der Himmel mit dreien Wortseelen. Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdrückung, der Schutzgeist der Balkenwaage－!
Incantations
The incantation is the action for performing magic and is necessary when starting up a magic formula. There are two types of incantations, steps and bars, and bars take more time than steps, which finish instantly. The more difficult the magic formula, the more bars are needed, also, it is possible to raise the effect of the magic the longer the incantation is made.
There are rules to be kept in the incantation and if those are kept, adding personal arrangement to the finer points is effective. This is particularly evident in spells and it’s normal for there to be different arrangement according to ease of usage per school and magus. Also, with respect to large scale magic, a ritual or contract is necessary to start up the formula, but these include countless steps and bars so these aren't treated as incantations. Note that the high speed divine words of Casters can activate large scale magic with one bar, and on top of that, that one bar can activate spells faster than or the equivalent of one step.
•One bar (approximately one second)
Incantations using spells and utterances. No matter how fast one says it, at least one second will be used up. Put two of these together and you have two bars, three and you have three bars, and the incantation becomes larger and larger. Of course, for each extra bar, the time is extended by 1 second.
•One step (less than one second)
Incantations performed by one action such as finger pointing, teeth gnashing, etc.
These are the shortest types of incantations and they can activate magic in an instant.
These include Gandr shooting which activates by finger pointing and mystic eyes which activate by looking. Also called Single Action.
•Ten count (instant contract) (ten seconds)
A magic startup method which establishes a contract that would have actually taken many hours in about ten seconds. As an incantation, there would be ten or more bars. Thus, while it may be called instant, ten seconds will actually be necessary.
[v] Fate/side material - Encyclopedia: Incantations [Magecraft], p.056 [T]Translations by food
Incantations [Magecraft]
The action required to perform magecraft.
This included: 1) Single Action (one Step), which activated magecraft directly from magical energy, 2) Spells of one Bar, which required anchoring within one's body, 3) Ten Count (Instant Contract), which consisted of spells ten Bars or greater, etc.
Rin's Gandr shot and Rider's Mystic Eyes were Single Action. Shirou and Archer's lengthy incantation of more than five Bars approached Ten Count.
Caster's spells were only one Bar, but she could activate them faster than one Step, trumping mages of the same level in speed.
Even though Caster's spells were merely one Bar, their power was equivalent to spells of more than five Bars. Normal mages could not match them.
By the way, Caster's incantations were themselves "Divine Language", so strictly speaking we should not really describe them as "one Step" or "one Bar".
A Magic Resistance of around B or C rank was required to negate Caster's spells.
[v] Comptiq special issue - Fate Dojo special edition: Q: Caster's "Divine Words" and Kara no Kyoukai's Kurogiri Satsuki's "Unified Language," are the same thing right?
Q: Caster's "Divine Words" and Kara no Kyoukai's Kurogiri Satsuki's "Unified Language," are the same thing right?
A: They are seemingly different. Divine Words, so to speak, was an advance incantation language used in various mythological times. It cannot be reproduced with human vocal organs.
The "Unified Language" is the "truth," people had before they were separated.
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