In the Bisila spell, given in the same chapter, we have the beginning:
Bora’i, bora’i, borayyova, biyova;
Bora’i, bora’i, borayteta, biteta.
The word bora’i seems to be again a purely magical one. The prefix bo- carries the meaning of tabooed, or ritual; the root ra’i suggests similarity with the above quoted magical word rayra’i, which is obviously merely a reduplicated form of ra’i. This is therefore a rhythmically constructed play on the magical root ra’i, and the words yova, „to fly” and teta, „to be poised”, „to soar”.
The Kayikuna veva spell presents the following rhythmic and symmetrical exordium:
Bosuyasuya (repeated); boraguragu (repeated).
Bosuya olumwalela; boyragu okatalena.
The exact meaning of the two words is not quite clear, except that they represent magical influences. Their arrangement and the antithesis of olumwalela („middle part”, „inside”), and katalena („body” or „outside”) is in keeping with the features observed in the other beginnings here quoted.
VII
The tapwana (main parts) of the spells, though they take a much longer time in reciting, are simpler in construction. Many spells, moreover, have no middle part at all. The first regular tapwana we find in our spells is that in the Kapitunena Duku. There, we have a series of key-words recited with a list of complimentary expressions. The key-words are verbs, spoken in the form: