Open Sesame (phrase)

"Open Sesame" (Arabic: افتح يا سمسم‎ iftaḥ yā simsim, French: Sésame, ouvre-toi) is a magical phrase in the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" in One Thousand and One Nights. It opens the mouth of a cave in which forty thieves have hidden a treasure.

Documentation

The phrase first appears in writing in Antoine Galland's Les Mille et une nuits (1704–1717) as Sésame, ouvre-toi (English, "Sesame, open!"). No earlier oral or written version of the story is known in any language.

Galland's phrase has been variously translated from the French into English as "Sesame, Open", "Open, Sesame" and "Open, O Simsim".

Classification

Open Sesame has been classified by Stith Thompson as motif element D1552.2, "Mountain opens to magic formula".

Use in the story

In the story, Ali Baba overhears the 40 (forty) thieves saying "open sesame". His brother later cannot remember the phrase, and confuses it with the names of other grains (becoming trapped in the magic cave).

Origin

There are many theories about the origin of the phrase. Indeed, it is not certain that the word "sesame" actually refers to the sesame plant or seed.

Open Sesame

Open Sesame may refer to:

Open Sesame (Kool & the Gang album)

Open Sesame is the eighth studio album by the funk band Kool & the Gang, released in 1976. The album yielded the hit title track, "Open Sesame", which achieved some success, first as a top ten R&B single, then later as part of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. "Super Band" also reached the R&B top twenty. The album was the second of two albums released by the band in 1976.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Kool & the Gang unless otherwise noted. 

Personnel

References