Tag Archives: evil eye

The Chaldeans and their Magic Circles

Part XVI of Amulets & Talismans The Chaldeans were an ancient race who migrated from the Levant into Assyrian lands in 940 – 855 BC, and are famous for their contributions to writing, mathematics, and astronomy. They were the first to have a seven-day week and introduced the concept of there being 60 seconds inContinue reading “The Chaldeans and their Magic Circles”

Incantation Bowls & Hebrew Amulets

Part XIII of Amulets & Talismans Incantation bowls are now discovered in the regions of Iran and Iraq. They were made there from the 6th to 8th centuries AD. The bowls are usually carved with text going in a spiral on the inside from the rim towards the centre, but some are inscribed on theContinue reading “Incantation Bowls & Hebrew Amulets”

The goddess Lamashtu & Sumerian Amulets

Part XII of Amulets & Talismans Sumeria was in the southern part of Mesopotamia, which is now mostly Iraq. The ancient Sumerians had a few different types of amulets for different purposes, including engraved models of animals, bell-shaped amulets, and agates made to look like eyes. The tiny models of animals were some of theContinue reading “The goddess Lamashtu & Sumerian Amulets”

All About Ankhs, Horus’s Eye, the Nazar… and the Coven Stone?

Part XI of Amulets & Talismans Also known as the Key of the Nile or the Key of Life, or the Crux Ansata in Latin (meaning a “handle-shaped cross”) the Ankh is an object that originates from ancient Egypt. It may have come from the 30th – 29th century BC. An ankh looks similar toContinue reading “All About Ankhs, Horus’s Eye, the Nazar… and the Coven Stone?”

Dead Cats and Lucky Cats

Part VIII of Amulets & Talismans Since at least the 16th-century in England, Scotland, North Europe, and North America, people erecting houses would hide the corpse of a cat (and sometimes other objects such as old shoes, dried dead rats, and witch bottles) in the walls of the building to repel evil spirits and protectContinue reading “Dead Cats and Lucky Cats”

Witch Dolls & Rowans

Part VII of Amulets & Talismans Witch dolls — otherwise known as poppets, poppits, moppets, mommets, pippies, or kitchen witch figures — are small dolls or figures made to represent someone in order to either help that someone or cast a spell on them. They are sometimes discovered hidden in chimneys. Witch dolls have beenContinue reading “Witch Dolls & Rowans”

Rabbit’s Feet & Frog Coffins

Part VI of Amulets & Talismans The belief in carrying a rabbit’s foot amulet for good luck is held in a lot of places including Europe, Africa, Australia, North America, and South America. In some cases, the rabbit from which the foot came must have certain attributes, for example meeting its demise in a particularContinue reading “Rabbit’s Feet & Frog Coffins”

The power of horseshoes and elf arrows

Part V of Amulets & Talismans Most people are aware that the horseshoe is a talisman that brings good luck. However, not a lot of folks know why or how they are supposed to work these days. Because iron was a valuable metal, so that horseshoes were usually reforged and reused, archaeologists cannot know forContinue reading “The power of horseshoes and elf arrows”

Witch Marks & Curse Tablets

Amulets & Talismans Part III Between the 16th and 19th centuries, strange marks were inscribed near the doorways, windows, and hearths of medieval churches, houses, and barns, and even in caves. Carved into stone or woodwork, these marks were for the protection of inhabitants and their visitors. Protection from evil spirits and witches, hence theContinue reading “Witch Marks & Curse Tablets”

Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)

Similar to witch bottles, witch balls were hollow vessels, usually fashioned out of glass, that were filled with things to ward off evil spirits, evil spells, bad luck, and of course witches. They were hung in cottage windows in the 1600s and 1700s, especially in East and South Sussex in England, though the custom ofContinue reading “Witch Balls and Witch Seats (Amulets & Talismans Part II)”

Amulets & Talismans: Witch Bottles

Amulets & Talismans Part I Witch bottles were a type of apotropaic magic (apotropaic = from the Greek apotrepo, which means to ward off). These strange bottles are mentioned in historical sources from both England and America, the earliest mention being from 17th-century England. However, the term “witch-bottle” was not used for them until the 19th century,Continue reading “Amulets & Talismans: Witch Bottles”