Tag Archives: talismans

I’m Owl About Them Owls

After reading Alan Garner’s “The Owl Service” recently I went on to learn about the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd. Then I went on a deep-dive into the folklore surrounding owls…

The Cup, the Spear, and the Shroud

Part XVIII of Amulets & Talismans By now, mostly everyone knows what the Holy Grail is. According to this BBC article from 2022, it may be on display in Valencia Cathedral… but what exactly was it used for, and where did the stories about it originate from? When it was first mentioned in Perceval, TheContinue reading “The Cup, the Spear, and the Shroud”

The Art of Smudging

Amulets & Talismans Part XVII Smudging was practiced by many different peoples and cultures, including the Native Americans, and is still utilised by some tribes today (e.g. the Lakota) in ceremonial, purifying rituals. The smoke-cleansing aspect of it is used today by modern witches and feng shui experts. But what is it, and how doesContinue reading “The Art of Smudging”

Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone

Part XIV of Amulets & Talismans Babylon had special boundary stones (or “kudurru” stones in Akkadian, a language used in ancient Mesopotamia). These stones were seen as sacred and magical. Kudurrus were a stone record of gifts (kind of like a receipt) especially for such things as land grants given to someone by the King.Continue reading “Babylonian Stones & Amulets… and the Corverus Stone”

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?”

Fingers Crossed & Other Handy Things

Part X of Amulets & Talismans Crossing your fingers for luck, or to prevent “evil luck” has been a common thing in English-speaking regions for centuries — mostly in the UK, the US, and some parts of Scandinavia. Not only that, but it is used discreetly whilst someone is telling a lie or making aContinue reading “Fingers Crossed & Other Handy Things”

All About Hagstones

Part IX in Amulets & Talismans Also known as adder stones or dobby stones, are stones or pebbles that have holes naturally going right through them. These stones were — and sometimes still are — thought to possess magical qualities. These include the ability to heal snake bites, or to see through the disguise orContinue reading “All About Hagstones”

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”

Cambions, Witch Prickers, and what in the nine Hells is a ghostmerchant?

Part IV of Amulets & Talismans In last week’s article on witch marks (and witch’s marks…) I touched on the “witch’s teat” and mentioned about cambions. Here is the lowdown on these entities. The witch’s teat — either some kind of skin tag or a supernumerary nipple — was a perversion of the maternal, andContinue reading “Cambions, Witch Prickers, and what in the nine Hells is a ghostmerchant?”

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”