Amulets

Jewish national, cultural and religious symbol

thumb|A Nazar (amulet)|nazar, an amulet to ward off the [[evil eye]] An amulet is a spiritual object believed to confer protection or grace upon its possessor. The word amulet comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's Natural History describes as "an object that protects a person from trouble". Anything can function as an amulet; items commonly so used include statues, coins, drawings, plant parts, animal parts, and written words. The word phylactery is sometimes used as a general synonym likewise referring to any unspecified amulet, but also has a specific definition within Judaism. Certain a

A fetish (also spelled fetich) is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over others. Essentially, fetishism is the attribution of inherent non-material value, or powers, to an object. Talismans and amulets are related. Fetishes are often used in spiritual or religious context.

curse believed to be cast by a malevolent glare, causing many cultures to create measures against it

thumb|A silver-gilded Thor|Thor's hammer found in [[Scania, Sweden, that once belonged to the collection of Baron Claes Kurck.]]

thumb|Dreamcatcher, Royal Ontario Museum thumb|An ornate, contemporary, nontraditional dreamcatcher

thumb|A silver talisman from the 6th or 7th century, inscribed with words similar to abracadabra Abracadabra is a magic word, historically used as an apotropaic incantation on amulets and common today in stage magic. The actual origin is unknown, but one of the first appearances of the word was in a second-century work by Roman physician Serenus Sammonicus.

thumb|Sri Yantra by [[Harish Johari using traditional colors]] thumb|Unalome is the sacred Yantra used widely in Southeast Asian Buddhism

upright|thumb|A hanging hamsa in a car in Tunisia. The hamsa (Arabic ), also romanized khamsa, and known as the hand of Fatima, is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and in the Middle East and commonly used in jewellery and wall hangings. Depicting the open hand, an image recognized and used as a sign of protection in many times throughout history, the hamsa is believed to provide defense against the evil eye.

Zulfiqar or Zulfaqar (, ), also spelled Zu al-Faqar, Zulfakar, Dhu al-Faqar, or Dhulfaqar) is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib that was distinguished by having a double blade.

type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences

word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome

eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye

percussion instrument

right|thumb|upright=1.3|Bullroarers from Africa in the Pitt Rivers Museum

right|thumb| dating from Jōmon period to 8th century thumb|right|Magatama from Kofun period（[[Tokyo National Museum）]]

Japanese doll

thumb|200px|A sample generic Mărțișor Mărțișor () is a tradition celebrated at the beginning of Spring in March, involving an object made from two intertwined red and white strings with hanging tassel. It is practiced in Romania and Moldova, and very similar to Martenitsa tradition in Bulgaria, Martinka in North Macedonia and traditions of other populations from Southeastern Europe.

thumb|upright=0.6|A study-dedicated . The logo above denotes a Shinto shrine dedicated to the Tenjin.

REDIRECT Gorgons

flint arrowheads and axes, turned up by farmer's plows, considered to have fallen from the sky and worshiped as gods

babylonian deity

doll with a stuffed cloth body and head

Latin expression

Sacramental medal

foot of a rabbit used as good luck charm

Juju (also styled or romanized as ju-ju) is a spiritual belief system and group of associated practices incorporating the use of ritual objects, such as amulets and spells, affiliated with religious observances in central West Africa, namely by the people of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Cameroon and Ghana. The term has been applied to traditional Western African religions, which incorporated the use of objects such as amulets, and spells into spiritual practices. In a general sense, the term "juju" can be used to refer to magical properties dealing with luck, whether good or bad. The name is also ass

thumb|The , an () issued by the Ise Grand Shrine|Grand Shrines of Ise (center) flanked by the ofuda of [[Yasaka Shrine (right) and Fushimi Inari-taisha (left)]]

thumb|300px|Gallo-Roman examples of the fascinum in bronze. The topmost is an example of the "fist and phallus" amulet with a manus fica. thumb|150px|Phallus inscribed on a paving stone at Pompeii In ancient Roman religion and magic, the fascinus or fascinum was the embodiment of the divine phallus. The word can refer to phallus effigies and amulets, and to the spells used to invoke his divine protection. Pliny called it a medicus invidiae, a "doctor" or remedy for envy (invidia, a "looking upon") or the evil eye.

thumb|upright=0.9| for placement above the primary entrance of one's home, intended to protect against evil

wind chime

apparel bearing a symbol of Christianity

hollow amulet hung around the neck, worn by male children in Ancient Rome

thin red string worn to ward off misfortune

cone-shaped growth on the skulls of golden jackals

thumb|From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch of November 7, 1909, the Billiken sketch at the left is by Florence Pretz and the drawing of Pretz is by journalist Marguerite Martyn.

African talisman

thumbnail|right|Poppets In folk magic and witchcraft, a poppet (also known as poppit, moppet, mommet or pippy) is a doll made to represent a person, for casting spells on them, or aiding that person through magic. They are occasionally found lodged in chimneys. These dolls may be fashioned from materials such as carved root, grain, corn shafts, fruit, paper, wax, a potato, clay, branches, or cloth stuffed with herbs, with the intent that any actions performed upon the effigy will be transferred to the subject based on sympathetic magic. Poppets are also used as kitchen witch figures. thumb|Pop

thumb|Many fūrin at Nyoirin-ji (Ogori)|Nyoirin-ji with colorful tanzaku paperA is a small, bowl-shaped Japanese wind chime typically hung during the summer. A piece of paper called tanzaku (短冊) is usually hung from each fūrin to cause it to ring even with just a slight breeze. The sound of the fūrin and the sight of the paper blowing in the wind are seen by many Japanese people as having a cooling effect during the hot Japanese summer.　 thumb|Sound of fūrin in a slight breeze

amulet consisting of a flannel bag containing one or more magical items

thumb | right | alt=churinga | churinga A tjurunga, also spelt churinga and tjuringa, is an object considered to be of religious significance by Central Australian Aboriginal people of the Arrernte (Aranda, Arunta) groups. The word derives from the Arrernte word Tywerenge which means sacred or precious. Tjurunga often had a wide and indeterminate native significance. They may be used variously in sacred ceremonies, as bullroarers, in sacred ground paintings, in ceremonial poles, in ceremonial headgear, in sacred chants and in sacred earth mounds.

counter-magical item used as protection against witchcraft

Bone piece with runic inscription

Agate bead worn as protective amulet in Tibet

Nkondi (plural varies minkondi, zinkondi, or ninkondi) are mystical statuettes made by the Kongo people of the Congo region. Nkondi are a subclass of minkisi that are considered aggressive.

traditional North American Indian container for various items of supernatural power

right|thumb|150px|A silver cornicello charm. A (), ; ), , or is an Italian amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye (or malocchio in Italian) and bad luck in general, and, historically, to promote fertility and virility. In Neapolitan, it is called or variants thereof. The amulet is also sometimes referred to as the Italian horn.

Phallic Thai amulet

artifacts from the Minoan civilization

Swedish-Norwegian superstitious protection sigil to ward off trolls or other malevolent magical creatures

Glass sphere said to ward off evil

thumb|A variety of of indigenous / polytheistic designs. thumb|Other types of combined with folk Catholicism.

object of superstition

"Living" in Hebrew

Artifact created in wood using thread

Roman Empire artefact type

archaeological find from a burial ground in the former Roman city of Nida

Wikimedia list article

Chinese exonumia