Object worn in the belief that it will magically protect the wearer
For other uses, see Amulet (disambiguation) and Phylactery (disambiguation).
A nazar, an amulet to ward off the evil eye
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, 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.[1]
Amulets which are said to derive their extraordinary properties and powers from magic or those which impart luck are typically part of folk religion or paganism, whereas amulets or sacred objects of formalised mainstream religion as in Christianity are believed to have no power of their own without faith in Jesus and being blessed by a clergyman, and they supposedly will also not provide any preternatural benefit to the bearer who does not have an appropriate disposition. Talisman and amulets have interchangeable meanings. Amulets refer to any object which has the power to avert evil influences or ill luck. An amulet is an object that is generally worn for protection and made from a durable material (metal or hard-stone). Amulets can be applied to paper examples as well; however, the word 'talisman' is typically used to describe these.[2] Amulets are sometimes confused with pendants, small aesthetic objects that hang from necklaces. Any given pendant may indeed be an amulet but so may any other object that purportedly protects its holder from danger.
^Gonzalez-Wippler 1991, p. 1.
^Campo, Juan Eduardo, ed. (2009). "amulets and talismans". Encyclopedia of Islam. Encyclopedia of World Religions: Facts on File Library of Religion and Mythology. Infobase Publishing. pp. 40–1. ISBN 978-1-4381-2696-8.
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the...
A Thai Buddha amulet (Thai: พระเครื่อง; RTGS: phrakhrueang), often referred to academically as a "votive tablet", is a type of Thai Buddhist blessed item...
The Lindholm "amulet", listed as DR 261 in Rundata, is a bone piece, carved into the shape of a rib, dated to the 2nd to 4th centuries (the late Roman...
The Amulet of Samarkand is a children's novel of alternate history, fantasy and magic. It is the first book in the Bartimaeus Sequence written by English...
Amulet: The Stonekeeper is a 2008 children's graphic novel written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi. The book concerns the adventures of Emily Hayes, who...
Abracadabra is a magic word, historically used as an apotropaic incantation on amulets and common today in stage magic. It is of unknown origin. Pronunciation...
corno portafortuna (Italian for 'horn that brings luck') is an Italian amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye (or malocchio [maˈlɔkkjo]...
The Crystal and the Amulet is a novel by James Cawthorn published in 1986. The Crystal and the Amulet is the second part of a pictorial adaptation of...
Kvinneby amulet (Öl SAS1989;43) is an 11th-century runic amulet found in the mid-1950s buried in the village of Södra Kvinneby in Öland, Sweden. The amulet is...
Sisters Grimm and NERDS series. Amulet Paperbacks publishes original titles as well as reprints. Books published by Amulet Paperbacks include Lauren Myracle's...
The Story of the Amulet is a novel for children, written in 1906 by English author Edith Nesbit. It is the final part of a trilogy of novels that also...
The Wadj amulet (also known as the papyrus column or scepter) is an Ancient Egyptian amulet in the shape of a papyrus stem. These amulets were made out...
fingers of the hand'), also known as the hand of Fatima, is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout North Africa and in the Middle East and commonly used...
common origin, and they regarded the ankh as a knot that was used as an amulet rather than for any practical purpose. Hieroglyphic writing used pictorial...
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The "Amulets of Ancient Egypt" fall in approximately...
Tomb Raider, known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created...
The Amulet of Ogum (Portuguese: O Amuleto de Ogum) is a 1974 Brazilian drama film directed and co-written by Nelson Pereira dos Santos. It was entered...
Global Information