Talismans · Symbols · Meanings
Meanings
Protection, luck, love and six more wishes. Choose one to meet the talismans people have trusted with it.
- ProtectionEyes that stare back, hands raised in blessing, knots and webs that catch what should not pass: how people everywhere have given shape to the wish to be kept safe.16 talismans
- LuckFound by chance, beckoned through the door or tied on by a friend: the many ways people have tried to invite good fortune in and keep it close.8 talismans
- LoveThreads, knots and tiny silver hearts: the talismans people have given one another to say what is hard to put into words.5 talismans
- ProsperityA full granary, a busy shop, a household that can share with its guests: how coins, cats and shells came to carry the wish for abundance.3 talismans
- StrengthA thunder god’s hammer and a doll that always rolls back upright: two very different pictures of courage, and the long human habit of carrying strength in a symbol.2 talismans
- WisdomSacred syllables, prayer beads, a bird looking back and a sign for travellers in bad weather: how people have carried the wish to see clearly and find their way.7 talismans
- VitalitySpinning spirals, unfurling ferns and the Egyptian sign of life: how people have celebrated the simple delight of being alive.7 talismans
- HomeWoven crosses, iron shoes, holed stones, mirrors and webs: the charms people have hung over doors and beds to watch over the household.5 talismans
- RenewalA beetle rolling the sun, a serpent swallowing its tail, a fern about to open: the talismans people have chosen to say that an ending is also a beginning.6 talismans