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Glossary

Glossary of talismans and amulets

116 terms about talismans, amulets and charms, from apotropaic to wedjat, each explained in a sentence or two.

Adinkra
Visual symbols of the Akan peoples of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, each linked to a proverb or an idea. They are traditionally stamped on cloth and now also appear on jewellery and buildings.
Akan
A group of peoples of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, including the Asante, who share related languages and traditions. Sankofa
Al-Andalus
The Muslim-ruled lands of medieval Spain and Portugal. Hamsa
Alchemy
An early tradition of chemical and philosophical inquiry into how matter changes and might be perfected. Ouroboros
Amulet
An object worn, carried or kept in the belief that it turns away harm or misfortune. The word comes from Latin amuletum, used by Pliny the Elder.
Apotropaic
Intended to turn away harm, from a Greek word meaning to turn away. Eye beads, gorgon faces and protective hands are all described as apotropaic.
Ashtamangala
The Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism: the parasol, the pair of golden fish, the treasure vase, the lotus, the conch, the endless knot, the victory banner and the wheel.
Auspicious
Promising good fortune or a favourable outcome. Many cultures choose auspicious days, colours and symbols for weddings, journeys and new ventures.
Ayin hara
Hebrew for “the evil eye”, the harmful glance a red string is believed to guard against. Red String
Bagua
An arrangement of the eight trigrams of Chinese thought, usually set in an octagon. It frames the bagua mirror hung over doorways in feng shui practice.
Bind rune
Two or more runes joined into a single sign. Bind runes occur in some runic inscriptions and are popular in modern Norse-inspired designs.
Bodhidharma
The monk traditionally credited with bringing the teachings of Chan, or Zen, Buddhism to China. Daruma
Bracteate
A thin, single-sided disc of gold stamped with an image, made in Scandinavia and neighbouring regions mainly in the fifth and sixth centuries CE and worn as a pendant.
Bulla
A rounded locket worn by freeborn boys in ancient Rome to keep misfortune away. It was set aside when a boy came of age.
Cabochon
A gemstone shaped with a smooth, domed surface instead of facets. Many traditional talisman stones, such as turquoise and carnelian, are cut this way.
Cash coin
The traditional Chinese round coin with a square hole, used as everyday money for more than two thousand years. Chinese Lucky Coins
Chalcedony
A fine-grained form of quartz that includes carnelian, agate and onyx. Metals, Stones and Materials in Talismans
Charm
Originally a spoken or written formula, from Latin carmen, a song. Today it also means a small object kept for luck or a pendant on a charm bracelet.
Cold iron
A folklore term for plain iron, long believed to repel fairies and harmful spirits. Horseshoe
Cornucopia
The horn of plenty, a Greek and Roman image of abundance overflowing with fruit and grain. Prosperity
Cradleboard
A frame of wood and cloth in which a baby is carried, often with a protective hoop above the face. Dreamcatcher
Crux ansata
Latin for “handled cross”, the name used for the ankh in Christian contexts. Ankh
Dependent origination
The Buddhist teaching that all things arise in dependence on causes and conditions. Endless Knot
Djed
A pillar-shaped Egyptian sign of stability, linked with the god Osiris. Ancient Egypt
Drudenfuß
German folk name for the pentagram as a protective sign on doors and cradles. Pentacle
Ema
A small wooden plaque sold at Japanese shrines, on which visitors write a wish or prayer before hanging it up in the shrine grounds.
En-musubi
Japanese term for the forming of bonds between people, used for shrine charms for love and good relationships. Love
Engimono
Japanese objects associated with good fortune, such as daruma dolls and beckoning cats, often bought at shrines, temples and seasonal fairs.
Ex-voto
An offering made in thanks for a prayer answered or a vow fulfilled, from the Latin for from a vow. Painted panels and small metal milagros are common forms.
Faience
In Egyptology, a glazed ceramic made from crushed quartz rather than clay. Its bright blue and green glaze made it a favourite material for amulets.
Farrier
A craftsperson who trims horses’ hooves and fits their shoes. Horseshoe
Fascinum
In ancient Rome, a phallic amulet worn by children and placed on buildings to ward off envy and the evil eye. The Latin word could also mean bewitchment.
Feng shui
A Chinese practice, literally wind and water, of arranging buildings, rooms and objects in harmony with their surroundings and the flow of qi.
Figa
A hand amulet with the thumb pushed between two fingers, known since Roman times and still popular in Italy, Portugal and Brazil.
Futhark
The runic alphabet, named after its first six letters. The Elder Futhark has 24 runes and the Younger Futhark of the Viking Age has 16.
Galdrastafir
Icelandic sigils or staves drawn in manuscripts of folk magic, each with its own purpose. Vegvísir
Galdrastafur
An Icelandic stave or sigil (plural galdrastafir) recorded in early modern manuscripts of folk magic. The vegvísir is the best known example.
Gorgoneion
An image of the Gorgon’s face, used in ancient Greece and Rome on shields, buildings and jewellery to turn away harm.
Grimoire
A handbook of ritual instructions, charms and signs, especially those copied in medieval and early modern Europe. The word is related to French grammaire.
Gris-gris
A West African amulet, often a small leather pouch holding written verses or other items. The word and the custom also travelled to Louisiana.
Heart scarab
A large funerary scarab placed over the heart of the dead, often inscribed with a spell. Scarab
Heathenry
Modern religious movements that honour the gods of pre-Christian Germanic and Norse tradition. Mjölnir
Hieroglyph
A picture sign in Egyptian writing that could stand for a word, a sound or an idea. Ankh
Housewarming
A gift or gathering to mark moving into a new home, a moment many cultures honour with a protective or lucky object. Talismans as Gifts: Meaningful Ideas for Every Occasion
Huld manuscript
A nineteenth-century Icelandic collection of folk magic, the earliest known source of the vegvísir. Vegvísir
Imado ware
A clay pottery from the Asakusa area of Tokyo, associated with some of the earliest beckoning cats. Maneki-neko
Imbolc
The old Irish festival on or around 1 February that marks the beginning of spring. Brigid's Cross
Insular art
The art of early medieval Britain and Ireland, famous for interlace, spirals and animal ornament. Triquetra
Intaglio
A design cut into the surface of a gemstone, so that it leaves a raised image when pressed into wax. Roman seal stones and many engraved talismans are intaglios.
Interlace
Decoration made of bands that weave over and under one another, typical of Insular and Norse art and the basis of knots such as the triquetra.
Iwi
A Māori word for a tribe, the largest social unit in traditional Māori society. Wearing Sacred and Cultural Symbols with Respect
Jettatura
A Neapolitan word for the casting of bad luck, often through a look or a careless remark. Cornicello
Kalava
A sacred red or red and yellow thread tied on the wrist in Hindu ritual. Red String
Kami
In Shinto, the deities, spirits and sacred presences honoured at shrines. Kami may be associated with mountains, rivers, ancestors or particular places.
Khamsa
Arabic for “five”, the source of the name hamsa. Hamsa
Kheper
The Egyptian word for the scarab beetle, closely related to the verb “to come into being”. Scarab
Khepri
The Egyptian god of the morning sun, shown as a scarab beetle or as a man with a beetle for a head. Renewal
Koban
An oval gold coin of the Edo period, often shown in the beckoning cat’s paw. Maneki-neko
Kōwhaiwhai
Painted scroll patterns that decorate the rafters of a Māori meeting house. Koru
La Tène
The art style of Iron Age Celtic Europe from about the fifth century BCE, rich in curves and spirals. Triskele
Lares
Roman household gods honoured at a small shrine in the home. Home
Leaflet
One of the separate small blades that together make up a compound leaf, such as a clover leaf. Four-Leaf Clover
Lost-wax method
A method of casting metal in which a wax model is covered in clay, melted out and replaced with molten metal. West Africa
Mala
A string of prayer beads, traditionally 108, used in Hindu and Buddhist practice to count repetitions of a mantra or prayer.
Malocchio
Italian for the evil eye, the harmful glance a cornicello is believed to deflect. Cornicello
Mantra
A sacred syllable, word or verse repeated in prayer or meditation in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. Om is the best known.
Mati
Greek for “eye”, the everyday name of the blue eye charm in Greece. Evil Eye
Mehen
An Egyptian coiled serpent god who protects the sun on its journey through the night. Ouroboros
Metrical charms
A small group of verse formulas for protection and good fortune preserved in Old English manuscripts. Talisman, Amulet or Charm? The Difference Explained
Mezuzah
A small case holding a parchment with verses from Deuteronomy, fixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes in fulfilment of a religious commandment.
Milagro
Spanish for miracle: a small metal charm shaped like a heart, a limb, an animal or a figure, offered at shrines or carried in Mexico and across Latin America.
Money cowrie
A small Indian Ocean sea snail whose glossy shell served as currency in Africa and Asia. Cowrie Shell
Mukhi
A natural face or segment of a rudraksha bead, marked by a line running from end to end. Rudraksha
Nanakorobi yaoki
A Japanese saying meaning fall down seven times, get up eight, closely linked with the daruma doll. Strength
Nazar
From an Arabic word for sight or gaze, the common name in Turkey and beyond for the blue glass eye bead hung to deflect the evil eye.
Nephrite
One of the two minerals sold as jade, tough and fibrous, the traditional jade of ancient China and of most Māori pounamu. Metals, Stones and Materials in Talismans
Night-riding
The old belief that spirits rode horses at night, leaving them sweating and tired by morning. Hag Stone
Ofuda
A paper or wooden talisman from a Japanese shrine or temple, usually kept on a household altar or above a doorway at home.
Ojibwe
An Indigenous people of the Great Lakes region, part of the wider Anishinaabe family, also called Chippewa. Dreamcatcher
Orisha
A deity or spirit in Yoruba religion and in related traditions of the Americas. Cowrie Shell
Otakiage
A ritual fire in which old amulets and talismans are burned with thanks. Omamori
Palindrome
A word or phrase that reads the same backwards as forwards. Sator Square
Papier-mâché
A material of layered paper and paste, moulded and dried to form a light, firm shape. Daruma
Passage tomb
A Neolithic monument in which a stone passage leads to a chamber inside a great mound. Triskele
Patina
A surface layer that develops on copper, bronze and brass with age, often prized for its colour. Caring for Your Talisman: Cleaning, Storing and Old Customs
Pentagram
A five-pointed star drawn with five straight lines in one continuous stroke. Pentacle
Phylactery
From the Greek for safeguard, a small case containing written words and worn on the body. In English it also names tefillin, which belong to Jewish prayer.
Piddock
A shellfish that bores holes into soft rock, clay or wood. Hag Stone
Pilgrim badge
A small cast badge, often of lead and tin, bought at medieval European shrines and pinned to hats or clothing as a souvenir and a token of devotion.
Portafortuna
Italian word for a lucky charm, literally a bringer of fortune. Luck
Pounamu
Greenstone from the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, mostly nephrite jade, treasured by Māori and carved into taonga such as the koru and the hei-tiki.
Praṇava
A Sanskrit name for Om, the primal sacred syllable. Om
Prose Edda
A thirteenth-century Icelandic handbook of Norse myth and poetry attributed to Snorri Sturluson. Mjölnir
Provenance
The recorded history of an object’s ownership, which shows where an antique came from and that it changed hands legally. How to Choose a Talisman That Means Something to You
Qi
In Chinese thought, the breath or vital force understood to flow through people, nature and the landscape. Feng shui is concerned with its movement.
Retablo
In Mexico, a small devotional painting, often on tin, showing a saint or a scene of thanks. Milagros
Rune
A letter of the alphabets used by Germanic peoples before and alongside the Latin alphabet, carved on stone, wood, metal and bone.
Rush
A grass-like wetland plant with long, pliable stems, traditionally used in Ireland for weaving and for covering floors. Brigid's Cross
Scapular
In Catholic devotion, two small pieces of cloth joined by cords and worn over the shoulders as a sign of faith and dedication.
Sha qi
In feng shui, harsh or cutting energy believed to come from sharp corners, straight roads and similar features. Bagua Mirror
Shaivism
The tradition within Hinduism that worships Shiva as the supreme god. Rudraksha
Shamrock
A three-leaved clover-like plant that is a national emblem of Ireland. Four-Leaf Clover
Sigil
A sign that stands for a name, a spirit or an intention, from Latin sigillum, a seal. Sigils fill many grimoires and Icelandic manuscripts.
Sterling silver
An alloy of 92.5 per cent silver, usually with copper, hard enough for everyday jewellery. How to Choose a Talisman That Means Something to You
Talisman
An object believed to draw a particular good, such as luck, love or success, to its owner. The word reached Europe from Arabic, which took it from Greek telesma, a rite.
Taonga
A Māori word for a treasured possession, which can be an heirloom, a carved pounamu pendant, a language or a place.
Tarnish
A dark surface film that forms on silver and some other metals as they react with sulphur in the air. Caring for Your Talisman: Cleaning, Storing and Old Customs
Trigram
One of eight figures of three stacked lines, broken or unbroken, used in Chinese thought and arranged around the bagua.
Upanishads
Philosophical texts of ancient India that explore the nature of the self and of ultimate reality. Om
Votive
Offered in fulfilment of a vow or as a prayer. Votive candles, plaques and figures are left at shrines in many religions.
Wedjat
The ancient Egyptian name for the Eye of Horus, often translated as the sound or whole eye, and one of the most common Egyptian amulets.
Winter solstice
The shortest day of the year, after which the days begin to lengthen again. Renewal
Word square
A grid of letters in which the same words can be read across and down. Sator Square
Yansheng qian
Chinese charm coins, cast to carry wishes and protection rather than to be spent. Chinese Lucky Coins
Yantra
A geometric diagram used in Hindu and Tantric worship and meditation, often drawn or engraved on metal and kept at home or in a shrine.
Þrymskviða
An Old Norse poem in which Thor recovers his stolen hammer, which is laid in a bride’s lap during a wedding feast. Strength

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