Charms, amulets and talismans of the world

An eye: in this guide it stands for protection against envy and the evil eye, a belief found from the Mediterranean to South Asia.

Charms, amulets and talismans are things made or chosen to carry a purpose. The blue glass nazar in Turkey, the hamsa hand across North Africa and the Middle East, the Japanese omamori, the Haitian pwen, the Italian cornicello and the Hoodoo mojo bag all belong here. They are small, portable and personal, and found on every continent. This page looks at what they are said to do and how they are made, sold and understood.

Amulet or talisman

The two words are often used loosely. An amulet is usually said to protect by what it is, such as a blue bead against the evil eye. A talisman is made or empowered for a purpose, often with writing, a name or a date. Islamic, Jewish, Taoist and Hindu traditions all have written talismans: the Taoist fu, the Jewish kame'a, the Hindu yantra and the Muslim hirz. The common thread is that something small and personal is believed to hold a purpose on behalf of its owner.

Making and keeping

Many charms are made by specialists, then blessed or sold at a temple, shrine or market. Others are made at home, such as a red thread, a knotted cord, or a horseshoe nailed over a door. Practitioners usually say a charm should be kept clean, respected and not shown off. In Japan an omamori is returned to its shrine after a year. Charm makers are often women, jewellers, scribes or temple staff, and the person who makes a charm may not be the person who blesses it.

Faith and suspicion

Religious authorities disagree on charms. Some Islamic scholars allow Quranic verses carried as a reminder and reject objects held to work by themselves. Many Christian churches have blessed medals and scapulars while condemning amulets of folk origin. Sikh teaching rejects charms altogether. Anthropologists read them as ways to hold fear and uncertainty in a form a person can carry. Interpretation is divided within religions too, so one family may treat a bead as decoration while a neighbour treats it as a serious shield.

Market and appropriation

Charms are big business. Evil-eye beads sell as fashion on every high street, and the hamsa appears as a decoration far from its homes. Fakes are common, and some sellers promise outcomes in ways that amount to fraud, particularly in expensive gemstone or lottery charm schemes. Sacred designs used as a logo can offend the community they come from. Designers have taken eyes, hands and runes as motifs, and while many communities are glad to see them shared, others ask that sacred symbols not be turned into trivia or used by brands.

Charm on EveryJaadu

The entries written up so far, best known first.

RegionSouth Asia Southeast Asia East Asia Central Asia and the Caucasus Middle East North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Europe North America Latin America and the Caribbean Oceania

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreAmulet A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite fortuneCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreTalisman An object believed to channel specific forces for protection, healing, or influence.Charm · Protection · Healing Historical

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFulu符籙 Taoist talismans with cryptic symbols used for healing and protectionCharm · Healing · Protection Living

🇯🇵 JapanOfudaお札/御札 (ofuda) Paper and wooden talismans from Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist templesCharm · Protection · Cleansing and purification Living

🇯🇵 Japan and 3 moreManeki-neko招き猫 A Japanese figurine of a beckoning cat believed to bring luck and prosperityCharm · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living

🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living 🇯🇵 JapanOmamori (sample)お守り A small shrine charm in a brocade pouch.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇯🇵 JapanHamaya破魔矢 A blunt arrow given at shrines to ward off evil and secure good luck for the new yearCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreCoin-sword辟邪劍 (bì xié jiàn) A Chinese numismatic talisman made of cash coins strung on a rod to ward off evil spiritsCharm · Protection Living 🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreJapanese numismatic charm絵銭 Coin-shaped charms from Japan used for protection, luck, and blessings.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreLock charms家锁 / 锁片 (jiā suǒ / suǒ piàn) A Chinese metal pendant shaped like a lock to protect children from harm and death.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAkabeko赤べこ A bobbing papier-mâché toy from Japan believed to ward off illnessCharm · Protection · Healing Living

🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇯🇵 JapanSuzu鈴 A hollow Japanese bell with inner pellets, used in Shinto rites and shrines.Charm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

Charms, amulets and talismans