Charms, amulets and talismans

Made and worn things: the nazar, the hamsa, the omamori, the mojo bag and the witch bottle.

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

🇧🇪 Belgium and 2 moreHorseshoe A metal shoe for a horse's hoof and a talisman of good fortuneCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 morePrecious coral A marine skeleton harvested for jewelry and worn as a protective charm in several culturesSubstance · Protection · Healing Living

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreJet A black gemstone carved into amulets and mourning jewellery for centuriesCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreCurse tabletκατάδεσμος A lead sheet inscribed with a binding curse in the Greco-Roman worldCharm · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Historical

🇮🇪 Ireland and 4 moreFour-leaf clover A rare plant mutation believed to bring good luck and used as a symbol of fortune.Charm · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇹 ItalyCornicello A twisted horn charm worn in Italy to ward off the evil eye and invite luck.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreReliquary A container for sacred remains or objects, crafted across many faithsCharm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRelic An object or body part kept to honor a holy person and mark their connection to the divineCharm · Protection · Healing Living

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCorn dolly A woven straw figure made from the last sheaf of a European harvest to house the crop spirit.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Revived

🇷🇺 Russia and 2 moreCaul A birth membrane kept as a talisman for luck and protection from drowningCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇮🇪 IrelandLia Fáil A standing stone at the Hill of Tara used for royal inaugurations in Irish legendCharm · Power and authority Historical

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWitch bottle A container filled with personal items and sharp objects to trap harmful magicCharm · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical

🇮🇪 IrelandBlarney StoneCloch na Blarnan A limestone block in an Irish castle kissed for the gift of eloquenceCharm · Power and authority Living

🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic magical stavesgaldrastafir Sigils from Icelandic grimoires believed to hold magical powerCharm · Power and authority Historical 🇮🇸 IcelandHelm of AweǾgishjalmr A feared helm of Norse myth, and a name for an Icelandic staveCharm Legendary 🇫🇷 FrancePlanchette A wooden device for automatic writing used in Victorian spiritualist séancesCharm · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Historical

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreConcealed shoes Shoes hidden in building structures as folk charms for protection and fertilityCharm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreEx-voto A gift left in a shrine to mark a vow kept or a miracle receivedCharm · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇳 IndiaUnicorn horn A legendary object believed to neutralize poison and cure disease, traded as narwhal teeth for centuries.Charm · Healing · Protection Historical

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreAdder stone A naturally perforated stone used as a protective talisman in European folkloreCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇬🇧 United KingdomWitch ball A glass sphere hung in windows to trap spirits and ward off evilCharm · Protection Historical

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreFig sign A hand gesture used to ward off the evil eye or as an insult in many culturesBelief · Protection · Cursing and harm Living

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreSoul cake A spiced cake given to soulers during Allhallowtide to remember the dead.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living

🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreBrigid's crossCros Bhríde A woven straw charm hung for protection, named after Ireland's patron saintCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreSilver bullet A folk weapon for monsters and a metaphor for simple solutionsCharm · Cursing and harm Historical

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreSator Square A five-word Latin palindrome found in Roman ruins and medieval churchesCharm · Protection · Healing Historical 🇬🇧 United KingdomWitch bottle (sample) A stoppered bottle set out against curses.Charm · Protection · Cursing and harm Historical 🇬🇧 United KingdomEvil eye bead (sample)Nazar boncuğu A blue glass bead hung to turn aside envy.Charm · Protection Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Cornicello: Antonio Cavallo, Public domain, source
Precious coral: Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jet: Thmsfrst, Public domain, source
Reliquary: Attributed to Jean de Toul, also written Jehan de Touyl in one source, CC0, source
Relic: MathieuGuy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Corn dolly: Renata ( talk ), Public domain, source
Caul: JC Brand, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Lia Fáil: August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0, source
Witch bottle: British Museum, Daniel Pett, 2004-10-25 15:27:22, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Blarney Stone: Srleffler, Public domain, source
Icelandic magical staves: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Concealed shoes: Edmund Patrick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ex-voto: JTSH26, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Unicorn horn: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
Adder stone: Ansgar Koreng, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, source
Witch ball: John W. Schulze, CC BY 2.0, source
Fig sign: Harald the Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Soul cake: Samantha, CC BY 2.0, source
Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
Horseshoe: Cgoodwin, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Silver bullet: Smithsonian Institution, CC0, source
Sator Square: M Disdero, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Four-leaf clover: Phyzome under the GFDL., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Curse tablet: Unknown artist, Public domain, source