Protection
Warding off the evil eye, spirits, illness and bad luck: amulets, wards and thresholds.
Protection is the most widespread aim of magic. People hang, wear, bury, burn and recite things to keep out the evil eye, harmful spirits, illness and bad luck. The blue nazar, the hamsa, the horseshoe, the red thread, the Japanese omamori and the Ethiopian protective scroll all serve it. This page covers what is guarded, who is thought to need guarding, and how different societies see the practice. It is a good place to start with the subject.
What is guarded
The most guarded are the vulnerable and the valued: newborns, brides, pregnant women, livestock, new houses and travellers. Doorways, windows and crossroads get special care, since they are where inside meets outside. Practices include hanging a lemon and chillies in India, a horseshoe in Britain and Ireland, an eye-bead in Turkey, a mezuzah on Jewish doorposts and a spirit house in Thailand. Beyond doors, people protect journeys, wells, boats and herds, and the guarded thing is usually whatever the family can least afford to lose.
Against what
The danger named varies. In the Middle East and Mediterranean it is the evil eye, a harm said to come from envy or praise. In sub-Saharan Africa it is often witchcraft or a rival's sorcery. In Europe it was witches, fairies and the devil, and in East Asia hungry ghosts and ill-fortune. Protective practice therefore tells a researcher what a community fears and who it suspects. Some marks are drawn in chalk, paint or henna and renewed each year, and others are made once and left to fade.
Faith and the objects
Religions deal with protective objects in different ways. Many Muslim scholars accept verses of the Quran recited for protection and disapprove of beads or knots believed to work by themselves. Catholic Christians use blessed medals, holy water and the sign of the cross. Sikhism rejects talismans, while Buddhist monks bless protective threads and tattoos in Thailand and Cambodia. Official teaching often differs from practice in the village, where one household may wear a charm quietly and say a prayer at the same time.
Scholars and the market
Psychologists suggest protective objects ease anxiety and give a sense of control. Sceptics note that no test has shown them to prevent harm. Commerce is large: charms are mass-produced, and some sellers charge heavily for items promised to ward off disaster. Anyone in real danger or illness should turn to practical help first. Believers usually say the protection is a matter of trust and care, and many say the object matters less than the intention and the community that stands behind it.
Protection on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 5 moreEvil eye
A curse caused by an envious look and the charms used to block itBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 4 moreJinn噩賽賳賾
Supernatural beings in Islamic and pre-Islamic Arabian belief, capable of shapeshifting and living in society.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance
Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreTalisman
An object believed to channel specific forces for protection, healing, or influence.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚨馃嚫 Palestine and 1 moreRachel's TombQever Ra岣l; Qabr R膩岣ツ玪
A shared holy site near Bethlehem revered by Jews, Christians, and MuslimsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreHamsa禺賲爻丞
A palm-shaped amulet used across North Africa and the Middle East for protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyHamsa (sample)Khamsa
An open hand with an eye, hung on doors.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 1 moreTalismanic shirtt谋ls谋ml谋 g枚mlek
A worn textile inscribed with sacred verses and symbols for protection in the Muslim worldCharm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreAngel诪诇讗讱
A supernatural messenger or intermediary spirit found in many religious traditions.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptBarakah亘乇賰丞
A spiritual blessing power in Islam and Arabic ChristianityBelief 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreKhidr丕賱禺囟乇
A Qur'anic guide and saint believed to hold hidden wisdom and aid those in need.Being 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptIslam and astrology
The historical study of stars in the Islamic world and the religious debate over its permissibility.Tradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jinn: VenusFeuerFalle, CC0, source
- Talismanic shirt: Ibrahim Husain Meraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Angel: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Talisman: Sasha India, CC BY 2.0, source
- Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Khidr: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Rachel's Tomb: Lane-Poole, Stanley, Public domain, source
- Barakah: 毓丕賲乇 卮丕蹃蹖賳, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hamsa: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Islam and astrology: Ahmad Ibn Musa Ibn Shakir, Public domain, source