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.
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyFortunaFort奴na
The Roman goddess of luck and fate, shown with a wheel and a horn of plentyBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 4 moreNeed-fireNotfeuer
A ritual fire lit by friction to protect livestock and people from disease and witchcraftRite 路 Protection 路 Cleansing and purification Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaOssetian mythology袠褉芯薪 屑懈褎芯谢芯谐懈
The beliefs and supernatural beings of the Ossetian people in the Caucasus.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 4 moreAnimal sacrifice
The ritual killing of livestock or wild animals as an offering to deitiesRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚫馃嚜 Sweden and 2 moreD铆sd铆sir
Female spirits of fate and protection in Norse traditionBeing 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyLectisternium
An ancient Roman ritual where couches were draped and meals served to gods.Rite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 1 moreStricha小褌褉褨褔邪
A Slavic goddess who spins the golden thread of human destiny and good fortuneBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 morePalladium螤伪位位维未喂慰谓 (Palladion)
A wooden statue of Athena said to protect cities, stolen from Troy and brought to Rome.Charm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainAnjanaan藞hana / an.xa.n蓽
Cantabrian fairies who protect forests and bring gifts to children.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚛馃嚜 GermanyFeldgeist
German folk creatures tied to crops, weather and harvest ritualsBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy艢uri饜寫饜寲饜寷饜墿 (Etruscan)
An ancient Etruscan deity of volcanic fire, the underworld, and healingBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
馃嚞馃嚪 GreeceMeilichios螠蔚喂位委蠂喂慰蟼
An ancient Greek chthonic spirit linked to Zeus and appeased through fire offerings.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Fortuna: Charles Samuel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- 艢uri: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Public domain, source
- Xana: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Need-fire: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Feldgeist: Zwoelefant, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Palladium: Marie-Lan Nguyen ( Jastrow ), Public domain, source
- Meilichios: Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0, source
- Animal sacrifice: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- D铆s: Emil Doepler, Public domain, source
- Lectisternium: Classical Numismatic Group (CNG), Inc., www.cngcoins.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, source