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.
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 4 moreSanter铆aRegla de Ocha
An Afro-Cuban religion blending Yoruba spirits with Catholic saintsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAlebrije
Brightly painted Mexican sculptures of fantastical creatures, made from paper or woodTradition 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreAluxaluxo'ob
A small Maya spirit believed to guard fields and cause mischief if offended.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 5 morePachamama
The Andean mother goddess of space-time and the earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreLwa
Spirits in Haitian Vodou that mediate between people and the creator god.Being 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 5 moreGauchito Gil
A folk saint from Argentina who protects the poor and outcastsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 5 moreSanto Daime
A Brazilian syncretic religion using ayahuasca for spiritual work and healingTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚙馃嚧 BoliviaThe Witches' MarketMercado de las Brujas
A La Paz market where Aymara women and yatiri sell ritual items for Pachamama offeringsTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 5 moreSpiritual Baptist
An Afro-Caribbean Christian faith blending African traditions with Baptist worshipTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreSupay
An Andean spirit of the underworld who balances life and death forcesBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection Historical
馃嚟馃嚬 Haiti and 2 moreHaitian VodouVodou
An Afro-Haitian religion blending West African traditions with Catholicism and FreemasonryTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚞馃嚬 GuatemalaMaxim贸nRi Laj Mam
A Maya folk saint and trickster deity venerated in the Guatemalan HighlandsBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreFolk saint
Unofficially recognized holy figures venerated by local communities for intercession and miraclesBelief 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreDay of the DeadD铆a de los Muertos
A Mexican holiday honoring the dead with altars, food, and humor during Allhallowtide.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚙馃嚪 BrazilBoitat谩
A fiery serpent of Brazilian folklore that guards forests or frightens childrenBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚜 Peru and 1 moreQuyllurit'iQoyllur Rit'i
A syncretic Andean pilgrimage celebrating the Pleiades and the Lord of Star SnowTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚤 Chile and 1 moreMapuche religion
The traditional spiritual practice of the Mapuche people of Chile and ArgentinaTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreSanta MuerteNuestra Se帽ora de la Santa Muerte
A female skeletal folk saint in Mexico and the Americas, worshipped for protection, healing, and safe passage.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 5 moreFolk Catholicism
Local religious customs that blend official Church teaching with indigenous or regional traditions.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚘馃嚪 Argentina and 2 moreSan La Muerte
A skeletal folk saint venerated in South America for protection and favorsTradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiErzulie脠zili
A family of spirits in Haitian Vodou representing love, beauty, and protective fury.Being 路 Protection 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United States and 5 moreFlorida Water
A citrus perfume used in spiritual cleansing and folk healing across the Americas.Substance 路 Protection 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚬馃嚬 Trinidad and Tobago and 4 moreTrinidad Orisha
A syncretic Afro-Caribbean faith blending Yoruba spirit work with Christian and other traditions in Trinidad.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Healing Living
馃嚚馃嚭 Cuba and 1 moreHaitian Vodou in CubaVod煤 Haitiano
A Caribbean religious tradition brought by migrants and maintained in eastern CubaTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚟馃嚬 HaitiChristian-Vodou
The blending of Haitian Vodou and Roman Catholicism into a single spiritual practiceTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚛馃嚥 DominicaBelie Belcan
A loa of justice and protection in Dominican Vud煤, linked to Saint Michael.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚙馃嚳 BelizeTata DuendeNukuch Tat
A thumbless forest spirit of Belizean folklore that protects animals and warns children.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚛馃嚧 Dominican Republic and 5 moreZemi
A Ta铆no deity or ancestral spirit housed in a carved object used for worship and protectionBeing 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Haitian Vodou: Sam Fentress, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Egungun: 脤峁ａ汗虁峁Assembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alebrije: Luisalvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Alux: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lwa: Hector Hyppolite, Public domain, source
- Maxim贸n: Sapfan (Jan Pesula), Public domain, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Day of the Dead: RubeHM, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Boitat谩: The ponta cabe莽a, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Haitian Vodou in Cuba: Dr. Anthony R. Picciolo, NOAA NODC, Public domain, source
- Quyllurit'i: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mapuche religion: Gary Todd, CC0, source
- Santa Muerte: Not home, Public domain, source
- Folk Catholicism: Calvin Hennick, for WBUR Boston, CC BY 3.0, source
- Belie Belcan: Domfranciscorodrigues, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Erzulie: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Zemi: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Florida Water: Unknown artist(s), Public domain, source
- Santo Daime: Tonelada, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- The Witches' Market: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Spiritual Baptist: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Santer铆a: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source