Amulets

Amulets (also known as phylacteries and talismans) are protective magic items that function either by being carried by the person they are intended to help, or by being worn by them. Some are made to look like a particular thing, such as the Egyptian Scarab, while others are pieces of parchment, precious metals, or stones with symbols engraved on them.

## Examples of Use

In Greece at least as recently as the 19th century, it was believed that a sick person could expedite their recovery by writing the name of their illness on a triangular piece of paper and attaching it to the door of their room.

It was believed that carrying an amulet bearing the beginning of the Gospel of John would protect the bearer from being struck by lightning. Pierre Leloyer claims this amulet was also used in the Ottoman Empire.

In the Duchy of Juliers in 1568, the Prince of Orange condemned a Spaniard to death. He was shot at, but none of the musket balls hit him. He was stripped to check for armour, and an amulet of a lamb was found on him. This was removed, and the next shot killed him.

In the Chronicle of Don Ursino, the titular character was sent as a child to Santiago de Compostela while wearing a Moorish amulet meant to protect the bearer from wild animals. In the forest, he was taken from his nurse by a bear, who raised him. This led him to adopt the name "Don Ursino", and he eventually succeeded his father as the ruler of Navarre.

During the 19th century, protective amulets were occasionally prescribed by doctors in Algeria to cure a number of ailments. Thomas Campbell says that this was the most harmless prescription issued.

In Brittany, it was believed that amulets would protect people from demons, and in Finistère in particular, a baby would wear a black bread amulet to their baptism to protect them from spells and similar things cast on them by witches.

## Christian Opposition

In the Christian tradition, amulets are considered remnants of pagan idolatry, and thus are generally condemned by religious authorities.

Emperor Constantius banned the use of amulets and charms for healing diseases. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, by the time of Valentinian this was being enforced to the point that old women were executed for trying to cast spells to cure fevers, and a man was beheaded for touching a piece of marble while saying seven letters meant to cure stomach problems. To get around this law, people started making amulets from pieces of paper bearing verses from the Bible. Owing to this being a legal grey area, priests were charged with preventing blatant breaking of the law in this regard.

There is debate about whether carrying/wearing a cross/relic/image/*agnus dei*/blessed object should be considered a form of using an amulet, with the Protestant position being that it is, while the Catholic position is that it isn't. De Plancy, in his defence of the Catholic position, says that the idea that these things can help by themselves is mere superstition because God has not granted these objects the ability to do things by themselves. Instead, he says that it is the Saints who intercede with God on the behalf of worshippers, causing things to happen, and that bearing these objects is both a way of trying to get a saint's attention, and a sign of respect towards the saint in question.

## Further Reading

* *Theological Dictionary*, Bergier
* *Treatise on Superstitions*, Theirs
* *Disputation on Demoniacs*, Thyraeus

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 de Plancy, J. C., (1863). *Dictionnaire Infernal*. 6ed. pg.29
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 de Plancy, J. C., (1863). *Dictionnaire Infernal*. 6ed. pg.30