Nigel Pennick - The Ancestral Power of Amulets, Talismans, and Mascots

The
ANCESTRAL POWER
of
AMULETS, TALISMANS ,
and
MASCOTS

This is a very well-researched and well-written book, presenting great information through many photos of artifacts with annotations to help decode the meaning of the signs, numbers, and symbols used in witchcraft practices and esoteric traditions in general. It certainly is an inspirational work, and it sparks your interest in other topics. This book gives what is surely the most authoritative account of symbolism and practices in witchcraft available.

NATASHA HELVIN,AUTHOR OF SLAVIC WITCHCRAFT

Written by one of the great wisdom keepers of British lore, this book is the most wonderful treasury of amulets, protective emblems, and the folklore by which people have kept themselves safe against plagues, envy, and evils of many kinds. Very highly recommended as an authentic sourcebook of protective wisdom.

CAITLN MATTHEWS,COAUTHOR OF THE LOST BOOK OF THE GRAIL

The wise words of Nigel Pennick are amplified by the feast for the eyes in the images cataloging the ability of human beings to imbue power into objects as well as the innate manna contained in certain shapes, words, and symbols. I am grateful for Nigels valuable insights in this historical, multicultural, spiritual archive of fetishes and how they empower individuals in the face of authoritarian oppressive decrees. If you thought you knew everything about sigils, seals, talismans, and symbols, get ready to expandthanks to Nigels masterful scholarly work contained within these pages.

MAJA DAOUST,AUTHOR OF FAMILIARS IN WITCHCRAFT

This substantial compendium, documenting amulets and talismans myriad manifestations, is pure Pennick and sans pareil. It is not only based upon a lifetime of learning but also the authors own artistic craftsmanship and keen-eyed collecting, as evidenced by the wealth of accompanying images. The result is a gem-studded wizards chest of living folklore, overflowing with contents that cannot fail to fascinate and enchant.

MICHAEL MOYNIHAN, PH.D.,COAUTHOR OF LORDS OF CHAOS

The breadth and depth of Pennicks knowledge of folklore and magic never fails to deliver, and his latest work is no exception. Reaching across multiple cultures and spanning time from ancient history into the modern era, this book covers all aspects of the magic that deals with created objects and symbols of all varieties. The creation of amulets, talismans, and charms is the meeting of the numinous and the practical, embodying the desire and vision of the maker into a manifested creation, and this book covers all aspects of this most practical form of magic. Accompanied by numerous illustrations, this would be a welcome addition to any collection.

ALICE KARLSDTTIR,AUTHOR OF NORSE GODDESS MAGIC

This book will inspire the reader to create sacred and magical objects, using media such as knotwork, ropes, bells, feathers, roots, bones, stones, and herbs. Numbers, colors, glyphs, and signs are offered as suggestions to add potency to these creations. Artists, magicians, witches, and Druids who seek to create physical objects of power and protection will find herein a treasure trove of historically grounded practices.

ELLEN EVERT HOPMAN,AUTHOR OF THE SACRED HERBS OF SAMHAIN

What we have in Pennick is a modern-day cunning man. He is not only an authority in the field of folk magic but an active magical practitioner who is in tune with the energies and rhythms of landscape, symbol, and the timeless rituals and traditions that have helped to bolster mans connection to a universe that is alive. Ancestral Power of Amulets, Talismans, and Mascots is a boon to students of folklore and practitioners alike.

JOHNNY DECKER MILLER,AUTHOR OF DARK MAGIC

Introduction

Lucky Charms, Amulets, and Mascots

The great truth, or the absolute truth, makes itself visible to our mind through the invisible.

GEORGES VANTONGERLOO

TALISMANS AND AMULETS

Amulets and talismans, which include lucky charms and mascots, are carried or worn for essentially magical purposes. They are carried, worn, or displayed for their efficacy in preserving the wearer from hurt, bodily or spiritual. People who use them believe they are protected, assisted, or healed by a benevolent influence that is inherent within the objects, whose forms and variants compose a code of symbols, accompanied by traditions which explain them (Lethaby 1891, 2). However there is a difference between amulets and talismans.

An amulet may be a natural object possessing a particular intrinsic power: it may be a notable mineral object like a gem, a naturally holed stone, or a fossil, or it may be a whole or part of an animal or a plant, a human-made artifact, or a found object. Amulets exert their power whether or not they have been consecrated. An amulet or talisman may be seen as bringing luck, health, wealth, and happiness while preempting and averting harm. The mechanism by which luck, health, wealth, and happiness are achieved may be protective, by deflecting, blocking, or impeding demonic interference, or attractive, by bringing in or creating positive energies. Of course an amulet may do both. Writing about Flemish amulets early in the twentieth century, W. L. Hildburgh noted that some may be amuletic in their original intention while others may not, but be used as amulets nevertheless (Hildburgh 1908b, 200). Amuletic lucky charms, whose intrinsic power comes from their shape and associations, need not be empowered through ritual. Their forms often symbolize spiritual principles, and they give an opportunity for master craftspeople to produce work of exceptional beauty and power.

The word talisman has the meaning of objects bearing sigils, seals, or magical or religious texts that have been empowered by consecration or ritual. Like amulets, their function is to protect the person from evil, illness, and bodily harm. Talismans are material supporters of spiritual powers. They are artifacts charged by ceremonial consecration to possess specific energies. The nature of a talisman depends entirely on the ritual actions enacted during its preparation and the intent put into it. If it is a written text, the intention of the scribe and the meaning of the inscription endow it with their power. Each talisman is individual. It embodies a specific function known to the user, so that, when carried or worn on the person, it evokes its powers within the user internally as well as externally. Talisman makers strive to ensure that the magical virtues of the materials they use relate to the intended use. Only when inner powers and purpose are in perfect alignment can a talisman function properly.

Fig. I.1. Shield-knot tile amulet

Elizabeth Villiers proposed a theory on how mascots gain their power: that they do not contain intrinsic power but rather attract influences. Originally the word influence, she wrote, was used astrologically and referred only to the occult power, the virtue, that was believed to flow from the planets to affect all things on earth. Thus the word is used in its strictest sense if we say that mascots have no power of their own, but serve to attract the influence of the Unknown and thus they benefit mankind (Villiers 1923, 6). She claimed that no mascot will bring good fortune to one who is unworthy of it (Villiers 1923, 1).