LESSONS: Social Studies and History

Amulets and Charms: Evolution from Ancient Mesopotamian Beliefs from The Shining Cloth: Dress and Adornment that Glitter by Victoria Z. Rivers

There is a long and interesting history with the use of metals to protect humans from unseen, harmful forces. Around the world, people have attached pieces of silver or other metal onto clothing for protective and auspicious purposes. Hagab, the Arabic word for veil, curtain, or wall, is also the word for amulet, and suggests that amulets shield or hide the wearer from negative forces. Amulets protect against evil, while talismans, from the Arabic word talasm for charm, are believed to magically bring good fortune. One repels, while the other attracts. These elements are often worn on the body, but differ from purely decorative jewelry.

One of the earliest protective metals was iron, made from meteors that landed on earth. This iron was filled with mystical beliefs, because people did not know about the material's origins, and they could not explain its magnetic properties, either. For these reasons, meteor iron was considered especially powerful for warding off evil spirits. Many amulets are made from silver. This is because silver is believed by many to represent the moon, and the light of the moon is thought to provide protection from the dark. The light-colored gleam of silver is visible during night and day, so it provides around-the-clock defense. See Gallery image: Silver/Sequin 3/8

Amulets are made to protect from the evil eye. The concept of the evil eye is ancient and probably dates back to third millennium BC Babylonia and Assyria. Clay tablets described a myth whereby death was caused by the evil eye. Those who could cause injury from their glance were called "fascinators", and their looks were due to jealousy, anger, and greed. Many cultures developed beliefs that fascinators could harm people sensitive to attention, like babies and brides. Jealous eyes were believed to rob a baby or young adult of their ability to have children in the future. Since the first glance was considered the most powerful, objects that caught the initial gaze were believed to absorb the negative energy from the wearer. Since silver was gleaming and white in both night and day, it was the metal of choice for engrossing the evil eye. See Gallery images: Gold 2/3; Silver/Sequin 3/4 and 3/6; Feather/Seed/Mineral 7/6.

Amulets can be worn like jewelry or stitched onto cloth. Often these pieces are attached to the front of the garment around the neck and chest, to protect vital organs. Other pieces are suspended from the edges of clothing. Hats, shawls, scarves, head coverings, bags, and other elements of dress can also have a protective, tinkling fringe of metal platelets and bells. The noise is believed to attract the evil eye's attention away from the wearer's face. See Gallery images: Silver/Sequin 3/3 and 3/9.

The dazzling and therefore protective capacity of silver amulets is passed on to other shiny objects, too. Coins, sequins, colorful beads, white shells, and even high-contrast colors serve the same purposes. Silver, sequins and other shiny surfaces might look decorative, but they have also protected humans for millennia. See Gallery images: Beads 5/4, 5/8; Shells 6/2, 6/6, and 6/8.

Images are seen in the Gallery section at the Shining Cloth Web site: http://shiningcloth.ucdavis.edu

Suggested Discussion and Projects:

1. Many people carry a lucky charm. What are some lucky charms in our culture?

2. Why are the eyes so powerful? Have you ever heard of sayings where eyes figure prominently. (If looks could kill, eyes boring through me, I felt the eyes on me)

3. In ancient times, why was it important for people to protect their ability to have many children? How were the lifestyles of nomads from Central Asia (some people who wore and used amulets), for example, different from ours?

4. Students make their own good luck charm, amulet or talisman. They discuss qualities they wish to attract into their lives, then make them from cardboard cutouts covered with aluminum foil and/or candy wrappers.