Amulet AtlasMaterials
What a charm is cut from is half of what it claims. Red carnelian for blood, cold iron against what walks at night, a bead of glass that costs nothing and can be replaced, a strip of paper that will not last a winter. This page counts what the records are made of.
What survives, and what the drawer therefore holds
348in a material that lasts
305in one that does not
Stone, fired quartz paste and metal come out of the ground legible after four thousand years. Paper, cloth, thread, herb, hair and salt do not. A museum tray of ancient amulets is a record of what lasts, and this atlas's own ancient section inherits that bias — which is why the modern records lean the other way and why the two should not be read as one continuous series.
Stone
Carnelian (13)
Agate and onyx (10)
Jade (8)
Jet (6)
Lapis lazuli (3)
Stone, unspecified (2)
Turquoise (2)
Flint (1)
Metal
Silver (56)
- Agadez cross
- Ankh amulet
- Blessing at a shrine
- Buying one in a market
- Car saint
- Challenge coin
- Chinese charm coin
- Cimaruta
- Cornicello
- Counting beads
- Crystal pendant
- European folk apotropaic craft
- Evil eye bracelet
- Fascinum
- Figa
- Folding
- Foundation deposit
- Gau
- Gorgoneion
- Grave deposit
- Hamsa
- Hanging at the door
- Hirz
- Inscribing
- Islamic talismanic craft
- Kamea
- Keris pusaka
- Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls
- Ladanka
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Mezuzah
- Milagro
- Miraculous Medal
- Mjölnir pendant
- Navaratna ring
- Practical Kabbalah
- Qur'an pendant
- St Christopher medal
- Ta'wiz
- Tabiz
- Takrut
- Tama
- Thai wicha
- The crescent
- The cross
- The eye
- The fig fist
- The fish
- The hand
- The horn
- The name
- The number square
- The open palm
- The serpent
- The square hole
- Wearing hidden
Copper and bronze (45)
- Agadez cross
- Anting-anting
- Bagua mirror
- Challenge coin
- Chinese charm coin
- Consecration
- Copper and bronze
- Fascinum
- Folding
- Foundation deposit
- Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft
- Gau
- Gorgoneion
- Holy rider pendant
- Incantation bowl
- Inscribing
- Jimat
- Kamea
- Lamashtu plaque
- Maneki-neko
- Miraculous Medal
- Mjölnir pendant
- Nazar
- Palad khik
- Pazuzu head
- Phra khrueang
- St Christopher medal
- Takrut
- Tama
- Thai wicha
- The bell
- The cross
- The fish
- The lion
- The mirror
- The number square
- The phallus
- The serpent
- The spiral
- The square hole
- The swastika
- The word that reads both ways
- Toli
- Wearing hidden
- Yantra plate
Gold (44)
- Ankh amulet
- Anting-anting
- Bes amulet
- Bulla
- Chinese charm coin
- Cornicello
- Djed pillar
- Egyptian amulet craft
- Fascinum
- Figa
- Gau
- Gorgoneion
- Grave deposit
- Hamsa
- Heart scarab
- Illa practice
- Inheriting
- Keris pusaka
- Ladanka
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Lunula
- Milagro
- Miraculous Medal
- Navaratna ring
- Pazuzu head
- Qur'an pendant
- Rabbit's foot
- Scarab
- St Christopher medal
- Takrut
- Tama
- Taweret amulet
- Thai wicha
- The beetle
- The crescent
- The cross
- The fig fist
- The hand
- The horn
- The open palm
- The serpent
- The square hole
- The tooth and the claw
- Wedjat eye
Brass (19)
Iron (19)
Lead (17)
A coin (6)
Out of a kiln
Fired clay (33)
- Bes amulet
- Burying
- Buying one in a market
- Consecration
- Cornicello
- Daruma
- Egyptian amulet craft
- Ekeko
- Engimono
- Feeding the charm
- Fired clay
- Foundation deposit
- Gorgoneion
- Hanging at the door
- Horseshoe
- Illa practice
- Incantation bowl
- Lamashtu plaque
- Maneki-neko
- Mezuzah
- Pazuzu head
- Phra khrueang
- Taweret amulet
- Thai wicha
- The eye
- The footprint
- The hand
- The horn
- The lion
- The phallus
- The serpent
- The spiral
- Witch bottle
Glass (28)
- Bagua mirror
- Bakongo nkisi craft
- Burying
- Buying one in a market
- Counting beads
- Egyptian amulet craft
- European folk apotropaic craft
- Evil eye bracelet
- Foundation deposit
- Gorgoneion
- Horseshoe
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Magical gem
- Nazar
- Nkisi
- Pazuzu head
- Scarab
- The beetle
- The eye
- The footprint
- The hand
- The knot
- The lion
- The mirror
- The open palm
- Tyet
- Wedjat eye
- Witch bottle
Faience (14)
Once alive
Bone and ivory (24)
Leather and hide (15)
Hair (8)
Skin (8)
Red coral (7)
Tooth, tusk and claw (6)
Amber (5)
Shell (5)
Cowrie (3)
Written on
Paper (54)
- Anting-anting
- Blessing at a shrine
- Brown Scapular
- Bujeok
- Bujeok craft
- Burning at retirement
- Buying one in a market
- Car saint
- Caul
- Chinese charm coin
- Cloth
- Consecration
- Daruma
- Ekeko
- Engimono
- Exam charm
- Folding
- Four-leaf clover
- Fu talisman
- Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft
- Gau
- Gris-gris
- Hanging at the door
- Herb and root
- Hex sign
- Hirz
- Illa practice
- Ink
- Inscribing
- Islamic talismanic craft
- Jimat
- Kamea
- Ladanka
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Ofuda
- Omamori
- Omikuji
- Ping'an fu
- Practical Kabbalah
- Qur'an pendant
- Renewing yearly
- Sewing in
- Sungkhor
- Ta'wiz
- Tabiz
- Teru teru bōzu
- The name
- The number square
- The swastika
- The word that reads both ways
- Washing off the ink
- Wearing hidden
- West African charm craft
- Yantra plate
Ink (38)
- Blessing at a shrine
- Bujeok
- Bujeok craft
- Coptic cross tattoo
- Daruma
- Engimono
- Ethiopian scroll craft
- Ethiopian talismanic scroll
- Fu talisman
- Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft
- Gris-gris
- Hirz
- Incantation bowl
- Ink
- Islamic talismanic craft
- Jimat
- Kamea
- Lung ta prayer flag
- Mezuzah
- Omikuji
- Ping'an fu
- Practical Kabbalah
- Qur'an pendant
- Sak yant
- Skin
- Sungkhor
- Ta'wiz
- Tabiz
- Takrut
- Talismanic shirt
- Tattooing
- Tefillin
- Teru teru bōzu
- The spiral
- Washing off the ink
- West African charm craft
- Wood
- Yantra plate
Parchment and vellum (14)
Palm leaf (5)
Thread and cloth
Cloth (48)
- Anting-anting
- Bakongo nkisi craft
- Blessing at a shrine
- Brown Scapular
- Bujeok
- Bulla
- Burning at retirement
- Buying one in a market
- Cloth
- Corn dolly
- Engimono
- Ethiopian scroll craft
- Ethiopian talismanic scroll
- European folk apotropaic craft
- Exam charm
- Feeding the charm
- Folding
- Fu talisman
- Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft
- Game-day charm
- Gau
- Gris-gris
- Herb and root
- Ink
- Islamic talismanic craft
- Jimat
- Knotting
- Ladanka
- Lung ta prayer flag
- Nkisi
- Ofuda
- Omamori
- Ongon
- Patuá
- Phone charm
- Ping'an fu
- Senninbari
- Sewing in
- Ta'wiz
- Talismanic shirt
- Teru teru bōzu
- The knot
- The name
- The number square
- The red thread
- The swastika
- Wearing hidden
- West African charm craft
Thread and cord (33)
- Brigid's cross
- Brown Scapular
- Cloth
- Corn dolly
- Counting beads
- Cowrie strand
- Dreamcatcher
- European folk apotropaic craft
- Evil eye bracelet
- Exam charm
- Hagstone
- Knotting
- Ladanka
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Martenitsa
- Nimbu mirchi
- Ojo de venado
- Patuá
- Phone charm
- Practical Kabbalah
- Red string
- Renewing yearly
- Rowan cross
- Seed and nut
- Senninbari
- Sungkhor
- Tabiz
- Takrut
- Taonga Māori
- Teru teru bōzu
- The cross
- The knot
- The red thread
Plant
Wood (53)
- Akua'ba
- Anting-anting
- Bagua mirror
- Bakongo nkisi craft
- Blessing at a shrine
- Brigid's cross
- Brown Scapular
- Burning at retirement
- Concealed shoe
- Consecration
- Counting beads
- Daruma
- Dreamcatcher
- Engimono
- European folk apotropaic craft
- Exam charm
- Feeding the charm
- Fulu — Taoist talismanic craft
- Hanging at the door
- Hei matau
- Hex sign
- Illa practice
- Ink
- Keris pusaka
- Knotting
- Latin American folk Catholic charm practice
- Maneki-neko
- Mezuzah
- Milagro
- Nkisi
- Ofuda
- Omamori
- Ongon
- Palad khik
- Patuá
- Phone charm
- Phra khrueang
- Renewing yearly
- Rowan cross
- Taonga Māori
- Thai wicha
- The cross
- The fig fist
- The footprint
- The knot
- The phallus
- The swastika
- The tooth and the claw
- The word that reads both ways
- Tupilaq
- Washing off the ink
- West African charm craft
- Wood
Herb and root (12)
Seed and nut (8)
Straw (2)
Mineral
Earth and ash (8)
Salt (1)
Made this century
Plastic and resin (11)
Steel (2)
Material keys come from materials.json; the counts come from the records, in matter.json.