An Egyptian rock crystal of a chonky hinpopotamus amulet
(Middle Kingdom, ca. 2050-1650 BCE)
Amulets were worn by ancient Egyptians for their protective and regenative properties. Used in both in daily life and during funerary rites, amulets represented animals, deities, symbols or objects thought to possess the magical powers of warding off evil spirits.
As animals were popular representations, the hippopotamus was known for its apotropaic (e.g. ability to avert bad luck) qualities and was associated with rebirth.
making this response post about my personal warding systems inspired me to describe some methods of warding, especially for those of us with low energy or little time.
i have a more extensive version of this post as an article on my substack.
layered wards are nested within each other; from innermost to outermost, i've organized them as: the body, the bed(room), the home, the property, and spiritual allies.
the body
if your hair is long enough, braiding the hair can be utilized as a potent protective method, to tie up spirits and negative energies within it.
if you regularly wear makeup, it can be incanted over to protect from the evil eye, and/or from negative energy intrusions.
bracelets may be enchanted for protective purposes; traditional protective bracelets include those with blue and red braids, or charms of cross, cornicello, hamsa, nazar, serpent, or phallus.
the lords prayer was traditionally written and stored within the shoe for protection throughout the day.
a stronger protective charm may be created that is not worn every day, such as a SATOR square charm bag, or a jar of iron nails.
the bed(room)
a spell pouch underneath the pillow is a common contemporary spell for aiding sleep, hedgewitchery, and/or psychic dreams.
an open pair of scissors under the bed is a traditional(?) method of deterring nightmares.
witch balls or witch's ladder may be hung in windows to trap spirits attempting to enter.
the home
traditional wards over the home include the horseshoe, bulbs of garlic, witch bottles & balls, prayers & psalms over the house (such as within Carmenica Gadelica), to cross upon the hearth the iron fire-tools, the stuck heart, carving sigils into door frames, floor washes, incense, & crosses.
traditional delineators of home boundaries include go-away powder, salt, cascarilla, graveyard or church dirt. in hoodoo traditions goofer powder may be employed.
the property
a traditional property ward is the hedge or "witch's lump" figure, described by Gemma Gary:
To protect farm land, and all that lies within its boundaries, take small amounts of earth from the north, south, east and west of each piece of land that is to fall under the protection of the charm, remembering to collect also dirt or dust in the same way from each of the farm’s buildings. Mix these small samples together, and work them well into a lump of rough clay (even better if the clay used can be dug from the land to be protected), crafting this into a human but sexless form. As the body is worked, so the Pellar breathes life into it. The figure’s garments must then be set with small panels of broken glass. Once fired, set the figure somewhere within one of the farm’s hedges, so that it may keep a protective watch over the land and all that lies within.
farm-building specific charms can be found in Gemma Gary's texts ("To Protect Farm Buildings and their Contents"), as well as in Carmenica Gadelica.
traditional delineators of property boundaries include buried witch bottles, & protective blackthorn or hawthorn hedges.
spiritual allies
a contemporary method of spiritual allyship for protection is befriending and asking local nature spirits around you for protection (or other petitions) – especially trees, creeks, and birds of prey.
traditionally, specific trees would be planted on the property for this purpose; here is an excerpt from The Black Toad by Gemma Gary:
The Bay is to be planted by thresholds to impart a protective influence upon the home...The climbing Ivy, grown up the walls of the cottage, creates a verdant shell of protection around the home...To impart protections upon the home, the Rowan may be planed near doorways.
other areas you may benefit from warding:
an office or place of work
your name or reputation
vehicles
pets & livestock
gardens
suggested reading:
Simple Methods of Magical Protection by Keziah @sheydmade
Witchcraft 101: Protection Explained by Windvexer @windvexer
Beginner Witch Protection Recommendations by Windvexer @windvexer
Home Protection in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade
Protection Work in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade
Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual by Jason Miller
referenced texts:
Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary
The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic by Gemma Gary
Carmina Gadelica (AKA Charms of the Gaels) by Alexander Carmichael (Accessible via Internet Archive or Internet Sacred Texts Archive)
I made a massive mistake with the rooster and now I’m going to have to adjust every plant I add and copy the mistake onto the other side to keep everything centered and symmetrical. 🤦♀️
I noticed it after it was just too far along to pick out stitches. It would have been such a mess.
Isn't it annoying when you're trying to drink away your feelings after a really intense conversation with your daughter and a pesky deer won't stop bugging you?
Two-sided silver talisman with the face of Terrible Humbaba on one side, and his name in Sumerian cuneiform on the other.
Humbaba / Humwawa is a giant monster made by Utu the sun, and set by the god Enlil to protect the cedar forests where the gods lived. "When he looks at someone, it is the look of death."[Gilgamesh and Huwawa] "Humbaba's roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire! He can hear a hundred leagues away any [rustling?] in his forest! Who would go down into his forest!"[Epic of Gilgamesh]
Some texts describe his face as leonine, others say he is more exotically monstrous. My image is based on photographs clay figurines which were carried for protection.
Each piece is hand-made, cast and finished from a mold which I also made. Each piece is unique, with unique variations in texture and finish, including some small defects which are an inevitable part of the process.
These talismans are NOT consecrated. That is your responsibility.
Bernardino Detti, Madonna of the Pergola (detail), 1523, tempera on panel, 213 × 164 cm. Museo Civico, Pistoia. Photo: Alinari Archives, Florence
This gamut of superstitious
remedies, along with the phallus itself, invokes the eclectic combination of catalysts
in ancient works, as well as the cluster of artifacts (an Agnus Dei pendant, a cross, a
coral branch, an animal tooth, and so on) fastened to apotropaic chains that were
in use in Renaissance Italy
