Amulets and talismans - theories

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 10774

I’ve been reading an interesting book on magic in the Middle Ages (oh dear, it's part of the obsession, isn't it?), and it’s thrown up a few things I didn’t ‘know,’ although I imagine many people on this list could recite all this stuff back to front… 

(1) SORCERY: Although modern usage of the word has a more generalised association, in the Middle Ages, sorcery was regarded as an exclusively negative use of magic.  White (helpful) magic included medical or protective magic, whereas sorcery described only Black (harmful) magic.  This places an interesting slant on the renaming of The Philosopher’s Stone as The Sorcerer’s Stone.  I imagine Scholastic used Fantasia’s Mickey-Mouse-Sorcerer’s-Apprentice as a reference point than dry textbooks on Medieval magic <g>.

(2) FORMS OF MAGIC:  Charms and Potions were (and still are) common forms of magical practice in witchcraft, but so were talismans and amulets.  Obviously, JKR chose to give Charms and Potions Hogwarts classes in their own right, but, so far, there are hardly any references to talismans and amulets in the books.  In fact, I could only find two, both in CoS: 

“Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked.” 

““. . . I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once ......”

**Amulets were protective devices with a strong psychological element.  These often consisted of bunches of herbs, animal parts, or, if you had the dosh, gemstones [interesting that JKR includes items of vegetable, mineral and animal origin in her list, above], which were carried on the person.  In modern times, the vestiges of such things in mainstream society are objects such as rabbits’ feet and sprigs of heather used as “lucky charms”.   Of course, if you’re a really trendy New Ager, you might favour a nice crystal round your neck, rather than a rotting rabbit’s appendage. 

**Talismans are also protective devices, and usually consist of words or letters written on a piece of paper, which would also be carried around to ward off evil.  Historically, these often had religious content and the letters were invariably arranged in squares, crosses, anagrams or other shapes, but sometimes were just phrases or nonsensical groups of words.

This definition of talismans raises the possibility that the letter Dumbledore left with Harry at the start of PS was not just a letter, but a talisman, which is responsible for the protective magic cast over 4 Privet Drive.  There is a reference to “old magic,” or somesuch, which would fit with this type of Medieval practice.  Perhaps there was some sort of protective code in the wording of the letter?

The backwards inscription on the Mirror of Erised is also strongly suggestive of a talisman (not one you could carry unnoticed on your person, of course… unless you were Hagrid), and the mirror is a form of crystal or scrying device.  Hmmmm.  How could this be protective?  

Was the protection Lily gave to Harry a talisman or amulet of some sort?  Perhaps not in the sense I’ve described above, but analogous to it?  His scar? (Remember Dumbledore has a complex scar - could Harry's scar represent something more than a simple lightning bolt?)

The protective/preventive (as opposed to curative, active) nature of talismans and amulets leads me to conclude that they would be covered in Herbology, DADA, History of Magic, Study of Ancient Runes et al, and, although Arithmancy suggests numerology, perhaps this mystery subject is also somehow connected with these ancient protective measures. 

Can anyone think of other amulets or talismans mentioned in the books, but not identified as such?

Neil

_____________________________________
Flying-Ford-Anglia

"My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms but 
one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course 
I succeeded in turning her into a yak!  
- Thank you Kwikspell!"

[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]