Amulets

Sorry about this Roman, with Lily doing all those essays, Gryffindor need to keep up somehow. I shall not rest until we remain victorious!

Amulets

The word amulet comes from the Latin “amuletum”, meaning ‘an object that protects a person from trouble’. An amulet is any object that belongs to someone for the purpose of bringing them luck. Traditional amulets are those that are made from gemstones, coins, statues etc. Amulets are not only used to bring good luck to someone, but also to ward away evil. There’s an example of this in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, when amulets are passed around the school in the hope it will ward away the evil.

As I said before, amulets can be anything and everything that holds special meaning to someone. They could be religious symbols, or even cuddly toys. Every sign of the zodiac has a corresponding gemstone that many people use as amulets. A traditional amulet in China is to capture a cricket alive and keeping it in an osier box. This was said to attract good luck.

Food can also be used as an amulet. In Central Europe, it was believed that garlic kept Vampires away (as well as the crucifix). Other cultural amulets include: the rune Eoh (yew) was used by the ancient Scandinavians, Anglo-Saxons and Germans and the ancient Egyptians used amulets with the figure of the scarab God Khepri.

Something that was once considered an amulet by the ancient Celts, but is now universally acknowledged to be a sign of good luck, is the ever-elusive four-leaved clover. It is interesting that this, a cultural amulet is now used as a universal sign of good luck.

People who own amulets to give them good luck or protect against evil forces truly believe that they will help them in their life. In modern times, students may take their amulet with them to an exam, or dancers to their first show.

It isn’t proven that the amulets do bring good luck, but often people who have taken an amulet to an exam, for example, find that they have passed with good marks. Was this due to the presence of the amulet, or simply because they revised? Perhaps it is the power of suggestion – with the amulet they believe they have good luck and so do well.

Whatever the reason, people all over the world carry amulets and believe in their powers, and they will continue to do so.

Very good Ducky - 50 points.