Apotropaic

An apotropaic refers to something that can avert or turn away evil. The word apotropaic comes from the Greek meaning turning away. Apotropaic symbols are used to fight off evil spirits. An apotropaic symbol may be a talisman or amulet that is used to keep evil away.

You may be familiar with the apotropaic eye which was a common apotropaic symbol used in the 6th century BC. The apotropaic eye was often painted on objects such as vessels to drive away bad luck and to keep evil spirits from entering the mouth while drinking.

In addition to warding off evil spirits, the apotropaic may be used to bring good luck. Apotropaic symbols have been used throughout history in various cultures and religions. Even today there are many apotropaic items used by people to bring good luck. For example, Catholics use a St. Christopher medal to bring luck while traveling. People use rabbit' s feet and four-leaf clovers as symbols of good luck. It is thought that while carrying these objects the person is able to keep evil away.

In medieval times people used garlic as a way to fend off evil vampires. More recently, gargoyles were used as apotropaic symbols to ward off evil and were placed on the tops of buildings.

Almost anything can serve as an apotropaic symbol for good luck. For instance, baseball players sometimes wear the same socks as they did when they started a winning streak, believing that the socks help bring good luck. Apotropaic can also refer to writings and spoken words as well.

While the modern world is much more sophisticated than it used to be there are still many apotropaic symbols used in our society today. When people say they are superstitious they infer that they use apotropaic symbols to ward off evil.

A talisman is a type of charm or amulet that is thought to have lucky powers and may be able to ward off evil. Talisman charms have been used throughout history. A talisman is used to help people feel more powerful and feel as though they have control over their future. Read more about Talisman at the Talisman page.