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The Charm of the Amulet
By Anita Stratos
Do you believe in amuletic magic? No? Chances are that you do,
without even realizing it. That special T-shirt the you wear
playing basketball to guarantee a win for your team; the lucky
silver dollar you never leave home without – these are modern
examples of the power of the amulet, which can be any object that
you believe carries an aura of magic, or luck, with it. Egyptians
believed so strongly in the healing and protective power of the
amulet that they sought its protection not only during life, but
also in the afterlife, as is evidenced by burials dating back to
pre-dynastic times. In fact, amuletic magic was so important to
the protection of the deceased that either duplicate amulets or
amulets that served the same purpose were sometimes included in
burials so that if the primary amulet didn’t work properly, the
secondary amulet would take over.
Hidden malevolent forces were everywhere in ancient Egypt. They
could take the form of poisonous snakes, scorpions, disease,
floods – almost any natural disaster, illness, or tangible foe.
To combat and protect themselves against these forces, ancient
Egyptians wore amulets, or charms, around their necks, ankles,
wrists, or anywhere else on their bodies. As Egyptians also used
jewelry to draw attention to the more attractive aspects of their
bodies as well as to camouflage less attractive areas, amuletic
jewelry could serve a double purpose.
 In any case, amulets were worn from infancy through death. As
stated in my June 2001 article, Breaking the Color Code,
the gemstones used to create the amulets were as important as the
shapes or images carved upon them. The power of the gem coupled
with the symbolism on the amulet served as powerful protection
against harm and evil both on earth and in the afterlife. In order
to give an amulet its power, it had to be made and dedicated in
strict accordance with the instructions written in the Book of the
Dead. Only then, would the appropriate god’s spirit live within
and energize the amulet. This now sacred object would have to be
treated with respect in order for the god to continue bestowing
his blessings upon the wearer.
 The Scarab amulet was one of several amulets dedicated
to the Sun God Ra, and was one of the most important of over
thirty funerary amulets. The Scarab was a stylized depiction of
the dung beetle, which ancient Egyptians used to illustrate
life-giving powers. The dung beetle was chosen for this honor
because after it laid its egg in animal dung and rolled it into a
ball, it then pushed the ball into the sun so that the sun’s
heat hatched the egg. Thus, the important connection with the
life-giving powers of the sun was recognized. In addition, the
Scarab was known as the "protector of the heart", so
this amulet was placed in the mummy’s heart cavity while a
priest read an appropriate dedication from the Book of the Dead.
During life, Egyptians carried the Scarab amulet to protect their
hearts and give them long lives.
Three of the first Egyptian gods, often referred to as the
Egyptian trinity, were Osiris, Isis, and Horus, and the amulets
associated with them are the Tet, the Buckle of Isis, and the
Uchat, or eye of Horus, respectively. The Tet was used to
cure or protect the wearer against injury to the back in general
and to protect the spine. When used as a royal funerary amulet, it
guaranteed that Osiris’ spirit would accompany the pharaoh’s
soul to the underworld, and he would then be reborn with a strong
spine. The Tet can be recognized in its two forms: That of a 
square column topped by four cross pieces (older version) which
was a stylized symbol of the tree that hid Osiris’ body after it
was retrieved from the Nile; and that of a short "T"
shaped cross, a stylized symbol of a bone from Osiris’ spine.
The Buckle of Isis was a stylized representation of the
genitals of Isis and was always made of red stone. Almost every
woman carried this amulet in order to be granted all of Isis’s
wisdom and knowledge. When Isis was shown clutching the Papyrus
Scepter (described below), the amulet would contain a green stone
and served as a fertility charm.
 The Eye of Horus consisted of an image of either the
left or right eye and eyebrow, along with a stylized beard, the
symbol of divine kingship. This powerful funerary amulet assured
the person that in his next life, he would defeat his enemies just
like Horus triumphed over his uncle Set. Although the Eye of Horus
was originally constructed of many different materials from wood
to gemstones, eventually a latter chapter in the Book of the Dead
stated that it must be made from lapis lazuli.
Papyrus plants grew abundantly in ancient Egypt; therefore,
they symbolized fertility and life. As an amulet, it was called
either the Papyrus Scepter or Papyrus Wand, shaped
like a papyrus shoot, and when used as a funerary amulet, it
assured the deceased of great fertility in the next life.
During the New Kingdom, a funerary amulet called the Collar
of Gold was added to the Book of the Dead. The Collar, a
stunning necklace of which most people have seen illustrations,
was made from small oblong gold plates strung together. In larger,
more ornate pieces usually worn by royalty, there could be several
rows of plates, sometimes alternating between gold and lapis
lazuli. Originally, the Collar’s purpose was to enable the mummy
to break free of his bandages during resurrection, but eventually
its purpose changed to that of protecting the throat from
accidental harm and infection. Perhaps it was because of the
Collar’s beauty that it also became a very popular amulet among
the living.
Not many of the amulets in ancient Egypt were considered as
simply "good luck" charms, but the Nefer, which
was made of gold, promised to bring the deceased boundless
happiness in the afterlife. For the living, it was carried to
assure good luck and happiness, and it became a very popular
amulet. Even as a hieroglyph, the Nefer symbol meant
"joy", and as such, it was incorporated into many girls’
names, i.e. Nefertiti and Nefertari.
During the period of the eleventh to twenty-second dynasties,
some major changes took place in Egypt regarding the standard
traditions of amuletic magic. These changes, brought about by the
Rekh-Khetu, or temple wise men, also changed amuletic traditions
in civilizations all over the world. The first change was that the
lengthy consecration ritual that priests normally performed on
amulets carried by the living was now considered unnecessary.
During the original consecration ritual, the appropriate chapter
from the Book of the Dead was read, but according to this new
decree, the amulet only needed to be inscribed with the chapter
number or the first line of the prayer. However, the original
consecration ritual was still performed on funerary amulets, which
the temple wise men claimed doubled the amulets’ powers.
The next modification in amuletic tradition was the declaration
that a drawing of an amulet or any sacred symbol contained the
identical power as the actual amulet. A very specific procedure
had to be followed in order to accomplish this task, most of which
dealt with the mental and physical purity of the scribe as well as
the purity of the tools he used. There was even a specific formula
created to make the ink used on these drawings, which were done on
papyrus, clay tablets, parchment, and stone. The details of this
entire process were covered in new chapters added to the Book of
the Dead.
With these and other new changes, the purposes fulfilled by
amulets grew, as did the number of amulets. No longer were amulets
simply to protect the deceased and keep the living safe from
illness and accidents, but new amulets were created to fulfill
almost any wish, even for tangible goods.
These are only a few examples of the amulets used in ancient
Egypt. Just as there were many major and minor gods, there were
also quite a few amulets dedicated to each god. Some symbols
differ only subtly; for example, the principal symbol for the
powerful god Ammon was a ram with curved horns, yet the symbol for
the minor god Khnum was a ram with wavy horns. With so many gods
and even more amulets, it’s no wonder that the manufacture of
amulets in ancient Egypt became a major industry.
Amuletic magic and symbolism sheds a good deal of light on the
overall societal beliefs and concepts of ancient Egyptians, and it
is a fascinating part of the culture. So, put down that rabbit’s
foot just long enough to delve a little deeper!
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