An amulet is a protective charm — a small object (stone, metal, bone, fabric, or inscription) crafted, selected, or consecrated to be worn or carried for warding off harm, evil, or misfortune. Its parameters: (1) physical form — portable and worn/carried; (2) function — narrowly protective (warding, not general blessing or luck-attracting); (3) mechanism — believed efficacy derives from material properties, inscribed symbols, or ritual consecration, not from the object's natural qualities alone; (4) persistence — maintained through cultural transmission of protective practices, worn continuously as long as protection is needed. [formal: amuletum | substrate: matter | horizon: a life | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.81]
Accepted ontology entry
amulet
An amulet is a protective charm — a small object (stone, metal, bone, fabric, or inscription) crafted, selected, or consecrated to be worn or carried for warding off harm, evil, or misfortune. Its parameters: (1) physical form — portable a…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made protective charm — a small object crafted, selected, or consecrated to be worn or carried for the purpose of warding off harm, evil, or misfortune. It is a specific type of talisman distinguished by its portable, worn form and its narrowly defined protective function rather than broader symbolic efficacy.
Names and aliases
- amuleten · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrvc4k2a00p02ceiibwbbk07INSTANCE_OF →
Amulet IS a specific kind of talisman — a protective charm worn for warding off harm. Amulet is a specific type of talisman distinguished by its protective purpose. A competent speaker calls an amulet 'a kind of talisman' (Law 9). The note pins INSTANCE_OF sense.
- cmrcno9o500qq13vze37nqzbuSERVES →
Amulets are crafted and maintained for the sake of ritual — they serve as ritual objects within ceremonial practice. The designed purpose is to further ritual's operation: servant (amulet)→master (ritual). This is a teleological claim by sustained cultural practice.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 22, 2026, 12:45 AM UTC
- Content hash
- 0c5d37e9e80d1f283e7455435f3dae339de59c7ea108b5f001adb8afb611290c