Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah

by Lionel

  Aconite was frequently used in the magical potions of medieval European witches, and has been employed throughout the world as an arrowhead poison by both soldiers and huntsmen. Its association with lycanthropes of all types — from werewolves to were-bears and leopard-men — may have arisen because of its practical, toxicological use in killing ferocious animals. Conversely, it was also thought to have the power to turn a person into a werewolf.

  Of all the talismans in history — including legend, folklore, and mythology — the magic ring is the one that is most frequently encountered. Sometimes these rings grant the wearer special powers, such as invisibility. At other times, they grant wishes. They are almost invariably benign and beneficial, but they can be merely neutral power sources and their use for good or evil is the choice of the individual who wears them and directs their powers. The symbolism inherent in the circularity of the magic ring makes it a talisman associated with eternity and immortality — the circle has neither beginning nor end. The magic ring of power worn on the finger is in an ideal position to be aimed, or directed, towards a point from which danger is threatening the wearer, or towards a point where the wearer wishes to send help or protection.

  A magic ring.

  In considering the importance of the magic ring as an especially potent and effective talisman, the source of its magical power needs careful investigation and analysis. Some rings began life as perfectly ordinary pieces of jewellery and then became magical in folklore or legend because they were touched by a divine being, a magician, or an enchanter. In Santeria, Voodoo, and similar syncretistic mystery religions, a ring may be regarded as magical and a powerful talisman because an Orisha or a Loa has possessed it or influenced it in some way — or because it is made of a metal that is associated with a particular Orisha or Loa. In this context, the ring may have a gem set in it, and it is this particular gemstone that is associated with the Loa or Orisha from whom the talisman ring derives its potency. There are even rings of power that are believed to acquire their strength because a powerful Loa or Orisha deigns to dwell within them at certain times. This may be thought of as a parallel situation to that in which an Orisha or Loa rides, or possesses, one of his or her worshippers.

  The more powerful the deity or demigod associated with the ring — or other talisman — the more powerful that talisman was believed to be. The greatly revered and venerated ibis-headed Thoth, alias Hermes Trismegistus, who might possibly have been one and the same powerful and mysterious being as Melchizedek, the Priest-King of Salem, features in a remarkable talisman, an amulet from the New Kingdom’s eighteenth dynasty that flourished three and a half thousand years ago.

  In Santeria in particular — and in many of the other mysterious syncretistic religions as well — religious signs and symbols serve as amulets and talismans. The cross and crucifix are both prominent in Christian and syncretistic Christian-Yoruban cultures. Statues of saints and angels, of holy men and women, proliferate both in the worshippers’ homes and in their sanctified meeting places.

  A very popular amulet in Bolivia and Argentina represents the god Ekeko, traditional bringer of wealth and good luck. In some ways he resembles a cornucopia personified. He is regarded as a generous god of plenty, but, traditionally, he needs an offering before he will activate his benign, wealth-bringing powers on his worshipper’s behalf. Many of the Ekeko talismans available in Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina have places where a banknote can be clipped. Ekeko also enjoys a cigarette. Many of his statuettes have his small, circular mouth open, ready and just the right size to take a lighted cigarette. In addition to bringing wealth to his followers, Ekeko accepts small offerings of grain in return for which he sends a good harvest. Traditionally, the statuette should be taken home and set in a comfortable place of honour in order to bring Ekeko’s favour on the family. Smaller versions of him can be worn as pendants around the neck or carried on key rings.

  Other talismans are associated with the zodiac and with birth months. Each has its particular jewel, although traditional stone and month associations vary over time and from one location to another. These zodiacal birthstones can be seen as parallels with the gems that are associated with particular Loas and Orishas: January is garnet, February is amethyst, March is aquamarine or bloodstone, April is diamond or sapphire, May is emerald, June is pearl or moonstone, July is ruby, August is carnelian, September is sapphire, October is opal or tourmaline, November is topaz, and December is turquoise.

  Other amulets and talismans can take the form of drawings or special designs. Writing in 1671 in his Traité des Talismans, Pierre de Bresche said:

  A talisman is nothing more than a seal, figure, character, or image of a heavenly omen, a planet, or a constellation. It is impressed, engraved, or carved upon an appropriate stone or upon a metal that corresponds to the planet. The man who carries out this work must have a mind that is settled and fixed upon his task and the culmination of his efforts without being distracted by other unrelated thoughts. His work must be done on the appropriate day and at the precise hour of the planet. It must be carried out in a suitable place, during good, fair, calm weather, and when the planet is in the best astrological aspect that may be in the heavens. This will more strongly attract the proper influences to produce a result when using the talisman depending upon the power of the talisman and on its virtues.

  When considering talismans and amulets as designs, in the sense that Pierre de Bresche explained them centuries ago, it is relevant to examine the idea of today’s sigils and sigil magic. Some of the shapes and patterns found throughout Santeria, Voodoo, Lucumi, and the other syncretistic mystery religions may well be sigilistic in nature. The word sigil comes from an old Latin root sigilum, which has the sense of seal. There is an even more ancient Hebrew word, סגולה, or segulah, that means something that has a powerful spiritual effect. This “something” can be a written or spoken word, a physical object such as the Ark of the Covenant or the mysterious holy stones Urim and Thummim that the ancient Jewish priests knew how to use; it might also be an action that was spiritually effective, such as a priest raising his hands to bless the congregation, or a worshipper making the sign of the cross at an appropriate point in the service.

  When the technicalities of handwriting and typography are analyzed, what is termed a ligature occurs where two, sometimes more, letter forms are joined together to form a single glyph. A relatively modern example can be found in the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA), a forty-four symbol phonetic system designed to help young children to learn to read. Instead of the normal i-n-g to represent the sound of ing as encountered in words such as ring, bring, or thing, the ITA system used . This ITA symbol is a ligature formed from joining n and g.

  Similar things happened in runic scripts many centuries ago and they were then known as bind runes. Rarely found in inscriptions from the period of Viking ascendancy itself, they proliferated in pre-Viking runic inscriptions and during the medieval post-Viking period. Seafaring warriors — no matter how great their skill and courage — would certainly have felt a compelling need for the protection that magical talismans and amulets were believed to provide. If bind runes were rare during the Viking Age, it may have been because the Vikings felt that something stronger than a sign or symbol was needed. Nevertheless, the Vikings and other peoples of their time used the yew-tree rune (Eoh) as a defence against black magic, witchcraft, and evil in general. They also depended upon a non-alphabetical rune resembling the mighty Thor’s battle hammer, which was a talisman that was believed to be particularly effective against thieves.

  There are traditions that some groups of Viking navigators had a form of magnetite, a type of iron oxide (Fe3O4) known as lodestone, which they used both as a navigational aid and as a talisman. There is clear evidence that the Chinese knew about it in the fourth century BC: it is referenced in a book of that period entitled The Book of the Master of Devil Valley. Joseph Needham’s detailed academic treatise Science and Civilisation in China she
ds valuable light on the history of the lodestone. By the middle of the eleventh century, a Chinese mathematician and astronomer named Shen Kua was reporting the use of magnetic compasses, as was his contemporary, Alexander Neckham, an English monk, the author of De Utensilibus, which dealt with various instruments and pieces of equipment that he had heard about.

  Modern Santerian amulets and talismans include magnetic hematite bracelets on which are engraved images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Saint Martha, Saint Jude, a guardian angel, and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

  Ancient Egyptians considered amulets and talismans most effective when they were directed towards very specific aims. Many of these Egyptian charms included a representation of an Egyptian god such as Isis, Osiris, or Horus, together with the ankh, the T-shaped stem with an oval top — the key to immortality. Khepri the scarab-god was also a popular amulet in ancient Egyptian times, and his popularity has spread globally in the twenty-first century. Khepri, or a design that looks very much like him, is seen among Santerian talismans and amulets — as well as those associated with the other syncretistic mystery religions.

  Some contemporary Voodoo practitioners and other magicians construct sigils today by choosing words that are associated with power. A combination such as stone, steel, and strength might be selected. The words of these sigils are always represented by capital letters. First, they are written side by side with no spaces, and then letters from the first word that also occur in the second and subsequent words are omitted from those subsequent words: STONESTEELSTRENGTH becomes STONELRGH.

  STONELRGH is the sigil that can be carved on stone or written on parchment or paper and carried as a talisman. The magician’s intention is that it will confer the strength of steel and stone on the person who carries it — usually the magician who constructed it. A similar sigilistic talisman might be intended to endow the user with health, wealth, and knowledge. If the health component is placed first in the sigil, it produces HEALTHWKNODG. The wearer then believes that this talisman will bring protection from illness and injury and will increase his or her riches and wisdom.

  An African amulet from Tanganyika was made from a dog’s gallbladder. This making of amulets and talismans from animal sources was an integral part of the ancient African traditional beliefs that eventually syncretized with Christianity to form Santeria and similar religions. It was thought the power of the animal from whom the talisman was made would be encapsulated inside the talisman and would be available for the protection and success of the talisman wearer. Other biologically based talismans included a baby’s caul and a rabbit’s foot. The rabbit’s foot may have been intended to endow the wearer with the speed of escape and fertility of a rabbit, while the baby’s caul may have been intended to represent a new life, a new start, a renewal of youthful vigour. Yet another biological talisman was a bag manufactured from the skin of a dead crane. This was believed to attract treasure, the symbolism being the powerful flight of the crane and its ability to capture “treasure” — its food — from the water.

  A Chinese variant of this belief involved using a live cricket as a talisman to attract good fortune. The boundary between a pet and a live talisman is not a sharp or distinct one. The medieval European wizard or witch might well grow very fond of a pet goat, toad, or cat, while also valuing it as a familiar and a talisman.

  Talismans also related to varieties of age-old sympathetic magic. Strewing coins on the floor or on a tabletop was though to attract wealth. Scattering rice in a similar way was thought to “attract” more rice in the form of a good harvest. Co-author Lionel’s grandmother, a village blacksmith’s daughter born in the late nineteenth century, would always try to leave one last coin in her purse “to attract some more.”

  There is a sense in which the Jewish prayer shawl known as a tallis (plural talleisim) can be regarded as a talisman in the broadest sense of the word. There is certainly strong similarity in the name. The tallis reminds the wearer of the eternal presence of God, and that as a faithful worshipper he or she is under God’s protection.

  An interesting and sophisticated Jewish talisman is referred to as the kimiyah, or “angelic text.” The names of angels, or extracts from the Torah, are written by rabbinic scribes on parchment squares — the shape is important. These texts are then encased in silver and worn as jewellery.

  Geometrical shapes and designs of all kinds have been incorporated into amulets and talismans for many centuries. The regular polygons — beginning with the equilateral triangle — have been particularly favoured, and have found places in Santeria and the other syncretistic mystery religions. The triangle reminds the wearer that he or she is protected by God the Three-in-One: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also represents the threefold creation — Heaven, Earth, and Hell. The triangle talisman is also seen as representing the three dimensions of normal, physical space in which we live and move and have our being. There are also three concepts of time encompassed by the triangle talisman: past, present, and future. The wearer believes that the triangle protects him or her throughout all three spatial dimensions and within every aspect of time.

  As noted above, squares are also very important shapes when used as the basic design of talismans and amulets. They represent the four cardinal points of the compass, and so are thought to protect the wearer all over the world. The square also represents honesty and integrity — hence the phrase square dealing. It has powerful ancient masonic and proto-masonic connections as well: “being on the square” indicates the highest ethical and moral principles. The four Christian gospels are thought to form the four corners of the talismanic square, and so in some of the syncretistic religions it is believed that the four gospel writers can be identified with four of the wisest, most powerful and benign Orishas or Loas.

  The five-sided regular polygon, the pentagon, and the five-pointed star, the pentagram, are of great importance and significance as talismans and amulets. They are regarded first as protective, and secondly as a means of attracting power, wealth, love, and loyal obedience.

  In addition to the talismans and amulets fastened to the wrist, hung around the neck, or worn as rings or in the ears, there were special types of healing amulets and talismans that could be placed near the sufferer’s bed or dipped in the water in which the infirm person was bathed. Other types were actually eaten as a form of magical medicine. The Voodoo or Santerian healer would inscribe the design of a healing talisman on some suitable foodstuff and feed it to the patient.

  The Bible, or the holy book of some other religion, was often used as a talisman, especially in cases of sickness. A copy would be placed under the patient’s mattress or pillow.

  Another form of applying the talisman or amulet as closely as possible was to have it tattooed into the skin of the believer who sought its protection. Coptic Christians in Egypt used this technique, which is also practised by the Haida peoples of Canada. Where totemism is an important aspect of a religion, and tattooing is practised by that culture, it is not uncommon to find that some tattoos represent the totem of the clan.

  Umbanda, Quimbanda, Santeria, and Voodoo all use drawings as talismans and amulets. These may be pictures of the Orishas and Loas themselves or of specific things that appertain to them or are closely associated with them: rivers, waterfalls, lightning, trees, foodstuffs, gems, or representations of fertility. Colours are very important in these talismanic drawings because of the colours that are associated with particular Orishas and Loas.

  Arguably, certain essences and fragrances have also been regarded as being very similar to talismans or amulets by their users. Garlic, for example, has long been used as a protection against vampires. The fragrance of incense has been thought to attract the favourable attention of saints, angels, Orishas, and Loas.

  Soldiers have been known to wear amulets and talismans with an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the slogan détente bala, which is a literal order to the bullet to stop. The St. Christopher medallion is carried by many traditional Chr
istians as an invocation to St. Christopher to protect them while travelling. The contradictory background legends of St. Christopher are particularly relevant to a study of the processes by which religions sometimes unite and syncretize, and of the opposite processes by which they separate and differ.

  The Roman Catholic background to St. Christopher makes him out to be a Roman of huge build — a giant as big as the biblical Goliath. In this version he was originally named Reprobus and converted to Christianity. A second Catholic source calls him Offero and locates him in what was originally Canaan — indirectly implying that he might have been one of the later descendants of Goliath. In either version, the giant consults a wise old Christian hermit and asks how he can serve Jesus. The hermit recommends going to a river crossing where the stream is fast-flowing and dangerous, and offering to help travellers to ford it safely. He took the hermit’s counsel and began to help people across by carrying them on his mighty shoulders. One of those who asked for the giant’s help was a small boy, but when Reprobus started to carry him over, he found the weight was greater than that of any other traveller whom he had carried. The child explained to the kind-hearted giant that he was in fact Jesus Christ, and that he himself carried the sins of the whole world — hence the enormous weight that Reprobus was now bearing as well. Jesus then baptized the giant and bestowed on him the new name of Christopher, Greek for Christ-carrier (Christospherein). Just as with the Joseph of Arimathea legend giving the origin of the Glastonbury thorn, Jesus told Christopher to plant his staff in the ground. It grew into a beautiful flowering tree. This miracle led to mass conversions, which infuriated the Roman emperor Traianus Decius (201–251), whose widespread persecutions of the Christians included the martyrdom of Christopher.

  In the Eastern Orthodox account of St. Christopher, he was a gigantic Marmarite from Cyrenaica with the head of a dog instead of the head of a human being. Despite this, he became a Christian, and the accounts converge when he was martyred on the orders of Traianus Decius. However, the miracles that accounted for the vast numbers of conversions attributable to Christopher consisted of his continual defiance of Decius’s attempts to kill him. When the cynocephalic giant finally allowed Decius’s men to martyr him, his corpse was taken to Alexandria by Peter of Attalia.