Apotropaic magic

Apotropaic magic also known as protection magic, is a type of magic that's used to keep away any harmful or evil influences. This type of magic has been practiced in many different ways over the centuries and may have been used out of superstition, tradition or as a gesture.

Types of apotropaic magic include

• Sigils

• Charm bags 

• Hand gestures

• Kitchen magic

• Talismans

• charms

Protection Charm

A protection Charm is normally something physical such as jewellery or crystals, though it can also be something such as a sigil or a spoken chant. Examples of this include 

• Abracadabra Charm

• Charm square

• Sator square

• Rowan cross

Sator square 

This is a word square, also called a palindrome, where the words in the square can be read forwards and backwards. The earliest known example of this dates back to about 79AD it was discovered on a pillar in Pompeii, there are also other examples across the world. These are often found carved Into walls or written as a charm.

Meaning - 

Sator - the of the name for the Roman god Jupiter 

Arepo - means I crawl to

Tenet - means he holds

Opera - means endeavours or achievement

Rotas - means wheel or fortune, the cycle of life.

Daisy Wheels

Also known as hexafoils these are a very common protection symbol that can be found in medieval buildings, normally in doorways, windows, fireplaces and walls, they've been found in buildings as recent as the 19th century. It is believed that the wheel turned away the evil eye which meant the building was protected from witches and evil spirits.

Worn shoes

Also called concealed shoes, this was a practice where shoes were stuffed and hidden into the wall cavities and chimneys of homes. They were believed to be effective decoys for witches and evil spirits, as they would think the shoes were attached to an actual person and attack that instead which would result in them becoming trapped inside.

The Auseklis Cross 

This is more commonly found in Eastern Europe but there have been some examples found in the UK, it's seen as a symbol associated with the sky,  the stars and night time. It's considered to be one of the most powerful symbols to drive away evil spirits.

Burn marks

At first, it was believed that these may have been created by accident, however, it now seems that some were possibly created on purpose, probably as a form of protection against fire. They can be found in many buildings that date back to the 16th century and are normally found on timbers in the roof, doorways and fireplaces.