Talismans & Amulets

By H. Felicitas Nelson and Felicitas H. Nelson

Book Overview

Since the beginning of time, people have seized upon "magical" objects to guard against danger, assure good luck, and gather strength along life's journey. Amulets and talismans still possess this power--and this fascinating reference showcases ancient and revered examples from cultures throughout the world. They come from the goddesses of antiquity, Egypt, the I-Ching, Chinese zodiac, Celts, runes, and medieval Europe. Each symbol serves a different purpose: Udjat, the Egyptian Horus Eye, is the protective amulet, warding off evil and blindness, while the tai chi encircled by eight trigrams fosters self-knowledge and the Venus talisman enhances attractiveness, harmonizes relationships, and cultivates love.?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402746253
• ISBN13: 9781402746253
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Sterling
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

A WEALTH OF IMAGES

Talismans are objects designed to attract good luck and help you do certain things, while the purpose of amulets is to guard the wearer against outside forces. From the beginning humans have worn objects as protection or to bring about certain events, to obtain strength or to enhance certain mental qualities. Nelson's book presents a huge selection of ancient and modern talismans and amulets drawn from many cultures, and explains how to charge an object with psychic energy. The chapters include: Goddesses of Antiquity, Egypt, I-Ching, The Celts, Runes, The Western Zodiac, The Maya, Totem Spirits and Power Animals. The images of the totems and talismans are provided on the left-hand pages with their explanations on the right. This is a fascinating little book that provides very valuable information in an easy-to-read manner, without ever becoming too esoteric. It will also be of interest to students of esoteric and symbolist art. Black and white photographs and illustrations enliven the text.

nice review of a number of amulets

This book is very simply a review of a number of amulets from various traditions with a little information on their use.

A concise, reader-friendly reference

A good beginner's book that categorizes the pieces under several topics such as culture, system (i.e. Runes, I-Ching, Totem), time period, some gemstones, etcetera.There is an average of two pieces displayed per page, at roughly 2 1/2" each in length, which lets for a good view of details. The depiction's are either scanned (which is nice since one can see how the symbol was actually used), sketched or drawn as line art.On the opposing pages, the history of each piece is concisely explained and is categorized as talisman, amulet or both. And under the talisman or amulet heading (in many cases the symbol falls under both), the author briefly explains what the symbol either draws to or repels from the wearer, respectively.The introduction is only half a page long, which suits this book just fine since its function is that of a reference book as opposed to a scholarly work on the subject. As for appearance, the book is of a compact size and has an appealing layout. And although it is not an all-inclusive work, it does cover a broad, general range of pieces and is very reader-friendly.Finally, me being a sucker for a small hard cover book, I am somewhat disappointed that the book is only available in paperback. Because, it is of my humble opinion that a hard cover would have added "outside charm" to an otherwise five-star content.

pretty Interesting

There is not really much to say about this book, you either liked it or didn't. I think that they did a great job in the descriptions, and orgins.. I think that this book is more for reference though it is great reading, and easy understanding.