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Talismans
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed permanently in architecture. Talismans are closely linked with amulets, fulfilling many of the same roles, but a key difference is in their form and materiality, with talismans often taking the form of objects (eg., clothing, weaponry, or parchment) which are inscribed with magic texts. Talismans have been used in many civilizations throughout history, with connections to astrological, scientific, and religious practices; but the theory around preparation and use has changed in some cultures with more recent, new age, talismanic theory. Talismans are used for a wide array of functions, such as: the personal protection of the wearer, loved ones or belongings, aiding in fertility, and helping crop production. Etymology The word ''talisman'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a person from trouble". Anything can function as an amulet; items commonly so used include statues, coins, drawings, plant parts, animal parts, and written words. Amulets which are said to derive their extraordinary properties and powers from magic or those which impart luck are typically part of folk religion or paganism, whereas amulets or sacred objects of formalised mainstream religion as in Christianity are believed to have no power of their own without faith in Jesus and being blessed by a clergyman, and they supposedly will also not provide any preternatural benefit to the bearer who does not have an appropriate disposition. Talisman and amulets have interchangeable meaning. Amulets refer to any object which has the power to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigil (magic)
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner's desired outcome. History The use of symbols for magical or cultic purposes has been widespread since at least the Neolithic era. The term ''sigil'' derives from the Latin ''sigillum'' (pl. ''sigilla'' or ''sigils''), meaning "seal." In medieval magic, the term ''sigil'' was commonly used to refer to occult signs which represented various angels and demons which the practitioner might summon. The magical training books called grimoires often listed pages of such sigils. A particularly well-known list is in ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'', in which the sigils of the 72 princes of the hierarchy of hell are given for the magician's use. Such sigils are considered by the gullible to be the equivalent of the true name of the spirit and thus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar ( ar, ذُو ٱلْفَقَار, Ḏū-l-Faqār, ), also spelled ''Zu al-Faqar'', ''Zulfikar'', ''Dhu al-Faqar'', ''Dhulfaqar'' or ''Dhulfiqar'', is the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed with a quote mentioning Zulfiqar, and Middle Eastern swords are at times made with a split tip in reference to the weapon. Name The meaning of the name is uncertain. The word ''ḏhu'' () means "possessor, master", and the idafa construction "possessor of..." is common in Arabic phraseology, such as in '' Dhu al-Qarnayn'', '' Dhu al-Kifl'', '' Dhu al-Qadah'' and '' Dhu al-Hijjah''. The meaning of ''faqār'' (), means "splitter, differentiatior". It is often vocalized as ''fiqār'' instead of ''faqār''; Lane cites authorities preferring ''faqār'' however the vocalization ''fiqār'' still sees more widespread use. The word ''faqār'' has the meaning of "the vertebrae of the back, the bones of the spine, which are set in regular order, one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qizilbash
Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman Shia Islam, Shia militant groups that flourished in Azerbaijan (Iran), Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, the Armenian Highlands, the Caucasus, and Kurdistan from the late 15th century onwards, and contributed to the foundation of the Safavid dynasty of Iran.Roger Savory, Roger M. Savory: "''Kizil-Bash''. In ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Vol. 5, pp. 243–245. Etymology The word Qizilbash derives from Turkish ''Kızılbaş'', meaning "red head". The expression is derived from their distinctive twelve-Gore (segment), gored crimson headwear (''tāj'' or ''tark'' in Persian language, Persian; sometimes specifically titled "Haydar's Crown" / ''Tāj-e Ḥaydar''),''Tāj'', meaning ''crown'' in Persian, is also a term for hats used to delineate one's affiliation to a particular Sufism, Sufi order. ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janissary
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan (1324–1362), during the Viziership of Alaeddin. Janissaries began as elite corps made up through the devşirme system of child levy, by which Christian Albanians, Romanians, Armenians, Bulgarians, Croats, Greeks and Serbs were taken, levied, subjected to circumcision and conversion to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army. They became famed for internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular salaries. Forbidden to marry before the age of 40 or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the Sultan was expected. By the seventeenth century, due to a dramatic increase in the size of the Ottoman standing army, the corps' initially strict recruitment policy was relaxed. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
