Home › Engraved and Carved Gems as Talismans › Engraved and Carved Gems as Talismans: Italian

Engraved and Carved Gems as Talismans: Italian

A bear, if engraved on an amethyst, has the virtue of putting demons to flight and defends and preserves the wearer from drunkenness. A man in armor, graven on a magnet, or loadstone, has the power to aid in incantations and makes the wearer victorious in war. (Camilli Leonardi, "Speculum Lapidum," Venetia, 1502, ff. lvi-lvii.) An Italian manuscript, dating from the fourteenth century, gives the following talismanic gems:

If thou findest a stone on which is graven or figured a man with a goat's head, whoever wears this stone, with God's help, will have great riches and the love of all men and animals.

If a stone be found on which is graven or figured an armed man or the draped figure of a virgin, bound with laurel and having a laurel branch in her hand, this stone is sacred and frees the wearer from all changes and haps of fortune.

When thou findest a stone on which is graven the figure of a man holding a scythe in his hand, a stone like this imparts strength and power to the wearer. Every day adds to his strength, courage and boldness. Hold dear that stone on which thou shalt find figured or cut the moon or the sun, or both together, for it makes the wearer chaste and guards him from lust.

A jewel to be prized is that stone on which is graven or figured a man with wings having beneath his feet a serpent whose head he holds in his hand. A stone of this kind gives the wearer, by God's help, abundant wealth of knowledge, as well as good health and favor.

Shouldst thou find a stone on which is the figure of a man holding in his right hand a palm branch, this stone, with God's help, renders the wearer victorious in disputes and in battles, and brings him the favor of the great. Finding the stone called jasper, bearing graven or figured a huntsman, a dog, or a stag, the wearer, with God's help, will have the power to heal one possessed of a devil, or who is insane.

A good stone is that one on which thou shalt find graven or figured a serpent with a raven on its tail. Whoever wears this stone will enjoy high station and be much honored; it also protects from the ill-effects of the heat. (From an anonymous Italian treatise in a fourteenth century MS. in the author's collection; fol. 40 verso, 41 recto.) The original meaning of the swastika emblem has been variously explained as a symbol of fire, of the four cardinal points, of water, of the lightning, etc. Still another explanation is given by Hoernes, who inclines to the belief that it is simply a conventionalized representation of the human form, the lower shaft being the two legs joined together, the two horizontal shafts the outstretched arms, and the upper shaft the trunk of the body; the four projections would stand for the feet, the two hands and the head. (Hoernes, "Urgeschichte der bildonden Kunst," Vienna, 1898.) The Egyptian crux ansata, the hieroglyphic symbol for "life," and the Phoenician Tau symbol, the "mark" that was to be stamped upon the foreheads of the faithful in Jerusalem (Ezek. ix, 4), and which in Early Christian art was frequently substituted for the usual cross, are both explained by Hoernes in a similar way, and he notes the fact that the swastika symbol does not appear in Egyptian or Phoenician art, drawing the inference that all three symbols originated in the same form or figure. (Hoernes, Urgeschichte der bildonden Kunst," Vienna, 1898.) To all these symbols were attributed talismanic virtues and they were frequently engraved on precious stones. The so-called "Monogrammatic Cross" was very freely used in work of the fifth century. This is simply a modification of the monogram formed of the first two letters of the name Christ as written in Greek, a device which first appeared after the time of Constantine the Great (d. 337 A.D.). This monogram usually assumed the following form: P*, and the "Monogrammatic Cross" was made by changing the position of the Greek X (chi), and making one of its arms serve as the straight stroke of the P (r), thus giving the following form: P+. A curious amulet to avert the spell of the Evil Eye is an engraved sard showing an eye in the centre, around which are grouped the attributes of the divinities presiding over the days of the week. Sunday, the dies Solis, is represented by a lion; Monday, the dies Lunae, by a stag; Tuesday, the dies Martis, by a scorpion; Wednesday, the dies Mercurii, by a dog; Thursday, the dies Jovis, by a thunderbolt; Friday, the dies Veneris, by a snake; and Saturday, the dies Saturni, by an owl. (King, "The Gnostics and their Remains," London, 1864.) In this way the wearer was protected at all times from the evil influence.