#amulet

• Abraxas — A mystical word, symbolic formula, and supreme deity in the cosmology of certain Gnostic sects (especially the followers of Basilides), representing the Supreme Divinity, the Primordial Source, or the ruler of the 365 heavens; (history of religions) a cabalistic word whose Greek letters, when added according to Hellenic numerology (isopsephy), total exactly the value of 365, corresponding to the number of days in a solar year; symbolically represented as a hybrid figure with a rooster's head, a human body, and legs formed by serpents.
• Abraxas — A mystical word, originally used by Gnostic sects (especially Basilides) to designate the supreme deity or the ruler of the 365 heavens, the numerical value of its Greek letters totaling exactly 365; (by extension) an amulet or engraved stone bearing this talismanic emblem depicting a creature with a rooster's head, a human body, and legs made of serpents.
• Amulet — A small object, often engraved, carved, or crafted from precious materials, stones, or metal, to which popular superstition or religious beliefs attribute a magical power to protect the owner against evil spirits, illnesses, and bad luck. It represents an archetypal cult element, used since antiquity as a symbolic shield worn around the neck or kept in living spaces.
• Amulet — A small object (stone, metal, medallion) to which popular belief attributes magical properties of defense against illnesses, evil spirits, or misfortunes. Unlike a talisman, which is considered a magnet for luck and positive energies, the amulet is assigned a predominantly defensive role, functioning as a spiritual shield worn around the neck, on the wrist, or placed inside a dwelling.
• Apotropaic — An object, symbol, ritual, amulet, or magical formula used since ancestral times to repel evil influences, ward off malevolent spirits, and neutralize curses or the evil eye. As an adjective, it describes any decorative or cultural element invested with a symbolic function of divine or magical protection against dark forces.
• Apotropism — The collective system of superstitious practices, magical beliefs, and ritualistic manifestations through which a community or individual attempts to defend themselves against evil spirits, the evil eye, diseases, or destructive supernatural forces. This magical mindset underpins the use of amulets and warding formulas in various archaic or contemporary cultures.
• Carrying strap — A regional phonetic variant for 'baier' or 'baieră'; a strap, string, coarse thread, or leather strip attached to an object (bag, pouch, bell, peasant sandal) used for hanging, carrying, or fastening. In folk beliefs, the term can also denote the string from which amulets or rosaries were hung around the neck for protection against the evil eye.