"Charmless": repost of some short #FlashFiction I wrote in 2016 about a response to an #apotropaic image. Is it as charmless as it's made out to be?

https://zenrinji.wordpress.com/2023/08/23/charmless/

Two-sided .925 sterling silver talisman with the face of Terrible Humbaba on one side, and his epithet in Sumerian cuneiform on the other.

Humbaba / Humwawa is a giant monster made by Utu the sun, and set by the god Enlil to protect the cedar forests where the gods lived. "When he looks at someone, it is the look of death."[Gilgamesh and Huwawa] "Humbaba's roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire! He can hear a hundred leagues away any [rustling?] in his forest! Who would go down into his forest!"[Epic of Gilgamesh]

Some texts describe his face as leonine, others say he is more exotically monstrous. My image is based on photographs clay figurines which were carried for protection.

Each piece is hand-made, cast and finished from a mold which I also made. Each piece is unique, with unique variations in texture and finish, including some small defects which are an inevitable part of the process.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/691330566/humbaba-huwawa-protection-two-sided

#OccultArt #TalismanicJewelry #Witchcraft #Pagan #Jewelry #ArtJewelry #JewelryArt #WitchJewelry #Humbaba #Humbawa #Apotropaic #MagicalJewelry #JewelersOfInstagram

https://ritualprotectionmarks.com/2022/12/23/a-discovery-of-angels-how-an-anglo-saxon-chapel-gave-up-its-secrets/

#apotropaic #histodons #histodon

This naive-looking #Roman face pot fragment doesn't look so innocent up the other way. For the Romans, the phallus was a protective symbol but, like today, it was also used for humour. It's in the Museum of London, which is currently relocating to west Smithfield #apotropaic #phallus #FacePotFriday

From this description, it seems to me that these fish-icons became a type of an #apotropaic #charm with a very specific narrow protective purpose. Which explains the weird medium, which goes against everything that we typically know about icons (normally, artists would try to paint icons on something as permanent as possible, which fish quite obviously is not!)

But these fish were akin to beads and tiny icons people place in their cars these days. Designed for #luck, not necessarily for prayer.

I was initially skeptical of this story, but it proved to be real! At some point (around 18 - early 19 century) in #Ukraine, artists painted #Orthodox #icons on... dried #fish !

How come? TLDR: these icons were used a sort of a very special professional #protective #charm by a particular type of traveling #merchants. For a bit more details (and illustrations), see the thread below 👇

#history #art #magic #apotropaic #iconography #icon

Nice!

RT @priesthousewh@twitter.com

#Museum30 #Hidden has to be our cache of childrens’ shoes discovered hidden round the chimney. Brought to light when the museum was restored, they’re probably #apotropaic, placed there to stop evil spirits entering the house. They’d work in conjunction with our many #witchmarks

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/priesthousewh/status/1589198474507014144