Satanism Today - An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore and Popular ...

6 Angel Heart
symbols are widely used on amulets. Eyes protect
against evil spirits and are found on tombs, walls,
utensils, and jewelry. The phallic symbol, often
represented by a horn, also protects against the
evil eye. The hand is an ancient amulet that has
carried forward to the present. Hand gestures have
long been used to ward off the evil eye. Two of the
best known gestures are mano cornuta, “making
horns,” in which the index and little finger are
extended with the other two fingers and the
thumb are folded into the palm; and the mano in
fica or “the fig,” in which the hand is in a fist with
the thumb protruding between the first and
second fingers. The latter is a synonym for the
female genitals. Rock-crystal amulets set in gold of
a hand in the sign of the fig were made in southern
Germany circa 1680. Amulets may be made of
hands in these configurations and are still made
and sold today. In many regions a red coral amulet
depicting the sign of the fig is popular even today
on watch-chains and necklaces.
Knots are another symbol traditionally
believed to dispel the evil eye. Knots have long
been tied in garments to ward off evil and have
carried over into carvings and metalwork. Nurses
used to wear elaborately patterned silver buckles
on their belts to protect against sickness, much of
which was blamed on the evil eye. The elaborate
interlacings and intertwinings of Celtic and Saxon
decorative art probably arose from the notion of
warding off the evil eye also.
Witch balls are bright reflecting balls of glass
that one often sees hanging up in antique shops.
Their purpose was to ward off the evil eye by
reflecting it back to the source. It was believed
that the glass ball would attract to itself all the
influences of ill luck that would otherwise have
fallen upon the household. Early Christians
continued to use many of the amulets of the
ancients. The medieval Catholic Church
promoted the use of numerous holy charms
including rosaries and holy relics. The most
common charm was the Agnus Dei, a small cake
of wax originally made out of Passover candles,
bearing images of the lamb and flag. When
blessed by the pope, the Agnus Dei protected the
wearer against attacks by the Devil, thunder, lightning,
fire, drowning, death in childbirth, and
other dangers. In the seventeenth century,
rosaries were blessed as amulets against fire,
tempest, fever, and evil spirits.
The idea that a charm needed to be consecrated
in order to be effective is behind the belief
that a lucky charm that someone gives one is more
potent than one bought for oneself. The thought
of the goodwill behind the gift has in a sense
consecrated it. Bells have long been used as
amulets to protect children, as well as horses,
camels, cows, asses, and other important animals.
Shopkeepers hung bells over their thresholds to
keep evil spirits from entering their premises.
Plants can also act as amulets. Examples are the
shamrock and garlic. Garlands of garlic worn
around the neck or hung in a house are said to
ward off evil spirits, creatures, and spells. In
Mexico, the ajo macho is a huge garlic, sometimes
as big as a baseball, used exclusively as an amulet
against evil in general, but not against specific
curses. According to custom, the ajo macho will
work only if it is given as a gift, not if it is bought.
In ancient Greece and Rome, garlic was placed at
crossroads as an offering to Hecate, the goddess of
witchcraft and the night. Odysseus used garlic as
protection against the witchcraft of Circe, who
turned his men into swine. Garlic, of course, is
also used to ward off vampires.
For Further Reading:
Lockhart, J. G. Curses, Lucks, and Talismans. Detroit,
MI: Single Tree Press, 1971.
RavenWolf, Silver. To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New
Generation Witchcraft. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn,
1996.
Angel Heart
William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Falling Angel
inspired the 1987 film Angel Heart. Violence and
religion intertwine with diabolical scenes of
voodoo ceremonies, grizzly murders, and hallucinations
of bloody horror for the protagonist—
and for the imaginations of the audience
members who are able to sit through this film.
Robert De Niro stars in the part of Lou Cyphre,
who hires detective Harry Angel (played by
Mickey Rourke), to find a famous singer named
Johnny Favorite who mysteriously disappeared