Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is about Apotropaic Imagery, what it is, and two specific examples that I find to be incredibly powerful! Let’s begin with the definition of Apotropaic from dictionary.com.
APOTROPAIC
[ ap-uh-truh-pey-ik ]
adjective
1. intended to ward off evil.
2. preventing or intended to prevent evil.
I want to give a more specific definition that explains what I consider to be truly Apotropaic. While I totally agree with these two definitions, as they are the basic meaning of Apotropaic, I tend to use a more specific definition in my own usage of the term. I define Apotropaic more specifically to be ‘something intended to ward off or prevent evil or ill will through the usage of the evil itself.’ What I mean by this is that Apotropaic images tend to be the image of the ‘evil’ or ‘ill will’ that it is intended to protect against. This is more clear below, where we will go over my two favorite examples of Apotropaic images. Without further ado, let’s look at them!
MEDUSA
~Medusa is the famed Gorgon and Goddess of Greek mythology whose head was removed from her body by Perseus. After this, Perseus used her decapitated head to turn his grandfather to stone and save his mother. He literally used the image of Medusa to defend and protect, where she had been the ‘evil’ that turned men to stone, she was now the protector defending against the evil-doing of others. Her image was later emblazoned on the Aegis of Athena, so her image is now on Athena’s shield as protection and defense! That is why Medusa’s head is often worn as a necklace for personal protection, or some even tattoo her head on their skin to become a type of permanent personal protection. For example, I have a pendant of her head I bought on my honeymoon. Medusa’s head can also be put on a wall to protect your house. All of these are common examples of the use of Medusa’s image amongst magickal practitioners.
THE EVIL EYE
~Likely the most famous example of an Apotropaic image is the Evil Eye. The Evil Eye is found in one way, shape, or form in basically every culture across the world and throughout time. The Evil Eye can be carried on a keychain, worn as a necklace or bracelet, or hung in the home to be used for personal protection and the protection and defense of the home itself. This is of course another case of the image itself also being the protection from the ‘evil’ or ‘ill will’. I find this to work as a sort of spiritual inoculation or vaccination against the Evil Eye itself! It is believed that when an Evil Eye talisman breaks, it is sure to have done its job, so now it is time to cleanse and then bury the broken pieces of the talisman in reverence for it having protected you. Then you are set to buy another talisman to keep the protection going, like getting another vaccination!
~I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit about Apotropaic imagery, especially about my two favorite Apotropaic images to use for spiritual protection. Do you use Apotropaic imagery for personal spiritual protection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely depiction of the Evil Eye. I found the image on https://aish.com/the-evil-eye-remover/.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/
Further Reading
- Mysteries of the Dark Moon by Demetra George
- Encountering the Dark Goddess by Frances Billinghurst
- Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- https://aish.com/the-evil-eye-remover/