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Birth tusks (also called magical wands or apotropaic wands [1]) are wands for apotropaic magic (to ward off evil), mainly from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. They are most often made of hippopotamus ivory ( Taweret , represented as a bipedal hippopotamus is the goddess of childbirth and fertility), are inscribed and decorated with a series of ...
Apotropaic magic (from Greek αποτρέπω, apotrépō 'to ward off') or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye.
Such a wand would have been used in rituals associated with birth and were perhaps used to draw a magical circle around the mother and child. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. Faience Amulet of Taweret from the late period of Ancient Egypt. Egyptian Museum (Turin, Italy) Taweret's image served a functional purpose on a variety of objects.
It was called "tears of Isis" in ancient Egypt, and later called "Hera's tears". In ancient Greece it was dedicated to Eos Erigineia. In the early Christian era, folk legend stated that V. officinalis was used to staunch Jesus' wounds after his removal from the cross. It was consequently called "holy herb" or (e.g. in Wales) "Devil's bane".
In Magick (Book 4), Part II (Magick), Aleister Crowley lists the tools required as a magic circle drawn on the ground and inscribed with the names of god, an altar, a wand, cup, sword, and pentacle, to represent his true will, his understanding, his reason, and the lower parts of his being respectively.
For instance, a wand might be used to direct energy during a ritual, while a talisman could serve as a focal point for the thaumaturge's intent. The creation and consecration of these tools are themselves ritualized processes, often requiring specific materials and astrological timing to ensure their effectiveness.
The latest apotropaic wand found belongs to the Second Intermediate Period king Senebkay. [5] It seems that the use of these objects in Egypt declines after this point. The Barsom used by Zoroastrian Magi is a bundle of twigs that was used during religious ceremonies. While the Barsom is not a wand itself, it was also used for divination ...
English: Map of Ancient Egypt, showing the Nile up to the fifth cataract, and major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC). Cairo and Jerusalem are shown as reference cities. Cairo and Jerusalem are shown as reference cities.