Apotropaic is an adjective that means 'intended to ward off evil' or 'averting or combating evil' and commonly refers to objects such as amulets and talismans or other symbols. The word is of Greek origin and literally means 'turning away' which was seen in the apotropaic eye, an exaggerated eye painted on drinking vessels in the 6th century B.C.E. to ward away spirits while drinking. Curiously, eyes were often painted to ward off the evil eye. The word is also used in vampire fiction in reference to symbols such as crucifixes, silver bullets, wild roses and garlic that can ward away or destroy vampires. An amulet from the Black Pullet grimoire An amulet (from Latin amuletum, meaning A means of protection) or a talisman (from Arabic tilasm, ultimately from Greek telesma or from the Greek word talein wich means to initiate into the mysteries. ... John Phillip The Evil Eye (1859), a self-portrait depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gypsy who thinks she is being given the evil eye The evil eye is a widely distributed element of folklore or superstition: a belief that some people, often women seen as witches, can bestow a... This article contains information that has not been verified. ... For the California hardcore punk band see Crucifix (band) A small, handheld crufix. ... The metaphor of the silver bullet applies to any straightforward solution perceived to have extreme effectiveness. ... Species About 100, see text A rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa and the flower of this shrub. ... Garlic (Allium sativum) is a bulbous perennial food plant of the family Alliaceae. ...
Because of the shared meaning, an 'apotropaic amulet' would be redundant, rather a apotropaic symbol can be an amulet.
'Apotropaic' is a word generally used to mean something that ward off demons and other evil spirits, but is often used to describe the various methods of stopping a vampire.
Countering' apotropaics nullify a harmful ability of a vampire by using a natural substance with a similar, more powerful ability (such as drinking a vampire's blood to keep it from drinking yours, or countering the disease-causing stench of a vampire with garlic).
Constricting' apotropaics work by leaving the vampire unable to move, and therefore unable to leave his grave and spread death and destruction.
That first apotropaic name I encountered meant "white hen." The woman who owned it was from Southeast Asia and had siblings (both male and female) with names that meant such things as "fl hen," "hippopotamus," "garlic," and "red fruit." (Some siblings were luckier than others, I'd say.)
She explained that several of her older siblings had died very young, and that her parents, after enduring these losses, decided to give the rest of their children apotropaic names in order to prevent them from encountering the same fate.
The practice of giving apotropaic names is mostly found in areas of Africa and Asia.
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