Amulets

FROM: The Golden Horde: From the Himalaya to the Mediterranean by Sheila Payne
p. 54 “The symbolism, the women of the Hand Weaving Club of the Goddess has said, related to the peasant's view of their lives - ... - as a cultural space created out of universal chaos, an organized resistance to be guarded from the wandering malevolent spirits of the natural world around them. It was the marginal areas of this existence – fences and gates around homes, thresholds, corners of the frame construction... - that are the most vulnerable...Just as it was humans in transitional states – babies..., brides, fiances, etc... [therefore, thresholds, transitional states, gates + entryways]

FROM: The Golden Horde: From the Himalaya to the Mediterranean by Sheila Payne

p. 207 “Amulets are the refuge of people who have little control over their lives, of people who inhabit a world they believe to be in the power of the spirits, both good and evil.”

p. 251 “And then I saw it...a perfect example of the amulet. Just as it should be, a padded triangle with three tassels. It was made of dirty brown leather thonged together, embroidered in silver with the motif of a crescent moon and the solar symbol of an 8-pointed star, and had a loop to hang it by. The tassels were of twisted wool, the outer ones white, the central ones red. An extract from the Koran was inside, said the museum director...It was for a man. To protect him from illness. Women's amulets, she pointed out, were always hung with gold coins that jingled and so kept the evil spirits away.”

Sheila Paine is a world expert on tribal societies and textiles. Her passion for travel began when she was very young and has taken her across the world, from Africa to Pakistan. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has worked as a professional translator/interpreter in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Her museum-quality collection includes embroidery and amulets and has been staged in numerous exhibitions. She is the author of several acclaimed books, including Embroidery from India and Pakistan, The Linen Goddess, and The Afghan Amulet, and has won travel writing awards from the Independent and the Sunday Times.