Do you
have a witch problem?
Are
demons coming into the yard?
Then you
need a “devil chaser.”
Certain
religious medals – like those of St. Benedict – were popular for this reason.
They were widely used to ward off evil in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
– on both sides of the Atlantic. As such, they were more than just medals of
devotion, but apotropaic amulets.
Many of these
medals were made in Nuremberg (along with jettons and other pieces).
 |
| Here is a St. Benedict "devil-chaser" amulet. The piece was dug in England. This amulet dates to the seventeenth century. |
Today I
show you a St. Benedict amulet from the seventeenth century that was dug in
England. Many similar pieces are listed on the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Nearly a
dozen religious medals have been unearthed at Jamestown – but no devil-chasers.
However, a St. Benedict amulet was found at a Colonial Maryland site dating to
the first half of the eighteenth century.
These
pieces were quietly kept. Held close the to heart for protection from evil.
They were not of the Anglican Church; hence they had to be hidden. Despite
greater religious tolerance in Virginia and Maryland (as compared with Puritan
New England), the use of Old Church icons was discouraged.
This is
one of the reasons why holed coins became so popular in the Elizabethan Age and
later. Holed coins – that is, regal coins of England – could also serve as
protective amulets. Plus, they were more acceptable in the public domain,
particularly if the cross side was not facing outward.
These are
just tidbits from my upcoming book: Bent,
Holed, and Folded.
