Devil Chasing Amulets & Holed Coins

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.

We will examine the devil-chasers more closely in a future posting. There is a "coded" message on the cross. Plus, I have to tell you about my trip to the MAC Lab.