Amulets can take all shapes and will have particular relevance of the person who carries one. They are often created in the form of an eye, or made in the shape of a hand, like the Arabia Hand of Fatima, which wards off harm. An amulet has a single purpose and may be worn or carried all the time, or the form may be painted onto items such as boats to draw safe passage and good luck to those who use it.
An example of the charms used in witchcraft are stones with natural holes in them. These perforated flints or fossils are called holy or holey stones and were used to prevent harm from coming to animals. The stones were collected, often from a beach or river bank, and hung on red wool or ribbon over the doors of cattle sheds or stables. This was to stop elves coming and milking the cows, or night hags riding the horses in the hours of darkness. It was supposed that evil forces would be attracted to the holes in the stones and try to get through, and so become trapped. Traditionally, these stones were thrown into running water after seven years so that any harm trapped in them would be washed away, then new stones were found and hung up. Other charms include herbs; mint for money if carried in the purse, sage for wisdom, oak to protect from lightning when put into a small red cloth bag and worn everyday. Some fossils were thought to have magical powers; belemnites were believed to be "elf shot", arrows fired by spirits to make cattle sick, and ammonites were snakes turned to stone by the magic of wizards or Christian saints. Folklore is full of these simples which were carried for protection, to bring health or luck. Charms are always some natural substances, perhaps a strange share, such as four-leaved clovers which bring luck, and pebbles in the shape of an eye, which are thought to be protective.
Talismans are carefully created by the magician or witch for a particular short-term aim. They can be focused on healing a broken leg, for example, or success at a job interview. Ideally they should be made for the person whose life is intended to change. Today they might be made of coloured paper, but in the past they were sometimes made of precious metal, set with jewels, or they could be written in magical ink on parchment, or even on the hand of the sick person, or carved into wood or marked on soft clay and baked. The art of making talismans is extreanky ancient. Some that have been found on archeological digs in Mesopotamia seem to predate writing, and it is possible that the various alphabets developed from the symbols used to request magical help.
the lucky, four-leafed shamrock derives from druidic times and was probably thought to be a lucky find because it is so rape. The normal, three-leafed shamrock represents the Holy Trinity. When St. Patric was bringing Christianity to Ireland, he used a shamrock to illustrate the idea of "three in one."
the umbrella in its present form was prefected by an Italian immigrant to England who lived in Hanway street, just off Tottenham Court Road, in London, and was sick of being drenched by the downpours of the rainy city. Parasols were used before umbrellas to keep the sun off people faces, as it was once considered bad form for a lady to allow her skin to become sunburned. Parasols have been used for centuries in the Orient, and the umbrella is a Hindu mascot that is also venerated as one of the "eight glorious emblems of Buddha" that bring great fortune with them.