Talisman

A talisman (Arabic: طلسم‎; tilasim) is an object which is believed to contain certain magical properties which would provide good luck for the possessor and possibly offer protection from evil or harm. The word comes from the Arabic word طلسم (Tilasm), from an alteration of late Greek telesma (τέλεσμα), "completion, religious rite", itself from the word teleō (τελέω) which means "I complete, perform a rite". Amulets and talismans are often considered interchangeable despite their differences. For example, the amulet is an object with natural magical properties, whereas a talisman must be charged with magical powers by a creator; it is this act of consecration or "charging" that gives the talisman its alleged magical powers. The talisman is always made for a definite reason whilst an amulet can be used for generic purposes such as averting evil or attracting good luck.

According to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a magical order active in the United Kingdom during the late-19th and early-20th centuries, a talisman is "a magical figure charged with the force which it is intended to represent. In the construction of a talisman, care should be taken to make it, as far as possible, so to represent the universal forces that it should be in exact harmony with those you wish to attract, and the more exact the symbolism, the easier it is to attract the force."