Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/475

 Collectanea. 457

(11, IV.) A horn-shaped piece of coral, mounted in silver; Seville.

(12, IV.) A horn-shaped piece of twisted glass, white and yellow, similar to pendants worn in other continental countries, and probably an importation ; Gipsy Settlement, Granada (com- pare Gipsy Amulets).

Lunar Crescents, Boars' Tusks, Crustaceans' Claws.

In some of their protective aspects, these are closely related to horns, but, though formerly much employed against jealousy and the evil eye, they appear now to be obsolete in the Spanish cities ; all of them are, however, contemporary Italian amulets. The lunar crescent occurs variously in the ancient amulets, but by no means so commonly as in contemporary Portuguese charms. That the boar's tusk has been employed until quite recently is evidenced by its fairly frequent occurrence in a used condition, whilst its almost complete absence from the stocks of silversmiths seem to indicate a decay of the belief in its efficacy.

(13, VII.) A human-faced crescent, of brass, with a projection for a strap to pass through ; Granada. Said to be a horse's ornament formerly in use, but now no longer employed. Diligent inquiry amongst the numerous dealers in old harness at Madrid failed to bring any specimens of it to light. It is practically identical with a horse's amulet at present used in Naples.^ A similar crescent was seen at Seville, and another at Madrid ; another, of copper, and differing slightly from the brass ones just described was noted at Madrid.

(14, VII.) A brass crescent with strongly marked horns, enclos- ing a sun (or, possibly, a star) ; Seville. Probably a horse's amulet.

(15, VII.) A thin silver crescent, having a "fig" hand (com- pare Hands) between the horns, and a four-petalled fiowerlike emblem within its body ; Seville. The significance of this emblem was not determmed, but it has possibly some connection with the hand, having, in some instances, been found on the wrists of the " fig " hands in certain Portuguese compound amulets. It may possibly represent a rue-flower, or may be derived from the

^Elworthy, The Evil Eye, Lond., 1895, P- 209.