Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/484

 464 Collectanea.

to its name, it seems more likely to have derived its name from its supposed virtues and not, as is generally stated, from the traditional manner of its discovery.

(34, VI.) A hunchback, of silver, said to bring good luck ; Seville. This amulet does not appear to be commonly worn; the specimen shown is probably of Italian manufacture.

(35, VI.) A numeral 13, of silver, and evidently of foreign manufacture ; Seville. This was said to be worn to secure good luck ; questioning seemed to bring out the fact that the belief in it, prevalent in Italy, was of recent introduction and by no means general.

(36, VI.) A shark's tooth, mounted in silver; Madrid. A very ancient form of amulet against the evil eye. The purpose of this specimen could not be determined.

(37 and 38, VI.) Two teeth, said to be of the wild boar or of the domestic pig, mounted in silver; Madrid, The purpose of these specimens could not be determined ; in Italy similar ones are used against the evil eye, and to favour the dentition of infants.^

(39, VIL) A wild chestnut, mounted with silver filigree, five small bells, and a chain ; Toledo. Formerly worn by children against the evil eye.

The wild chestnut (Spanish castana sylvestre, a name which, as will be noted, is sometimes applied to the seeds of certain tropical plants, varieties of Mucuna and of Entadd) has an ex- tended reputation in Spain as a safeguard against the evil eye.

The heart, by itself, without the cross and anchor is, contrary to the Italian and Portuguese usage, seldom worn as an amulet in Spain. It was noted only upon some of the jet hands, and there comparatively infrequently.

For other amulets against the evil eye see Amulets for Infants, Shells, Seeds, Gipsy Amulets.

Amulets for Infants. The principal amulets used to avoid the ills accompanying the teething of babies appear to be the small horns of bone or ivory which have been described (see Horns), and necklaces of bone or of amber beads. The bone and

iBellucci, op. cit.. Tablet XII.