Salt – The Universal Amulet
Salt is in many regions considered as amulet.
Amulets are objects or ornaments believed to have protective power to safeguard from Demons, evils, diseases, bad luck, misfortune, witches, sorcerers, and from anything harmful of the nature of supernatural power.
Why is salt considered a universal amulet?
Yes, there are many reasons across the world people regard salt as an amulet.
The main reasons are:
- Its purity and whiteness.
- It is linked to life and health as a preservative.
- It works against the nature of demons.
- It repels witches and evil eye.
- It is used as a magical remedy for evil spells.
According to Ozark American lore it is used to detect witches.
They believed that witches can’t eat food when mixed with salt.
In some places, salt is sprinkled on the chairs to detect witches. If a witch is sat on the chair, the salt starts melting and her dress gets stuck to the chair.
In superstitions, spilling, barrowing, and running out of salt is considered bad luck.
Examples:
Spilling salt makes one become weak to devils.
Tossing a pinch of salt with the right hand over the left shoulder may make the bad luck ineffective.
In some traditions, a bewitched person or animal is tested to eat salt-mixed food. If they cannot eat the food, it is believed that they are bewitched by evil power.
The European witch hunting inquisitors wear a disk of blessed wax consisting of salt and blessed herbs consecrated on Palm Sunday.
In olden days, accused witches were tortured by force-feeding them with over-salted food with no water.
For breaking an evil spell, a mixture of salt and urine is heated over fire by reciting a charm.
Blessed salt water is used as holy water in Christianity.
