Glossary Religion and cult
Apotropaic
Meant to turn away evil or harm; said of amulets, images and signs thought to protect the person who wore or owned them.
The word is applied to many Cypriot objects whose purpose is otherwise unknown, so it should be read as an interpretation. The amulets worn by temple boys (pendants, small masks, crescents) are widely read as protective charms for children at a vulnerable age. Some scholars see the Chalcolithic cruciform figurines as apotropaic, and images of the Egyptian god Bes, a protector of households and childbirth, served a similar purpose.