Buzz
Across the ages, humanity has encountered countless inexplicable phenomena. In response, people have turned to charms, totems, and sacred objects as a form of protection against mysterious forces, to strengthen their bond with ancestors, and even to capture vengeful spirits that threaten to invade their homes after dark. The deep trust placed in these fetishes offers a captivating glimpse into our collective fears, beliefs, and understanding of the mysterious forces that shape our world.
10. Kuman Thong
In 2012, a British man was apprehended after a chilling discovery was made during a routine security check. He was caught with six human fetuses, which he had purchased in Thailand. His plan was to transport them to Taiwan with the intent to sell them for a significant profit.
The high demand and substantial price tag of these fetuses stem from their association with the kuman thong, meaning 'golden child.' These effigies, amulets, or fetishes are believed to house the spirit of a child that will guard a home against malevolent forces. Some of the oldest texts describing the creation of these totems mention rituals performed in a graveyard before dawn, culminating in the covering of the roasted remains of a baby in gold leaf. (The kuman thong pictured here is not authentic.)
Interestingly, this custom originates from a work of fiction. The 19th-century tale of Khun Phaen narrates the story of a man who marries a sorcerer's daughter. After a falling out with his father-in-law, Khun Phaen discovers that his pregnant wife has sided with her father and intends to poison him. In a fit of rage, he removes the baby from her womb, roasts it over a temple fire, and learns that he can communicate with the child's spirit.
Today, most kuman thong figures are crafted from wood, but even these have a sinister origin. Since the power of the kuman thong is said to derive from violence, the preferred material for carving is wood from a destroyed Buddhist temple. In rarer and more disturbing cases, these figures are made from actual babies. In 2010, a Buddhist monastery was discovered to possess 348 fetuses sourced from abortion clinics. While some prayed for the souls of the deceased, others wondered if the bodies would be turned into kuman thong—roasted, lacquered, and coated in gold leaf.
9. Dogu
The exact purpose of the dogus remains a mystery, but with many found in graves or deliberately shattered, they clearly held deep ritualistic significance for those who crafted them. While some believe these figures are evidence of an ancient alien race, more grounded theories about their origins are equally intriguing.
The earliest dogu date back to Japan's Jomon period, around 12,500–300 BC. These clay figures often depict humans or animals in abstract forms, yet it's usually clear what or whom they represent. Three have been designated as National Treasures of Japan, and approximately 18,000 have been unearthed. The figures vary in size, from 1-meter-tall statues to tiny ones small enough to hold in your hand. Some appear to represent a woman in labor, others have distinct heart-shaped faces, and some even wear masks. This variety makes it difficult to determine their exact purpose. According to the British Museum, it seems each figure may have served its own specific function.
These figures were likely clay representations of spirits venerated by the Jomon people. They may have served as protectors for pregnant women and children or as guides for the deceased on their journey to the afterlife. Many were found broken, a result likely intentional, as part of a ritual. While the true meaning behind the dogus may never be fully understood, their beauty and mystery continue to captivate us.
8. Witches' Ladders
A quick search for witches' ladders will bring up numerous modern-day witches sharing instructions on how to create one. However, historical details are harder to come by. This is likely due to the fact that very few witches' ladders have survived from the time when witchcraft was a capital offense.
The Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford houses one such ladder: a 1.5-meter-long (5 ft) piece of rope with loops at one end and feathers woven throughout. This particular ladder was donated to the museum in 1911, allegedly by the wife of an anthropologist who received it after the passing of a witch from Wellington. According to the note left by the anthropologist’s wife, the ladder was believed to be used for stealing milk from a neighbor’s cow.
The origins of the witches' ladder can be traced back to an article in a folklore journal from 1887. The ladder in question had been discovered about a decade earlier in a witch’s home, and workmen who found it had no trouble identifying it. Local women vaguely mentioned its use for stealing milk, while a Tuscan legend suggested it had darker, more deadly purposes.
Efforts to uncover the true purpose of witches' ladders have led to few answers, met with skepticism and ridicule. Despite a second witches' ladder being found at the museum, there are no other historical records detailing their function. However, they have appeared in fictional works and been embraced by modern pagans.
7. The Kongolese Crucifix
When Christianity arrived in Africa, elements like the crucifix were absorbed into the already rich and diverse local culture. Kongolese artists incorporated the cross into their artwork, but they added distinctive features that transformed its meaning and significance.
The figure on the cross was designed with traditional Kongolese artistic traits, such as prominent, bulging eyes. His legs are merged together, ending in a single, flattened foot, a symbolic feature believed to amplify the spiritual power of the image. Two other figures are often positioned at the top of the cross, watching over Christ and posed in a manner resembling prayer. The Christian cross itself took on an additional role, becoming a powerful talisman thought to intervene on behalf of those who carried it. It was believed to protect the faithful, bringing rain, curing illness, and enhancing fertility.
The Kongo people converted to Christianity in 1491, but their adoption of the faith is believed to have been driven more by political and economic motives than a genuine spiritual transformation. Translations of Christian texts indicate that they maintained some of their traditional beliefs, resulting in a hybrid form of Christianity. This allowed symbols like the crucifix to evolve into not just religious imagery but also powerful spiritual fetishes. The figure on the cross and the nails became closely tied to the concept of another important Kongolese spiritual object, the nkisi.
6. Singiti
These statues, typically representing male figures, were used throughout the Congo to honor revered Hemba tribal elders. Placed in shrines, they were believed to reinforce the bond between the present and the past. Through the singiti, ancestors could influence the lives of their descendants. The singiti also served as a tangible reminder of the impact a family member had on the community, bestowing social standing and authority upon the living.
Singiti statues have a distinct and unmistakably serene appearance. The figures are sculpted with partially closed eyes, exaggerated features, and often with intricately crafted hair—a signature style of the Hemba, first documented by Robert Livingstone.
The singiti are housed in small huts dedicated to them, typically with multiple figures in each shrine. This serves as a reminder that the world of the living, and everything that belongs to the living, is rooted in those who have passed, their deeds, and sacrifices. The tradition of carving the figures with large heads and prominent foreheads is believed to symbolize the vast knowledge held by the ancestors. It is also thought that the spirits of the ancestors reside within the singiti.
5. Gope Boards
Gope (spirit) boards originate from Papua New Guinea. Typically crafted from wood taken from old canoes, these boards were carved with stylized human faces and a circular navel, among other ornamental details. They were believed to house protective spirits, which would enter the board through the carved navel. These sacred boards acted as a physical connection between the past and the present, offering access to nature spirits, ancestral spirits, and other protective entities. When not in use for ceremonies, they would be concealed.
The largest gope boards were traditionally placed to guard important buildings and structures, such as longhouses where they were stored. Smaller gope boards were given to boys who had yet to undergo their rites of passage into manhood. These boards would be hung on the wall above their beds, meant to protect them as they slept and to guide them as they transitioned into adulthood.
The faces carved into the boards were representations of ancestors, believed to watch over and protect their descendants. Each gope board was hand-carved without the use of a template, resulting in highly symmetrical designs. The carving process began with the face and expanded outward. While most boards share similar shapes and patterns, each one is unique. Those without a carved navel were typically intended for sale beyond the community.
4. The Billiken
Some dolls and fetishes don’t require centuries of history to make a nationwide impact. In 1908, Florence Pretz, a Kansas City art teacher, patented her design for a peculiar little figure known as the Billiken. It became an instant sensation, spreading across the country in no time. Advertised as the God of Happiness or the God of Things As They Should Be, the Billiken was introduced through a line of plaster figurines after making its first public appearance in a Canadian magazine. What began as a fairy soon evolved into a god—not a bad transformation.
After Pretz was featured in a magazine spread, dressed in a kimono and lighting incense before one of the Billiken statues, its status as a good luck charm worthy of reverence grew. Pretz also claimed that she had dreamt of the Billiken and the Orient for as long as she could remember, even attributing the inspiration for the figure to a past life spent in Asia. With a bit of help from her marketing team, the Billiken soon became the charm doll of the century.
While the Billiken has faded from the pop culture spotlight, it still has a presence, most famously as the mascot of St. Louis University. The university isn’t entirely sure how the Billiken became associated with them, but they believe it happened around 1910, during the height of what they call “Billikenmania.” One story suggests that the mascot was inspired by a coach who bore an uncanny resemblance to the charm doll, while other accounts claim it came from a supporter named Billy Gunn. Another theory is that the name was coined after coaches were said to have been grinning like the Billiken after a particularly successful practice.
3. Tsantsa
The tsantsa refers to a shrunken head, a practice so startling that we often forget its significance as a powerful totem. Created by the Shuar and Jivaro people of South America, a true tsantsa can be recognized by the unique skin color achieved through the use of charcoal dust, wooden pegs, or vegetable fibers used to sew the lips, and the stitching around the eyes, ears, and neck.
In Shuar belief, there are two types of souls. The arutam soul is the one that prevents complete death while inhabiting a body. Upon death, it gives rise to an immortal being known as the arutam wakani, a phenomenon accompanied by storms or strong winds. A person who possesses an arutam soul can summon an entity called the muisak, a vengeful spirit that may take on a demonic form to avenge the death of the body.
This is where the tradition of creating shrunken heads comes into play. The muisak resides within the person's head, and if the body is left untouched, the muisak is free to travel to other deceased bodies to continue its quest for vengeance. It is believed that it adopts a natural form, often taking the shape of venomous snakes. Deaths caused by snakes (or by falling trees, oddly) are thought to be the work of the demonic muisak. Shrinking the head of a dead person is believed to trap the muisak inside, preventing it from carrying out its revenge.
2. Mbulenga
Mbulenga refers to intricately carved figures that hold a vessel in one hand. These figures are believed to bring good fortune and beauty to the child they guard, with the vessel containing various ingredients that activate the figure's power. Typical offerings include bark from a sacred tree, red feathers from a grey parrot, and hair from a female albino. The figures often sport a spiked headdress designed to hold offerings.
Sacred to the Bens Lulua people, these figures are often adorned with unique patterns that serve additional purposes. The term Bens Lulua encompasses the diverse groups living near the Lulua River. Through a history of migrations, wars, and cultural blending, each group maintains its distinct ethnic identity, reflected in the scarification patterns carved into the mbulenga.
The mbulenga is presented with its first offerings, a mixture of magical ingredients and kaolin, when a child is born. These figures are fed regularly, and it is believed that their power can be enhanced with the application of a blend of oil and red camwood powder.
1. Mossi Dolls
The dolls carried by Mossi women and children in Africa have a unique role. Known as bliga, meaning 'child,' they are carved with intricate details like hair and facial features, and often include scarring patterns that signify a transition into adulthood. These dolls are treated as real babies, carried around, fed, washed, and groomed. Those who interact with the doll treat it like a living child, offering food or small gifts. The doll also undergoes daily child-rearing practices, including the ritual of giving enemas.
As women grow into adulthood, the doll remains with them. The better a woman cares for her doll, the more likely she is to succeed in motherhood. When she has her own children, the first drops of milk are given to the doll, which continues to be carried by the mother before being passed on to younger female relatives. Caring for and respecting the doll is thought to not only ensure fertility but also to aid in ensuring that the newborn’s soul properly unites with its body during childbirth rituals.
A married woman who has not yet conceived may use the doll as a surrogate child, believing it establishes a connection with her ancestors or the kinkirsi. The kinkirsi are sometimes seen as malevolent spirits that must be appeased to receive their protection. They are also believed to bless couples with fertility, especially when it comes to the birth of twins. While this practice was used as a last resort due to the stigma surrounding twins, multiple births have historically been seen as more common in animals than humans.
