Apotropaic Ethiopia: Early Examples of Spiritual Protection from Christian Africa
The following website about Apotropaic Ethiopia, is a co-authored project by Vincent Reed and Charles E S Fairey, about Apotropaic Symbols and Protective Devices, as well as Witch Marks, which were found in the early Christian Churches of Ethiopia. It lists each protective device by type, with photographs, interpretation and wider meaning. In some of the examples, UK parallels have been used to compare and contrast, and show us the cultural and international use of symbols to 'ward off evil'. Some, especially the St Andrew's Cross or Saltire, have important historical ramifications about their actual origin, with this type, also being found in Ireland, stretching back to 3,200BC. It shows that this protective device has been used for at least 5,000 years, and is pre-Christian in origin, with artefacts from the Roman period also using this device to protect folk from evil. The examples found in Ethiopia, some of which are also found in Europe and in the UK, also show us the