| Former Visiting Professor Jarvey
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 570
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Braith McCormack
Graduated | 
SPOILER!!: quiet kids Quote:
Originally Posted by Saz Hale  Christmas listened to what her fellow classmates had been saying and most of the things that she had thought about had been said so she waited for the next question to be asked Quote:
Originally Posted by fanficfanatict Amulets? Jeez, what was this? Indiana Jones? Ascanius wasn't prepared without his whip and hat to be talking about amulets...sarcasm. This all sounded ridiculous. And maybe that was because the only thing he really DID know about amulets was the fact that they were seemingly present in each of the Indiana Jones films, but that was off the point.
And he was pretty sure the amulets in those movies weren't Egyptian. Moreso Middle Eastern and there was a monkey involved too.
So he just kept his hand down and judged.
Lots of that. Quote:
Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo After getting a final look at the amulets, Lex took her seat that was of course next to Cassia's because that's the one she'd chosen before and it wouldn't be changing any time soon. The Gryffindor took an extra moment of fidgeting and fussing before she could actually get comfortable enough in her seat to not be bothered by her joints that felt they were stiffening all over again. Maybe she should have asked to be allowed to walk around for a bit? If things got worse, she would.
As for what she knew about amulets and the like...the answer was nothing. Absolutely nothing. She couldn't remember seeing a topic on them in her text but of course that might just have been because she hardly read that thing. Eh, details details.
While she waited for the class to move on she locked on to Botros, her eyes following his every movement. Usually she had to struggle to find a distraction in this class but not this time. No. Not with the now BLONDE Professor standing up there.
Eventually the Prefect was slumped onto her desk giving longing looks to the Professor's hair without even realizing that was what she was doing. Hair wasn't usually an obsession of hers but something was definitely wrong here.
Surely she wasn't the only one that noticed. Quote:
Originally Posted by Squishy Lux honestly had no real knowledge about amulets, so instead of repeating what her fellow students had said or taking a guess, she started taking notes. As far as she saw it, the more she could get down and remember, the easier this class would be for her. History of Magic was not a real problem for her, but Ancient Runes was a lot harder. Curiously, she wondered when that aspect would come into things, but she was still fascinated by learning about ancient amulets. Quote:
Originally Posted by Velvet_Requiem Elisabetta, who up until the time that amulets had been mentioned had been slouched down in her seat, sat up and smiled. She'd always loved amulets; her mother had, in fact, given her one of her old ones, an oval-shaped ruby that had a gold border around it. Elisabetta had tried asking her mother where she'd gotten the amulet, but all Simone Domenici would say was that it had been in her family for years and that it must not leave the family. When the young girl had asked why, Simone had replied peevishly, "Because it has to be that way, now stop asking questions."
Elisabetta had stopped asking any more questions, but her curiosity about the amulet never waned for a moment. She vowed that one day she would discover what it was about it that made it so important, and not even her sometimes-overbearing mother was going to stop her. Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir As was becoming a bit of a recurring theme in History of Magic, Tobias was really quite quiet. Half because he was having a hard time remembering if he'd read anything of value, and half because his oldness was getting the better of him today; Tobias felt sleepy and sluggish and also a little under the weather, and hadn't had the chance to visit the healer or anything. But it was fine, he was used to getting ill all the time. But then there was the fact that his hearing was all but gone in one ear and he had to keep tilting his head so his right (and good) ear was towards whoever was speaking. And even the hearing in that one wasn't great.
It was a shame, really. Because Ancient Runes was a favourite of Tobias, and he didn't want to miss out on a good chance to learn more about it. So he was trying, he really was.
And he was taking notes... or trying. Something about amulets, yeah.
Toby squinted at his parchment and then up around at people answering, trying super hard to hear.
This was getting out of hand. Braith's eyes fell over several of the.. more studious? kids as he called on some of the other students with their hands raised. It didn't really concern him that they didn't have an answer or that most of them weren't even jotting down any notes. Certainly something would filter into their heads. Though he did cast a concerning glance to Miss Cambridge momentarily as she was slumped over her desk. She did not look well at all and he made a mental note to speak with her after class.
SPOILER!!: answers Quote:
Originally Posted by lemon "You can tell what kind of magic is contained in an amulet by loads of different factors. Color, scarcity, material, incantations said over it, stuff people rub on it..." Yeah. Folks were weird. The whole amulet business reminded her quite a lot of Divination, so she wasn't too keen on the voodoo sorts of it. But if it had something to do with runes, Alice was all ears. Braith nodded. “Good, yes, different factors do indeed determine the amulet’s type of magic.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Deezerz Once again, the Slytherin raised her hand. "The Latin word for amulet means 'method of defense,'" she said. "And as it goes, an amulet - Egyptian or not - is believed to protect its owner from disease, misfortune and evil spirits. But it only protects for the 'dangers' they are specifically designed for." Pause. "For example, if I were to have one to ward off disease then it wouldn't work against evil spirits, per se. Amulets can also vary from rings to pendants to even pouches of herbs.” ”Very good,” Braith nodded again. “The magic found in an amulet is very specific.” Quote:
Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88 "Professor an amulet is usually worn by the wearer. Some amulets provided protection for the wearer against certain dangers while others gave the wearer some kind of special characteristic like strength."
Sander paused to read his notes before continuing. "Amulets were usually made into the shape of animals, plants, sacred objects and hieroglyphic symbols. Um....it says here that the effectiveness of the amulet depended a lot on the type of combination of shape, color and type of material used." Sander ended his answer.
He paused for a second before asking one of his own. "Um...Professor, back during those ancient Egyptian times, could anyone make an amulet or could it only be made by the High Priest or Priestess?" ”Amulets are often worn,” Braith told Mr. Strand. “But not always. You are correct to say that specific amulets have specific jobs. Some provide protection, others enhance characteristics. Good.” And to answer his question. “Originally, yes. But eventually that task became more generalized.” Quote:
Originally Posted by Mell ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Michael was sitting in his chair with his head lolling back, his mouth wide open and a very LOUD noise was coming out of the open mouth. He didn't know what suddenly woke him, but his eyes snapped open and he snorted a few times while he managed to focus on the two Professors.
Nothing like a good Nana nap in the middle of the day.
He scratched at his face just as one of the Professor's asked a question and Michael raised his hand slowly in the air. "Some amulets are used for protection and some are used for power. And other things as well but I can't remember them all right now." He scratched at his beard again. "Could probably do with one of those amulets right about now."
Or whatever it was that Botros was using. Hearing a rather loud noise from the side of the room, McCormack gave Mr. Toussaint a very unimpressed look. But luckily the boy became alert again saving the need for a well-placed Aguaneti charm in the boy’s direction to wake him up. “Yes, that’s correct.” Just like he had just confirmed to Mr. Strand. “Perhaps one to help keep those eyes open.” He certainly hoped that wasn’t going to be an issue any longer. Quote:
Originally Posted by Poolicious What do they know about Egyptian amulets?
Hmm..Hand up. "Egyptian amulets were not only worn by the living but it also worn by the dead. They believed that the amulets protected the wearer against specific dangers and others believed it would blessed the wearer with special characteristics, such as strength." He offered. Good for Mr. Messer relaying something specific to ancient Egyptian customs. “Good. Early Egyptians had certain beliefs about the afterlife so amulets were useful to the living as well as the dead.” Quote:
Originally Posted by nanyjj No point debating whether to leave the class or not. Leah raised up her hand and said, "Some people think that amulets bring them luck." Some people. The first year tried hard not to roll her eyes. Close. Braith nodded vaguely. “I think you might be thinking of talismans. They are ore of a superstitious thing associated with luck.” But a lot of people mixed up the two. Quote:
Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Aha. They were amulets. Adi had never bothered with trying to find out what the symbols meant when he played that computer game. Anyway, he now knew what they were. He raised his hand to answer the next question.
"Amulets come in the form of various designs and it is worn by persons to help them be safe from dangers.'' Braith nodded. He was correct though it had been pretty much already said. Quote:
Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 Alex raised her hand, hoping to share her answer before someone else beat her to it. Oops too late. Maybe she could add a little to what was already said. "Some people wore amulets to bring good luck or to help them have a sense of well being. It's kind of like when muggles carry good luck charms like a rabbit's foot or a four leaf clover." Yeah, often mixed-up, but it was easy to do if one didn’t know much about them, he supposed. “Those would be talismans, but yeah more good-luck charms than any magical property.” And they weren’t talking about those. Quote:
Originally Posted by Meizzner "Egyptians wore them because they believed it would magically bestow a particular power or form of protection onto them from a God."
Nigel did watch an muggle movie about Egypt once and it was dreadfully boring. All about sand, sand, and more sand. ”Yes, amulets lent a power or protection, good.” Braith nodded at the prefect. Though not always worn, but he said that earlier. Quote:
Originally Posted by Lady of Light She hesitated for a minute before raising her hand, "Some amulets endow the owner with certain characteristics? Positive or good characteristics, I mean." Yeah.. at least, she guessed. Something was better than nothing, right? ”Certain amulets did, yes.” Braith said, then waited for her to give a specific example. No? Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazinga So when the class started Bart did the squinting thing and he did the best he could to hear, but it really wasn't working well. Fidgeting with a mark on his desk he pushed his finger across it trying to remove it, but it just didn't seem to move. When he finally looked up again the students were discussing something. "Amphibians? What does that have to do with history and runes?" Why were they saying Amphibians?
Then others said about a rabbits foot? "A rabbits foot is not an Amphibian.. You don't wear Amphibians either." A huge confused looked crossed the bearded face of the boy. McCormack gave Mr. Maroon an odd look. What was the boy on about? And he noticed he still had that beard as he wondered if he ever did make it to the healer. “Not amphibians, Mr. Maroon. Amulets.” Keep up. Quote:
Originally Posted by hermionesclone Turning his attention back towards the front, Alec slowly raised his hand in the air. "Erm... amulets can be divided up by type and they'd have different purposes. So... different types of amulets would be placed on different parts of the body to serve their purpose." ... Pause. "The... body of someone who's died. Yeah. That's one way they can be used." Had somebody mentioned this before? Ah, good. Mr. Summers finally had an answer for him and it was informative. “Exactly. For example, there was a certain amulet that if you put it on your foot it would give you speed.” Or on a dead body, though they wouldn’t need that speed in this life anyore. Quote:
Originally Posted by aaetha "Well, amulets are just kind of a fancy word for necklaces." Especially when it was a muggle who was doing the talking, Adrienne thought. "But in the magical world they're also usually imbued with some sort of protective spell or charm or something." She'd heard of amulets with built-in shield spells, ones that could protect you from physical harm, and even ones that did silly things like make you turn orange or give you the illusion of looking like you had cat ears.
As for their usefulness in Ancient Egypt, Adrienne didn't know all that much. After she made sure that nobody was looking at her, she turned her head sideways and slowly opened her History of Magic textbook to the chapter on Egypt, reading a few lines quickly and then then closing it and raising her hand. "In Ancient Egypt, they were often put inside the bandages of a mummy so that when the dead person went on to the afterlife they would have whatever deity with them for protection." ”Some people might use that word in place of necklace, but they would be incorrect,” McCormack said with a shrug. It was often a misnomer that he had heard before so he wasn’t exactly surprised to hear it in class. “But you are correct in your thinking, they are objects infused with a protective magic or charm to enhance a characteristic.” Didn’t always have to be worn though. And the fact about the mummies got a nod as well as she was correct there too. Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Amulets.
Ella listened to her classmates and scribbled things down, wondering what new information she could offer up that hadn't already been said. The trouble was, it was taking her longer and longer lately to recall information and so by the time she felt like she had something insightful to say, it had usually already been brought up by someone else in the room. There was something, though.
"I believe the Egyptians also used amulets in the medicinal field. They'd be used with certain spells and special dressings. Also, I guess the actual parchment the spells were written on could be used as a kind of amulet too." Folded up and kept on the person and...yeah. ”In their healing, yes,” McCormack nodded at the Head Girl. “Maybe a little more primitive than what we use today, but magic and spells are still a part of healing.” Of course she knew that, he was sure. Quote:
Originally Posted by Anna Banana ...and she had just shared what she knew about amulets, but maybe she could come up with something new. "How about," she said, raising her hand, "the fact that the Egyptians also stuffed them in with mummies? They thought it'd give them luck in the afterlife." McCormack nodded at Miss Newell as she provided her answer. “More about protection and great attributes than luck though.” Or else they’d put a talisman in there, though that was also a possibility. Quote:
Originally Posted by Expecto-Penguin What did he know about Amulet's? Kace thought about it and thought of an answer. "Professor did the amulets protect them from evil gods as well as curses and charms?" he asked him unsure if his answer was right. ”They were a protection from evil entities as well, yes,” McCormack nodded at the boy’s answer as well. Quote:
Originally Posted by Grrr..Meow "Err professor.. its supposed to protect the owner from harm and like danger…with its magical properties?" ”That it does,” McCormack smiled at the boy as he provided his contribution. Quote:
Originally Posted by carpediem "Egyptian amulets were worn by both the living and the dead. The ancient Egyptians believed that wearing these amulets led to a safe and productive afterlife." Okay, so that was kind of a textbook answer. Well, it WAS a textbook answer. Really boring. But what could you do. Sometimes those had to happen. And even though that happened, she didn't like it. She liked creative answers. Those were fun and made you sound smart.
Anyway, amulets and protection and dieties, oh my! ”Yes, very good,” McCormack said with a nod. It was a concise answer. Quote:
Originally Posted by ScarletCharm104 "I think amulets usually have one symbol that is a spell or charm? Something magical, at least." OOOH what about hexes! ”They typically do have one or more symbols that contribute to their magical properties.” Though that certainly was not the only contributing factor. Quote:
Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah But, on to the question, because he was getting a bit annoyed. Remembering what Professor Botros had said about the Egyptian runic legacy in their last Ancient Runes class, Cutty's hand went up. "There's a relationship between runic magic and that of amulets. Inscription being the most obvious common factor as it plays a vital role in making both magics work." He kept his tone clear of clippiness, he wasn't, after all annoyed at his professors just the general promise that someone at some point was going to say something ugh! about Egyptian culture or forget to distinguish Ancient from modern. This inevitably happened. Though, it managed to happen less in Ancient Runes as Professor Botros...Where was Professor Bot....
Wayo! McCormack gave an approving nod to Mr. Mordaunt after he was called on and provided his answer. “Very insightful. Amulets and runes are closely related for several reasons, one of which you provided. Thank you for pointing that out.” Made things somewhat more relevant here. Quote:
Originally Posted by the fastest seeker She directed her attention back on the Professor and listened to him. Amulets. She knew about them. "An amulet or a charm is a piece of jewelry believed to possess the ability to protect the one wearing it or provide capabilities, luck or even powers," she said upon raising her hand. It somehow resembled the general idea of other's answers. "The Egyptians had various kind of amulets for both the living and the dead believing that the amulets still functioned in the afterlife." She added. "Good, Miss Somerlad," McCormack nodded. "Amulets provided the possessor with protection or ability." A lot of people had offered similar contributions, but she was correct. Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin Use the book? Was that allowed? Mo flipped a few pages forward and backwards in search of the bit about amulets, but again... everyone was essentially saying things that were very similar. Mo glanced down at the book, hoping for some tidbit of information that might be useful.
"Professor, I always thought an amulet was specifically like a charm or pendent that you would wear, usually around your neck. Just based on what the book says and what other people are saying, an amulet can really be any object intended to magically protect the holder from harm. That's actually a really broad definition - loads of jewelry could be amulets, but not all amulets are worn as jewelry." McCormack nodded. "Yes, you're right. Amulets encompass a rather broad category of magical objects. Somewhere down the line the word amulet seemed to be used in lieu of a pendant, but that isn't really the case." Though they could be pendants and many of the pretend Muggle ones were.
Once it seemed that everyone who was going to contribute had, McCormack addressed the class again. "So, what do we know about amulets? Let's summarize. Amulets originated in Egypt, though they eventually spread to other nations. They are typically an engraving into rock or gemstone, infused with magic. They are often, but not always worn." Most people are under the impression that they are jewelry but that isn't always the case. "Their purpose is to either protect the possessor from harm or to enhance a specific ability. Another use for amulets, specifically in ancient Egypt, is to use them on dead bodies for use in the afterlife. We won't be worrying about that today." No mummies in sight. That was about the gist of it and most of the students had the basics. He could go a little more in-depth but they really had no time for that with all they had to do today. "What I'd like you to do next before we move into anything else is to pick out a symbol from your book, one that you would use on an amulet if you were to create one. For example, someone pointed out the scarab beetle earlier. This symbolized life and is used for protection. It would also be placed over a mummy's heart, thought to restore it in the afterlife. Draw your symbol in your notes along with its name and its purpose. You'll need this for your homework later." "While you're doing that, I just want to mention something about the amulets that I brought with me today before Professor Botros takes over," he gave a small smile and nod to the other man in the room. He still couldn't get over how great he was looking though he certainly wasn't staring like some of the students. He glanced back at his relics before looking back at the class again. "They all have curses set on them. Nothing that will hurt you if you touch them, but they do bind their magical properties so that they are ineffective and unusable." But hopefully not for long.
OOC - So for this next part, if you could just post your student finding a symbol that they'd use on an amulet and anything about it, they can just jot it down in their notes. A drawing or graphic if you can, if not a detailed description will work just as well.
You can use any resource you'd like here.
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