Saed News: The discovery of a magical brooch resembling "praying hands" reveals how people in the Middle Ages blended mystical matters with their religious beliefs.
According to the history section of the Saed News analytical news outlet, quoting Faradeed, a gold ring-shaped brooch featuring a top design of two hands in a praying position was discovered in 2022 by a treasure hunter in Norfolk, England. Historian Helen Geake says the brooch is inscribed with a kind of charm for magical protection. She explains: “It’s extremely difficult to separate ritual practices from magical matters during the period this decorative item was made.”
However, Dr. Geake, who curates Norfolk's archaeological finds, says it is unclear how the letters should be read, making their meaning uncertain. Still, they are likely magical and function as a kind of charm. She adds that for the owner of the magical brooch, understanding the meaning of the engraving probably wasn’t necessary: “We’re the ones trying to decipher it now, but medieval people didn’t need to know what it meant — they were interested in its magical effect.”
The letters are engraved in eight separate sections, divided by two floral reliefs, a clasp, and the pair of hands. Dr. Geake explains: “These tiny hands are placed together in a praying position. The object is made of gold, so it was clearly a luxury item at the time.”
Dr. Geake believes that such medieval brooches offer a small window into the medieval world: “People in the Middle Ages tried to ward off harm and protect themselves from death through magical means.”
