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Protective Charm: Difference between revisions
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To say heroes face trials, enemies, and dangers that imperil their lives with alarming frecuency is putting it mildly. Some heroes are hunted even ''before birth'' by proactive villains, and regardless of [[Nice Job Breaking It, Herod|the tendency of such efforts]] to [[Genocide Backfire|backfire]] it behooves the [[Big Good|forces of good]] to take steps to protect the hero. One of the [[Changeling Fantasy|more popular ones]] (along with hiding them at birth [[Muggle Foster Parents|in a common family]]) is to use a Protective Charm on them.
This can be a spell or [[Ancient Artifact]] that acts as a form of [[Supernatural Aid]] that keeps the character safe. It might render them hard to find, naturally [[Holy Burns Evil|harm or repel]] attackers, or cause [[Glamour Failure]] on whoever is using [[Glamour|supernatural]] [[Master of Disguise|disguises.]] Of course, an un-harmable protagonist is too close to being an [[Invincible Hero]], so the charm likely [[Fantastic Fragility|has limitations]] either [[Literal Genie|in the wording]], the method, range, or another part of the protection. One popular limit is it stops working on a [[Dangerous Sixteenth Birthday]]. Likewise, it [[Forced to Watch|may not protect allies]] or actively defeat villains, either.
Worst of all, though, is when their enemy twists the charm against them or even [[No Sell|No Sells]] it. Of course, wily villains may just trick the hero into giving it to them or someone else.
Often [[White Magic]]. Compare [[Kryptonite-Proof Suit]].
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* ''[[Constantine]]''. As Constantine and Chas are about to leave to to rescue Angela, Papa Midnight tries to give them a blessing. Constantine refuses it, while Chas accepts it.
* ''[[The Golden Child]]''. Chandler Jarell buys a necklace which ends up protecting him from a demon wielding the Ajanti Dagger.
* In Barbie of Swan Lake, the Fairy Queen gives Odette an amulet to protect her from harm... ''after'' [[Baleful Polymorph|she's turned into a swan]], unfortunately.
* In the ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' film, Glinda implies that the Ruby Slippers themselves are these. Glinda does kiss Dorothy, but the kiss is not stated to be protective at all.
{{quote|"Remember, never let those Ruby Slippers off your feet for a moment, or you'll be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West." }}
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** Non-detection amulets are eventually issued to almost everyone hunted by magic-users and having a powerful ally -- when everyone and their familiar has a [[Crystal Ball]] it's a no-brainer. Rinda the Scribe was given an artifact (specifically created for her) that prevents location even by gods -- she hides the [[Artifact of Doom|Cyrinishad]]. In ''Finder's Stone'' series all living constructs has even more universal built-in antidivination measures of minor artifact level -- they were supposed to be superpowered assasins, after all.
* In ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' it could be argued that the protection from the Good Witch's kiss is less magically protective in of itself than a matter of not wanting to tick off a powerful witch.
* [[Inheritance Cycle|Eragon]] gives a blessing to a girl, but because [[wikipedia:Characters in the Inheritance Cycle#Elva|he fucks up the words]] it [[Gone Horribly Right|goes Horribly Right]]. ([[Exact Words]] and [[Blessed with Suck]] too):
{{quote|Elva is an orphaned baby Eragon attempts to bless but accidentally curses. As a result, Elva is compelled to protect other people from harm at the cost of her own peace of mind. (Eragon intends to say 'May you be ''shielded'' from harm' but accidentally says 'May you be ''a shield'' from harm'.)}}
* [[Harry Potter]]'s mother's love acts as a charm protecting him from Voldemort (for the first four books, anyway).
** A more universal version would be the ''Protego'' spell, usable by any wizard that knows it, and can block most offensive spells.
* Used often in the ''Got Fangs?'' novels by Katie Maxwell. The main character lives at a [[Dark Is Not Evil|dark (but not evil)]] Circus, where Protective Charms are sold (most of which really do work). Her best friend, a [[Our Vampires Are Different|Moravian]] draws a protective ward across her forehead to keep her safe at one point.
* The can-tah skoldpadda from ''[[The Dark Tower]]'' is a small, turtle figurine that protects the Beam of the Turtle and the Bear. The skoldpadda mesmerizes the people it's shown to, which can make them cooperate with Roland's ka-tet, or it can sometimes cause enemies to briefly stop attacking.
* In Teresa Frohock's ''[[Miserere: An Autumn Tale|Miserere an Autumn Tale]]'', Lucian tells Lindsey that the Psalter is this. She is quite annoyed when he explains he gave her it to focus, and it was actually her own power.
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== Religion ==
* The original Mark of Cain in [[The Bible]] was intended as a protective charm, but it's now considered to be a curse/mark of shame.
** The ''[[SCP Foundation]]'' restores it to its former meaning with [http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-073 SCP-073], Cain, whose mark rebounds all harm onto the would-be attacker.
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[[Category:Ancient Artifact]]
[[Category:Protective Charm]]
[[Category:Magic Items Index]]
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