Agimat

An agimat, intended to be worn with a necklace.

Agimat or bertud or anting-anting, is a Filipino word for amulet or charm.[1] Although stereotyped as a cross, a flat, round or triangular golden pendant accompanying a necklace or a necklace-like item, it is also depicted as an enchanted stone that came from the sky or from the heart of a banana tree. In relation to the latter, it is usually ingested. A small book of magic incantations must be read during Good Friday or a certain special date to attain the amulet's full power and benefit. An agimat could also be in the form of a clothing with magic words printed on it, or even in the form of edible enchanted mud.[citation needed] Most of the amulets bear Latin inscriptions into it, and most of the places these Agimat used to be sold are in the churches courtyard or in the market near the church, like in Quiapo district in Manila.

In Filipino films, the wearer of the agimat gains superhuman strength, heightened senses, self-healing and elemental powers. That it, the person is able to shoot or fire lightning via hands, or generate electricity throughout one's body. The person can also perform telekinesis , stop a live bullet, can have premonitions, morphing abilities, camouflage abilities like a chameleon, can have extreme good luck, or invincibility. In his Filipino films, the actor Ramon Revilla was depicted to have protection from bullets and slash wounds.[citation needed] Former Philippine-President Ferdinand Marcos, was given an anting-anting by Gregorio Aglipay that could make Marcos invisible.[2]

In reality, the closest ability one can gain from an agimat is to have a sense that one's fortune has improved in day to day life or gambling.[citation needed]

Also, the agimat has been featured in one of Lola Basyang's stories, starring a cowardly man who thinks that his love rival has an enchanted agimat that gives him incredible bravery. The man is courting a woman, so he summons a wise man. The coward is instructed but he is purely afraid, so he never gets the agimat.

References

^ "Tagalog-English Dictionary by Leo James English, Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Manila, distributed by National Book Store, 1583 pages, ISBN 971910550X
^ Karnow, Stanley. In Our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines, Ballantine Books, Random House, Inc., March 3, 1990, 536 pages, ISBN 0-345-32816-7