Fed by Birds

The Lovett Collection of Superstitions at the Cuming Museum is a set of charms from London donated by Edward Lovett in 1916. There's a brass acorn, above, used to protect against lightning; a soldier's charm used to ward off the evil eye:

various objects to cure ailments, like a horseshoe to keep away nightmares, a bag with a child's caul used to protect against drowning:

a necklace of acorns worn for diarrhoea; bread and hair given to a dog to cure a child's whooping cough; a catskin for rheumatism:

and a mandrake root said to have curative powers:

What's most surprising is how recent all these medieval-seeming curios are - but then there's a shop in Brixton Market that sells lucky charms that look just like this one to protect sailors from drowning to this day: