Agimat

Agimat or bertud or anting-anting, is a Filipino word for amulet or charm."Tagalog-English Dictionary by Leo James English, Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Manila, distributed by National Book Store, 1583 pages, ISBN 971910550X] 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. It is usually accompanied by a small book of magic incantations which 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 (in Tagalog, mud is "putik"). Most of the amulets bear Latin inscriptions into it, and most of the places these Agimat are sold near churches or on its courtyard or in the market near the church, like in Quiapo district in Manila. Filipino fighters also wore anting-anting to battle against the Spaniards and the Americans. Filipino hero Macario Sakay wore a vest that has religious images and Latin phrases to protect him from bullets. [cite web|url=http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/online/index.cfm?P=6382|title=Reading 1 - Macario Sakay: Tulisán or Patriot?|last=Flores|first=Paul|date=1996|publisher=The University of Auckland|accessdate=2008-07-24] Former Philippine-President Ferdinand Marcos, was given an "anting-anting" by Gregorio Aglipay that could make Marcos invisible.Karnow, Stanley. "In Our
March 3 1990, 536 pages, ISBN 0-345-32816-7]

Anting-anting is also a Filipino system of magic and sorcery with special use of the above mentioned talismans, amulets and charms. It is part of a wider South-East Asian tradition of tribal jewelry, as "anting" in Malaysian means 'to hang', and "anting-anting" in Javanese means 'ear pendant'. Earliest reports of anting-anting are from the records of Spanish priests in the early colonial period. Pardo de Tavera defines the anting-anting as "an amulet, of super natural power, that saves lives." With the Christianization of the Philippines, anting-anting appropriated the forms of the new religion, and incorporated as well the esoteric symbolisms of Freemasonry. An Islamic version of anting-anting exists in the Southern Muslim islands. [http://www.bakbakan.com/anting.html Galang, Reynaldo S. "Anting anting, the Filipino Warrior's Amulet"] , Bakbakan International, Bakbakan.com (1994, 1997)] In Filipino films, the wearer of the agimat gains superhuman strength, invisibility, heightened senses, self-healing and elemental powers. With it, the person can also be 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, invincibility or miracle curative powers. In his Filipino films, the actor Ramon Revilla, as "Nardong Putik", was depicted to have protection from bullets and slash wounds, provided he eats a certain special mud. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359735/ IMDB Information: "Nardong Putik"] ]

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.

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