Talismans (examples) ?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
I would like to hear of some examples of talismans used in stories-- especially talismans that are not so obvious, but also the obvious ones (trust me, this noob needs obvious, LOL). Read about this in the book Power Screenwriting just the other day. Talismans help the protagonist achieve their goal, etc.

Last night I watched the movie Venom (the newer release), had a classic example, voodoo priestess snake head charm, used to partially repel the bad buy by the hero during the climax fight scene. In The Keep (fantastic movie) there is the obvious magical scepter used by Scott Glenn. Harrison Ford's gun is supposedly a talisman of a sort in the movie Witness. Toto is Dorothy's talisman in Wizard of Oz. Other examples?
 
Anakin's lightsaber, Star Wars Episodes IV-VI

The Glaive, Krull

The charm, Dragonslayer

Bud's wedding ring, The Abyss

Henri Navarre's sword, Ladyhawke

The Letters of Transit, Casablanca - both talisman and macguffin, really...

The potato, Jabberwocky

The knife, The Chronicles of Riddick

The knife, First Blood

Deckard's pistol and the VK machine, Blade Runner

The Bowler's bowling ball, Mystery Men

Josey Wales' pistols, The Outlaw Josey Wales

*edit* It's funny; I have a character I'm working with right now whose identity revolves around a talisman - If you ever meet Briar, keep your eye on the knife. Briar had what they call a difficult childhood; his father was a gambler and a drunk, or maybe it was bad drugs and poor investing...either way, he beat Briar and his mother. She'd take Briar and leave but his father would always find them and the beatings would get worse. One day she gave Briar a knife and told him to go kill his father, which he did - one stroke across the throat while sleeping, nice and clean and easy. And ever after, he's kept that knife on him somewhere. He eats his food with it and shaves with it and when his mother died he used it to cut his hair in mourning. A lot of people have died on that knife. More than you want to know.

Never occurred to me, to think of the knife as a talisman until now.

Extra-special prize for anyone who recognizes the classical basis for the Briar story...
 
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Some may argue this as symbol, but to me the thistle (flower of Scotland) in the movie Braveheart is much more than symbol. BTW, this is a brilliant film, with excellent screenwriting by R. Wallace, that is, if you're into the Hero's Journey/Campbell's Monomyth.
 
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EDIT: SadMax, (I goofed earlier, wrote Kyle instead of Sadmax here) you have me dying of curiosity, but I am about as well read in classic literature as a pet frog. Is your character possible derived from something out of Arabian Nights maybe, a Persian hero with a knife? (ps: Thank you for the great talisman examples)
 
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Randy, what character of mine are you talking about? Eva, in Moon Over Unity, possibly?
 
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Saw Coraline recently. Interesting structure. Very prominent talisman towards the end when Coraline receives a green stone carving that highlights the objects of her desire (multiple macguffins, basically). The carving comes from two washed-out, overweight actresses who grind up aged candy.
 
Amazing how little there is on talismans and storytelling on the web, at least looking at Wikipedia.org and also googling. Glad to see some sort of discussion on talismans here, and some examples.
 
Might be smart to look at some West African cultures. I know talismans are very popular in Nigeria. Although the roots lie in older religious practices, talismans are often absorbed into modern Islamic society as well. I'll see if I can dig up some old notes, but some Nigerians wear huge chains of talismans, each one warding off a different disease or demon.

Unfortunately, people also wear talismans to ward off HIV. Not to mention do other stupid things to try to "cure" or prevent it.

Also, are you talking about traditional talismans (i.e. small amulets or charms, often with special engravings and magical or spiritual meaning) or just generic special tools? I know Vogler talks about special gifts and tools in his book. But, I don't think you'd ever really call a gun or sword a talisman. I mean, look at the etymology:

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=talisman
 
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The author of the book kyle mentioned, Power Screenwriting, has a whole section on talismans in storytelling. That is what got me going on this. That author even brings up examples of talismans in stories, including John Booker's gun in Witness, Dorothy's dog Toto in the Wizard of Oz, etc.
 
I think of "talisman" in less traditional terms when applied to screenwriting.

As Randy pointed out, M. Walker in Power Screenwriting writes a lot about this subject. He makes several good points:

The Talisman...

1. Is a mysterious object usually obtained by the Hero at birth or in early life. The hero clings to it for sentimental reasons but rarely knows of its latent powers.
2. Has an osbcure meaning that reveals itself throughout the world of the journey.
3. Is a physical symbol of the Hero's impending destiny and will reveal its true nature as the Hero advances toward the goal.
4. May temporarily weaken or lose its power at times, signifying a type of momentary derailment of the Hero's journey (e.g. death of Tinker Bell in Peter Pan; or the diminishment of E.T.'s heartlight).
5. Should be drawn to represent the inner most spiritual and psychological essence of the protagonist.
 
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