For thousands of years, in every part of the world, mankind has worn talismans and amulets to protect against evil and to bring good luck. Such tokens might invoke the blessings of the gods, avert the evil spirits, or cast a magic spell around the wearer. Highborn and lowborn alike carried amulets as an integral part of daily life. This unusual, abstract charm represents the head of an animal, perhaps a fox or a wolf. It was likely intended to bring the power, the quickness, the grace, of that animal to the wearer. The passage of time has not dimmed its appeal, its aura of mysterious magic.