Mention the word witch doctor and you will get a variety of reactions...some will scoff, others will have ears that perk up...still others may become terrified...back in the day, a witch doctor was originally a type of healer...one who treated ailments believed to have been caused by witchcraft...the term witch doctor is sometimes used to refer to healers, particularly in what is referred to by some as third world regions, who use more traditional forms of healing rather than the methods of modern medicine...there are still regions where witch doctors practice their ‘craft’ and their powers are unquestioned...the witch doctor has a vast knowledge of the local plants and herbs and what powers they have and what they can do...the basis of the their practice however is always grounded in the supernatural...divination, a.k.a. fortune telling is sometimes used as a method, and witch doctors will often report of being visited by ancient ancestors or spirits who reveal medicinal recipes or destinies..there are many witch doctors that often use what are called amulets...that is, an object that is typically worn on one's person, and is alleged to have some strange, magical power that can protect its holder...it may be used to either protect them from general harm...or to protect them from some specific harm, perhaps an evil curse that has been put upon them...an amulet was featured in the movie ‘The Mummy’ to supposedly ward off any evil powers that the mummy may have tried to send the unfortunate person’s way...in an episode of The Twilight Zone called ‘The Jungle’, a man and his wife return from Africa and the wife believes in the power of certain things given to her by a local shaman...when the man gets rid of the items, strange and ultimately tragic things occur...a most excellent and chilling episode...amulets are different from talismans in that a talisman may have certain magical powers other than just providing protection.
