Every culture on earth contains a hidden part, a part of mystery and above all of magic. It is called in many ways, witchcraft, shamanism, voodoo and many more. In Madagascar it is called the “ody”.
Magic holds a prominent place in Madagascar. The ancestors bequeathed the "Ody": in the form of talismans, to individuals, also called "Sampy" when the magic amulets are intended for social groups.
L’ “Ombiasy” is the healer, the one who knows the use of medicinal plants and the supreme art of divination. It is up to him: "The man of great virtues" to make the charms according to custom. He or she first practices his magic in order to invoke spirits and other magic before passing it on to whom it may concern, the talisman charged with this magic.
This magic can, according to beliefs, take on several aspects but as a general rule, it is intended to protect those who adorn themselves with it.
The "Sikidy" is the art of divination is a prerequisite for the manufacture of talismans and amulets. This practice allows the magician to read the future of an individual or a community, and also to heal its ills. I’ "Ombiasy" places various plant species in a zebu horn. Plant essences which it should be remembered are for the most part endemic to the red island, as are the snakes with a non-lethal bite, but which are nevertheless protected by a magic simulacrum.
The most common forms of these talismans are the zebu horn which will be lined inside with various objects with different symbols, the carved wood in a sheath lined in the same way as the zebu horns and the most common is undoubtedly the necklace to amulet. Plant species can also be contained in crocodile skulls or teeth. To these receptacles are sometimes attached shells, coins, a pair of scissors.
In the opposite, the "Talismans" fight the disease, guarantee the fertility of women, reassure the peasants on the next harvest or the community on the safety of the zebu herd, pledge of power but also protects the thief of zebu from the defenses of the owners courageous or the threat of the pursuers.
In any case, magic is in the daily life of Malagasy people. A large majority of the population still lives in the bush and remains very attached to this ancestral culture of the imaginary and the intangible. Between dream and reality, the Malagasy, at least, the countryside, like to think that supernatural forces make up everyone's life and that to have the favors, you have to have the key.

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