Noun

(s) (wikipedia talisman)

A magical object worn for protection against ill will, or the supernatural, or to confer the wearer with a boon such as good luck, good health, or power(s).

* 1997 — John Peel, War of the Daleks , ch. 10 p. 233

She kept low, clutching the rifle she'd taken as though it were a magic talisman , as if it would somehow protect her even though she didn't fire it.

* '>citation

* 1916 — Frank Baum, Rinkitink in Oz , ch. 1

I have in my possession three Magic Talismans , which I have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyone else.

Noun

(en noun)

A graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.

*

, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to Dagon, idol of the Philistines.}}

* 1911 (The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God) , :

There's a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Kathmandu, There's a little marble cross below the town; There's a broken-hearted woman tends the grave of Mad Carew, And the Yellow God forever gazes down.

A cultural icon, or especially popular person.