Amulet of Avalor

"With each deed performed, for better or worse, a power is granted, a blessing or curse."

- Cedric's spellbook about the Amulet of Avalor The Amulet of Avalor is an enchanted necklace that appears in the Disney Junior series Sofia the First, that bestows upon its wearer a power that can be a blessing or curse, depending on either a good or bad deed.

Background
The Amulet of Avalor is an ancient magical necklace that was created centuries ago in the Kingdom of Maru, an ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared before the Kingdom of [|Avalor] was born, with magic from the [Maru|Codex Maru].

The Amulet has the power to reward its bearer with magical powers and abilities for each good deed she or he has done, but it can also curse them if a deed is bad. Also, according to Cinderella, the Amulet connects all of the princesses that ever existed. It became very famous among magical folk and highly coveted by those who knew the truth about it.

Sometime in the past, the Amulet was discovered by the Kingdom of Avalor and became a family heirloom of the Royal Family. Forty-two years before the events of [and the Secret of Avalor|Elena and the Secret of Avalor], [Raul and Queen Lucia|Queen Lucia of Avalor] gave the Amulet to her eldest daughter, [Elena|Princess Elena], on her fifteenth birthday. At that time, it was red, though whether it was forged red remains to be seen. One year later, an evil sorceress named [|Shuriki] invaded Avalor and killed [Raul and Queen Lucia|King Raul and Queen Lucia]. [|Alacazar], Avalor's Royal Wizard used a spell to save the rest of the family. To buy him time on the spell he had to create, Princess Elena tried to stop Shuriki on her own. Shuriki tried to strike Elena down, but the Amulet saved her life at the cost of her freedom by pulling her into it. The process turned the Amulet from red to purple because Elena, while not a sorceress, had blue magic inside her. Alakazar found the Amulet and spirited it away. It eventually left his hands and ended up in the Kingdom of Isleworth and was worn for a time by [Charlotte|Princess Charlotte].

Some time later, the Amulet arrived in [|Enchancia] and became a family heirloom of the Royal Family. It was worn for a time by [Mum|Grand Mum], the Grand Queen of Enchancia until she gave it to her daughter. She told her children, [Roland II|Roland] and [Tilly|Tilly], stories about it. Over time, her son came to dismiss the stories as fairy tales. Tilly, on the other hand, quickly discovered the stories were true and went on to become the first Storykeeper of Enchancia. Some time later, Tilly took it off and the Amulet ended up in the Royal Jewel Room in the castle until Roland gave it to his youngest daughter [the First (character)|Princess Sofia], who also became the current Storykeeper of [Secret Library (location)|the Secret Library] of Enchancia. The amulet was a welcoming gift from  King Roland II  to Sofia. Though he briefly thought about giving her a ruby necklace, he remembered that the amulet was rumored to guide and watch over its wearer, therefore something a new princess would need, and so he chose the amulet for Sofia. The amulet also flashed in reaction to Sofia crying for help when she was lost in the castle, this flash catching Roland's eye.

Sofia's role as the Storykeeper led to her discovering how Princess Elena of Avalor was imprisoned in her Amulet for forty-one years. She set out to free Elena and return her to Avalor to liberate her kingdom. Sofia succeeded in freeing Elena from it at long last. The process turned the amulet from purple to pink, as well as turning the deep blue jewels around it a blue-white. Elena chose Sofia because of her kindness, her natural magical power, and her resemblance to Elena's little sister Isa. Elena used the amulet's magic to create Sofia's first three powers. When she left the amulet, she took the amulet's evil spirit protection charm with her by mistake, which gave her the ability to see spirits. Elena also reveals that she'd been blessing and cursing Sofia to prepare her for the mission to free her. During the mission, Sofia finds she can turn into a mermaid at will, has visions about Elena, then gains the power to turn into animals from the now Elena-less amulet.

When Sofia helped a baby bird back into its nest, reuniting it with its mother, the amulet blessed her with the ability to talk and understand animals. Another ability is granted to Sofia in Sofia the First: The Floating Palace. When Sofia helps a mermaid named Oona out of a fish net, the amulet grants her the power to transform into a mermaid and then back to a human again. Sofia gains her first will-driven ability after helping sprites, the action giving her the power to shrink whenever she wishes. However, it also taught her that with great power comes great responsibility, as the misuse of the power led to it briefly becoming a curse. After that, she has not been blessed by the Amulet since, even though she has done good deeds.

The amulet's curses reflect the bad deeds performed. Such as when Sofia bragged about being chosen to sing the Enchancian Anthem for the year, she started croaking, making her unable to do so. Only by apologizing and making things right can the curses be lifted.

The amulet also earns Sofia two enemies: Cedric the Sorcerer, who wants the amulet so he can use its great magical power to take over the kingdom as King Cedric the Great, and Miss Nettle, who wants to use its power to become the most powerful fairy. Though this rumored great power has not been seen yet, it may emerge as Sofia gains more experience with the amulet's workings. Sofia has gotten used to it being able to summon, so she may find out about its great power soon. Sofia's current four powers have the potential of being used to great ends, though. Sofia is the only bearer so far to not have gotten any powers used mainly for fun from the amulet, while Tilly, via her bouncing shoes, is implied to have gotten the bouncing ability that Cedric briefly unlocks. Sofia's lack of "joke" powers is because Elena chose her to free her, and because Sofia is a sorceress, meaning she can take more serious powers.

Thankfully, however, Sofia promised her new father she would never take it off. The one time she broke her promise, a baby griffin stole it, resulting in her being unable to talk to her closest animal friends until the Amulet was retrieved. Later, when she offered the Amulet to Amber to help remove her butterfly wings, Wormwood stole it until it was retrieved by Amber. By the time Nettle tried to steal it, Sofia had begun to be personally attached to the Amulet due to knowing of its value, half-lying to her by saying that she would not remove it simply out of keeping her promise.

King Roland II then revealed that, according to tales that his mother told him, the Amulet is supposed to protect the one wearing it and that the Amulet chooses it's wearer. In Sofia's case, the Amulet must have recognized her perseverance and kind and caring spirit, traits necessary for wearing such a magical item. The time the Amulet flashed also happened to be the time Sofia was lost and anxious in the castle. Since the Amulet helps princesses in need, it may have sensed her worry and flashed in concern. The Amulet has also become more and more lenient around summoning princesses, going from needing Sofia to cry on it to just needing Sofia to want reassurance of her worries. This points to it being an autonomous, sentient object that is alive and can act and think freely for itself.

Amber steals it from Sofia in The Curse of Princess Ivy, causing the amulet to curse her as punishment for betraying Sofia, making it summon the vengeful and bitter Princess Ivy to punish Amber, and the curse is only removed when Amber puts her own needs aside to protect Sofia.

In "Cedric Be Good", Cedric finally gets a hold of it, but after it keeps putting curses on him, he returns it to Sofia and finally gives up trying to take over Enchancia with it.

In "The Secret Library," it is revealed that Aunt Tilly was the bearer of the amulet before Sofia, though why she took it off and put it in the Royal Jewel Room is unknown. The amulet glows blue for the first time, and guides Sofia to the Secret Library by way of a magical boat ride.

Abilities
So far, the Amulet of Avalor has shown fifteen abilities that have helped Sofia out and taught her very important life lessons.
 * Bearer Selection: It's revealed in "The Amulet of Avalor" that the amulet has the ability to choose its current bearer, which is how it became Sofia's despite the fact that Roland doesn't even know what it is. Elena showed a partiality to bearers who were young magic-users because a young sorceress would be best against Shuriki. However, princesses and queens who aren't magical can wear the amulet, though they can't use it as well as their sorceress counterparts can.


 * Power Granting: When the one wearing the Amulet does a very good deed, the Amulet will bless its wearer with a magical power or ability as a reward. After the power is unlocked, the wearer can use it anytime they want as long as they wear the amulet. In "Cedric Be Good," it is shown that the powers can also be unlocked by magical means such as the Power Plucking potion, but when the powers are unlocked that way they aren't permanent since the power isn't truly earned that way. What powers a bearer gets depends on the bearer's magical prowess and character. So far, Sofia has unlocked five of the powers it can grant its wearer:
 * Animal Communication: The first power the Amulet has given Sofia is the ability to converse with animals. She gained this ability in Once Upon a Princess when she helped a baby bird reunite with its mother. This is Sofia's most used ability.
 * Mermaid Transformation: The second power the Amulet has given Sofia is the ability to transform into a mermaid and back. She gained this ability in The Floating Palace after she helped Oona out of a net. Sofia can use this whenever she puts her bare feet in a body of water and she stops using it after she pulls herself completely out of the water. So far, Sofia has used this ability twice. As Sofia becomes more mature, the power evolves into a will-driven ability that works without the amulet as long as Sofia is in mermaid form, and now when Sofia returns to human form, she will be dry. Before then, Sofia was always wet when she turned back.
 * Shrinking Ability: The third power the Amulet has given Sofia is the ability to shrink to sprite size and back. Sofia gained this ability in "The Littlest Princess" after she helped three wee sprites. This is Sofia's first will-driven ability. So far, she has used it five times.
 * Animal Shape-shifting: Sofia acquired this fourth power after freeing Elena. This is the first power she has received that has not come from Elena, and her third will-driven power now that her mermaid power evolved. It currently only works when Sofia sees an animal, but this may change as Sofia matures. When Sofia uses this power, the animals she becomes have natural pigmentation, unlike when she is transformed by other means, where she turns purple.
 * Invisibility: In "Cedric Be Good", Winifred reveals that the Amulet of Avalor can grant someone the ability to become invisible.
 * Telepathy: In "Cedric be Good", Winifred reveals that the Amulet can grant the ability to read minds.
 * Growing Ability: In "Cedric Be Good", Winifred reveals that the amulet can grant the ability to grow to giant size and back.
 * Supreme Strength: In "Cedric Be Good", Cedric reveals that the amulet can make the wearer as strong as Hercules.
 * Bouncing Ability: The Amulet can give someone the ability to bounce really high.
 * Cryokinesis: The amulet can give someone the ability to fire cryokinetic blasts from their hands that freeze anything they touch.
 * Princess Summoning: When the one wearing the Amulet really needs help, the Amulet summons Disney Princesses to help them out. So far, ten Disney Princesses have appeared to help Sofia and have helped her learn very Important life lessons:
 * Cinderella: She appears in Once Upon a Princess. She taught Sofia the importance of forgiveness and giving second chances.
 * Jasmine: She appears in "Two to Tangu". She helps Sofia and Amber to learn the importance of being able to try new things.
 * Belle: She appears in "The Amulet and the Anthem".  She taught Sofia that actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to setting things right.
 * Ariel: She appears in The Floating Palace. She teaches Sofia that the love of family is held by all walks of life and how it joins people together.
 * Aurora: She appears in "Holiday in Enchancia". She teaches Sofia that she can always turn to her friends for help.
 * Snow White: She appears in "The Enchanted Feast". She taught Sofia to trust her instincts.
 * Mulan: She appears in "Princesses to the Rescue!" She teaches Sofia, Amber, and Jun the importance of being able to commit.
 * Rapunzel: She appears in The Curse of Princess Ivy. She tells Amber what she must do to stop Princess Ivy.
 * Tiana: She appears in "Winter's Gift". She teaches Sofia that true gifts come from the heart.
 * Merida: She appears in "The Secret Library". She teaches Sofia that when you believe in yourself and what you can do, you can accomplish anything.
 * Bearer Summoning:  When someone who had previously worn the Amulet really needs help, the Amulet will teleport the current bearer to them to help them out. Thus far, this has only happened to Sofia once.
 * Sidekick Summoning: When the amulet is temporarily malfunctioning because of Crazy Crystals, it will summon sidekicks instead of princesses. This happened to Sofia once when she summoned Olaf, who taught her to rely on her own powers, especially of love and courage, more than the amulet's powers.
 * Curse Unleashing: When the one wearing the Amulet does a very bad deed, the Amulet will place a curse on its wearer as punishment. The curses the Amulet unleashes are so strong that they can only be lifted when the person it has cursed breaks it. The Amulet's curses can only be broken when the one it has cursed does a good deed to make up for the bad deed that angered the Amulet. So far, the Amulet has unleashed six curses that have helped Sofia learn important life lessons:
 * Croaking Curse: This curse was unleashed in The "Amulet and the Anthem". It makes the victim croak like a frog. It placed this curse on Sofia to punish her for rudely rubbing the fact she was chosen to be the Anthem Singer in Ruby and Jade's faces. She broke this curse with Belle's help by apologizing to Ruby and Jade and letting them be the Anthem Singers. It was a very minor curse that was meant to help Sofia learn a very important life lesson: That actions speak louder than words especially when it comes to setting things right.
 * The Curse of Princess Ivy: This curse was unleashed in The Curse of Princess Ivy. As the names implies, this curse summons the evil enchantress Princess Ivy to the victim's homeland. The Amulet put this curse on Amber because after learning the Amulet's secrets, Amber betrayed Sofia and stole it from her to get a Princess to appear for her. Amber broke this curse with Rapunzel's help by apologizing to Sofia and letting herself get hit by one of Ivy's dragonflies to protect Sofia. Unlike the croaking curse, this curse was really powerful and dangerous because Amber's act of thievery was both a bad deed and activated the Amulet's safeguard against thievery.
 * Mini Curse: This curse was unleashed in "The Littlest Princess". This curse leaves the victim at wee sprite size. The Amulet placed this curse on Sofia when she disobeyed her mother and brought her wee sprite friends into the castle. Sofia broke this curse by apologizing to her mother and obeying her when Miranda told her how to get the sprites out of the castle. Like the croaking curse, this curse was a very minor curse that was meant to help Sofia learn a very important life lesson: To have faith in those who love her and to listen to them when they're trying to help her.
 * Sticky Fingers Curse: This curse was unleashed in "Cedric Be Good". It makes the victim stick to anything their hands touch. The Amulet placed this curse on Cedric when he stole it from Sofia. He broke it by giving Sofia his flying machine.
 * Bird Beak Curse: This curse was unleashed in "Cedric Be Good". It turns the front of the victim's face into a bird's beak. The amulet placed this curse on Cedric when he upset some birds. He broke this curse when he dealt with the baker's pest problem.
 * Metal Hands Curse: This curse was unleashed in "Cedric Be Good". It gives the victim metal hands. The Amulet placed this curse on Cedric when he tries to take over Enchancia. He broke it by returning the amulet to Sofia.
 * Secret Library: The Amulet of Avalor's fourth ability is the ability to connect its bearer to The Secret Library of Enchancia. Unlike the other three abilities, which activate on their own, this ability only activates when it's bearer has the magical book that the library's key. Also unlike the other abilities, which make the amulet glow purple, this ability makes the amulet glow blue. This power has several aspects, including giving a bearer visions when a quest is very important, guiding the bearer to the library, illuminating shadowy areas to help the bearer see where to go, and pointing the bearer to those who can aid her on her quest.
 * Bearer Protection: When the bearer of the amulet is on the receiving end of a potentially fatal attack, the Amulet will save his or her life by pulling them into it, and prevent them from aging until they are freed. However, as Elena finds out in "The Scepter of Light," being trapped in the amulet without aging comes at a cost of a fraction of the bearer's life force, leaving her highly vulnerable to the high energy drains that come from using powerful wands like the Scepter of Light. When a previous bearer of the Amulet of Avalor is pulled inside the Amulet due to a sorcerer's potentially fatal curse, only its current bearer can let them out. This ability is activated when it's bearer wraps the Amulet around the weapon that activated its Bearer Protection ability and places it on the Crown of Aziluna. Those inside the amulet can use its magic to make new powers, but can also take some of its magic when they are freed. Any powers the bearers create will stay in the amulet. Any magic the bearer possessed before will change the amulet's color.
 * Safeguards: The amulet has various safeguards upon it to prevent its power from being misused. When an irresponsible, magic-lacking person gets the amulet, they will not earn any powers. When the amulet is stolen, the thief will be cursed until they return the amulet. The amulet used to be able to shield its bearer from evil spirits, but Elena took this power by mistake. The magic from the amulet cannot be harnessed properly without doing good deeds.

Trivia

 * The Amulet of Avalor likely gets its name from a portmanteau of "Avalon" and "Lore"; Avalon is the mythical isle of Arthurian legend ruled by fairies, and is Welsh for apple. Lore is a synonym for myths, legends, fictional stories, fables, and fairytales. Cedric, Miss Nettle, and Sofia are the only ones so far who refer to the Amulet by that name. Roland just calls it "that amulet," showing that he is unaware of its full power, though he knows it is special.
 * Avalor also splits into "a valor," marking how the deeds that Sofia performed to gain abilities involved pure bravery.
 * Princess Ivy believes that if the Amulet is destroyed, any princesses summoned cannot return to their original locations and times. However, since she showed no knowledge of the amulet prior to meeting Amber and overhearing Sofia, this is likely just an assumption she made.
 * The amulet transforms with Sofia to make it be worn more easily during animal transformations. When Sofia became a lizard, the Amulet became a marking on her scales. As a cat, rabbit, raven, and bulldog, the chain shortened to become a collar.
 * "The Amulet and the Anthem" is the first episode where the magical amulet curses Sofia for the first time. This helps show some truth in Cedric's rumors of its great power in the strength of the curse. Fortunately, the curse was more comical than dangerous, being quite similar to hexes cast by Lucinda or on Cedric's trick shoes, and was more meant to remind Sofia to know herself so she wouldn't hurt her friends than to harm her.
 * The Amulet does different things according to the action. When choosing the next bearer, it flashes, and gives off a slight glow. When summoning, it gives off a brief, strong glow. Blessing, the light brightens with sparkles, and when it curses, there are sparkles, but with the light being darker than the Amulet's chief jewel. The Amulet also neutrally sparkles to mark power, when Sofia showed it to Ginger in "Blue Ribbon Bunny," greet its bearer, when it was shown to Sofia, warn her of trouble, as was the case in "The Amulet of Avalor," and awaken, when it sparkled the morning after Sofia got her first magical ability. When it is removed to help Amber, it emits a pale glow. When it leads Sofia to the Secret Library, it glows blue. When it is hit by Crazy Crystals, it glows yellow, and gets nauseating yellow spots inside. There may be other actions that it does, but they haven't been seen yet.
 * The amulet possesses great power, but unlike the Scepter of Light, it cannot be used as a blasting weapon. However, it does have "a few tricks of its own."
 * It also works with Sofia's natural magic to give her powers that will suit her magical maturity. As Sofia grows, her amulet powers grow with her, and she gains new abilities. This magical reflection is why Sofia has only unlocked four powers so far, and been given five powers total.
 * The amulet's been removed three times, all because of Amber. The first was so Sofia could swap jewels with Amber for a ball. The second was for a supposed potion from Cedric to remove Amber's butterfly "costume." The third time was so that Amber could summon Princess Rapunzel. In all three cases, the Amulet was captured, first by a baby griffin, the second time by Wormwood, the third time by Princess Ivy, until Sofia retrieved it.
 * It is similar to Oona's magical comb in that both are best carried by the pure of heart, while those who gave the items were unaware of the powers the objects possess.
 * There are fake amulets, likely created to trick the power-hungry, or those desiring the Amulet for its beauty, such as Amber. The only way to tell the real amulet from fakes, besides looking at size, color, temperature, and the smoothness of the stone, is by looking into it. The existence of fake Amulets is supported by Sofia duplicating herself. Cedric even makes his own duplicate in "Cedric Be Good" that fools Sofia.
 * The amulet has been compared with a ruby necklace twice--the first time was in "The Amulet of Avalor," when Roland revealed he was going to give Sofia a ruby necklace if not for the Amulet flashing. The second time was in "The Enchanted Feast," where Miss Nettle, disguised as Sascha the Sorceress, offered to trade a fancy Ancient Egyptian-style ruby necklace for the Amulet. Why this comparison is so has yet to be determined, but may be because rubies are sometimes considered the most valuable gemstones.
 * Rubies are also commonly linked to femininity and love, and a ruby was seen as a impure gemstone in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
 * The Amulet was red before Elena's entrapment. However, its smooth, speckled appearance shows it is not a ruby, but a red fire opal, a rare gemstone.
 * Once the amulet is transferred, any powers given to the previous bearer do not apply to the new one, though if the previous bearer retrieves the amulet, they regain the powers they earned.
 * The amulet can react to potential bearers in distress, though this may only work when people are trapped inside it.
 * The amulet, despite it being unable to be destroyed by common means, has a weakness as shown in The Curse of Princess Ivy. According to Cedric, the Amulet of Avalor can only be destroyed by the bright flame of Everburn the Elder Dragon in the Blazing Palisades. Fortunately, Everburn's cold prevents him from breathing fire often.
 * The amulet also is vulnerable to Crazy Crystals, though they just alter its powers for a period of time.
 * The amulet is very old, and looking at its ability to stay intact for centuries, may have gotten its power through divine means.
 * The amulet is named after its kingdom of origin, like Oona's Comb and the Emerald Key. Unlike them, it has traveled all over, going from Avalor to Isleworth, then to Enchancia.
 * The amulet's blessings and curses can take minor forms as good and bad fortune. When Sofia works hard to join the Flying Derby, she is rewarded with good luck in the form of passing the tryout. When she wants Miranda all to herself on Mother's Day, she gets bad luck in the form of Lucinda's wicked witch mother causing chaos.