Fetish, talisman, charm, amulet are comparable when they designate an object believed to be endowed with the virtue of averting evil or of bringing good fortune.
Fetish is applied to an object, either natural (as a snake or an animal’s tooth or claw) or artificial (as a piece of carved wood or bone), which is held sacred in the belief that a supernatural spirit has entered into it and invested it with the power to bring success, luck, and freedom from evil to its owner or worshiper. In its basic sense the word is always connected with the religion of primitive or barbarous peoples. In extended use it may be applied to whatever is unreasonably or irrationally regarded as sacred or sacrosanct.
Talisman, unlike fetish, presupposes a degree of enlightenment, a knowledge of astrology and other occult sciences, and a belief in magical powers. Primarily it is applied to a cut, incised, or engraved figure or image of a heavenly constellation or planet or to its sign, or to a gem or a piece of metal so cut, incised, or engraved. By virtue of this representation it is supposed to be endowed with the same occult influence as what it represents. In extended use it may be applied to an object felt to exert a magical, extraordinary, and usually happy influence.
Charm basically applies to something believed to work a spell repelling evil spirits or malign influences or attracting favorable ones. It may be used in reference to an incantation, a word, or a form of words as well as to an object; thus, fetishes and talismans were often carried as charms. In its extended application to a quality in persons or in things it connotes a power to attract or allure that is suggestive of spell working.
Amulet is usually applied to something worn or carried on the person because of its supposed magical power to preserve one in danger or to protect one from evil and especially from disease. In its rare extended use the word still implies protection.