The prayer called Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is one of the most interesting relics of early Christianity. This type of hymn of an apotropaic and exorcistic nature was widely used in Ireland and Scotland between the 5th and 12th centuries. The prayer is meant to act as a spiritual armor. A specific definition of the term comes from the 11th-century Liber Hymnorum: “It is a religious protection of body and soul against demons, men and vices. Any person who sings it to God with great concentration, every day, will not see demons. It will protect him from every poison and envy, he will be protected from sudden death, and it will be a shield for his soul after death.”