Horseshoes

	Decoration is secondary to the household horseshoe. Their real value is found in their history, in the fantasies and stories they hint at, because they remind us of our own nearly forgotten lore. Superstitions have long been heralded as silly—maybe they are—but when they bring with them such rich and wonderful stories, such tales of our past that our ancestors ancestors were told it makes us grip that fantasy just a little bit tighter, our refusal to forget a little more resolute. The superstition of the horseshoe was originally based on the metal it was made of. Iron was thought to be almost godlike coming as it did from rock and fire and magical because of it's strength. Blacksmiths were also thought of as somewhat supernatural because of their ability to produce these metals on command. Of course it didn't hurt that a horse wearing the blacksmith's shoes occassionally sparked when walking on stone.

Horseshoe Wall Mirror

Cute Western Design
12 Inches Diameter
Glass and Painted Resin

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Horseshoes

Horseshoes were thought to ward against evil spirits, witches, goblins, giants and even Satan. One story has it that the devil came into a smithies shop in England where he asked to have his single hoof shod. The blacksmith recognized him and set to work immediately but the operation pained Satan so badly he begged the smithie to stop. He did but only with the promise that the devil would never again enter a building where a horseshoe was displayed. Supposedly Satan and his demons have since kept their word.

There's also a lot of talk about the hanging of the horseshoe. Should the open end face up or down? The conclusion seems to be whichever you prefer. To hang a horseshoe open end up is to catch whatever luck might pass by, to hang one facing down is to pour luck onto anybody passing beneath.

Elizabeth Bathcat however got no such luck from the horseshoe she had nailed to her door. It was because of the charm that the Scotish woman was indicted for practicing witchcraft. She was accused of using the horseshoe "as a devlish means of instruction from the Devil to make her goods and all her other affairs to prosper and succeed well."The best luck to be found in horseshoes however was when found in the road. In Northumberland found horseshoes were believed to tell a person how many years until they were married; the number of missing nails equaling the number of years they had yet to wait.

Iron and steel were at one time so revered that Ireland or Iron-land believed it to be the reason for their homeland's existence. The Emerald Isle was entirely submerged underwater surfacing only once, for a short period of time, every seven years. Everybody who tried to step foot on the island when it rose was dashed by the waves until the "heavenly revelation" advising the throwing of a piece of iron onto the land the next time it rose from the sea. One brave young man took this advice and launched his own sword onto the banks dissolving whatever spell was placed upon it and Ireland has remained above water ever since.

But Ireland is not the only country to ascribe supernatural powers to metal. It was said that a young woman in Sweden was out in poor weather with a flint and steel when she encountered a giantess with a large wooden box. The giantess asked the girl to watch her things while she went off to invite some friends to her daughter's wedding. The girl agreed but unthinkingly set the steel and flint on top of the box. When the giantess returned from her errand she found she could not touch the box and was forced to leave without it. The young woman took the box home and found a great treasure inside.

There is so much history, such rich stories behind the horseshoe that it's frequency of use even today isn't surprising. It's uses in fending off ill-will, witches, satan and other evil imps and the addition of further luck and prosperity of our homes are only a small part of the reason we still decorate with horseshoes. They are a part of our heritage.

Written by Tracy Vessell