Iron wards off the supernatural
For many years,iron has been believed to be a substance that
repels witches, fairies, evil spirits and all that is supernatural.In our
society,whan a close relative of a person expires,that person is advised to
carry an iron object like a bunch of keys,with him/her till the ‘sradh’
ceremony of the deceased is over.I wonder
whether this tradition is in
place because iron is associated with strength and vigour.Remember most weapons are made of iron.Or is there any
other scientific reason behind this tradition?I would love a discussion on this.
just got to know this..
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese sometimes wear outside of their clothing a piece of an old iron plough-point as a charm; and they have also a custom of driving long iron nails in certain kinds of trees to exorcise some particularly dangerous female demons which haunt them.
Wrought iron is sometimes asserted to repel, contain, or harm ghosts, fairies, witches, and/or other malevolent supernatural creatures. This belief continued into later superstitions in a number of forms:
ReplyDeleteNailing an iron horseshoe to a door was said to repel evil spirits or later, to bring good luck.
Surrounding a cemetery with an iron fence was thought to contain the souls of the dead.
Burying an iron knife under the entrance to one's home was alleged to keep witches from entering. [5]
Cold iron is also used for similar purposes. However, cold iron is pure iron that is not smelted out of ore, but hammered pure without melting.
Thank you for the interesting information
ReplyDeleteFew people also consider iron as their lucky charms.Horseshoes are considered a good luck charm in many cultures, including those of England, Denmark[1] and Estonia, and its shape, fabrication, placement and manner of sourcing are all important. A common tradition is that if a horseshoe is hung on a door with the two ends pointing up then good luck will occur. However, if the two ends point downwards then bad luck will occur. Traditions do differ on this point, though. In some cultures, the horseshoe is hung points down (so the luck pours onto you); in others, it is hung points up (so the luck does not fall out); still in others it does not matter so long as the horseshoe has been used (not new), was found (not purchased), and can be touched. In all traditions, luck is contained in the shoe and can pour out through the ends.
ReplyDelete- Debaleena Chatterjee.
One of d facts about iron i heard recently is that ancient Greeks and Romans actually refused to put any iron, especially iron rods into the ground at or near cemeteries, because they feared that it would “scare away” the souls/spirits of the departed. And, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Aztecs believed that iron came from heaven, though many believe this is because they most likely obtained their first bits of iron from meteorites, which contain large quantities of iron, among other minerals.
ReplyDeletePayal Midya.
I think people are told to carry things made out of iron because iron wards off spirits, and it is said that the spirit of a deceased person still lingers on until the sradh is complete.
ReplyDeletewow dint know about the iron-spirit relations. also horseshoe made up of iron are are considered as lucky charms as per the story of Saint Dunstan and the Devil in western countries.
ReplyDeleteI would like to share an interesting info that many religions which believe in Talismans like Islam, Catholics etc. also use iron, gold and metals of vigour and strength in the making of those Talismans.....They also draw the iron into wires and make certain patterns for the Talisman too (e.g. in the Solomon's Talisman)....I think these patterns have something to do with attracting the auspicious supernaturals and warding off the bad ones..
ReplyDeleteMy father wears an iron ring.My grand-mother believed that it would ward off the evil spirits and protect my father from adversities.But I think my father wears that ring more out of habit than that of superstition.
ReplyDeletehhhmmmm...so many varied cultures with one same belief...this itself proves that the conception of iron keeping the supernatural away is not merely a superstition but must have some strong root...
ReplyDeleteYes, Iron has been named as a lucky charm by several cultures. This is the very reason most civilizations used iron in their weaponry; they believed that it would increase their odds of catching prey. They also made statues of their deities out of iron as they considered it supernatural.
ReplyDelete