Many houses have a horseshoe hung on their
doors.It is supposed to bring luck.To bring luck,the horseshoe must be lost by
the horse and found by you. The ends should point upwards while
hanging since then it would appear like a container for storing good luck. Some
traditions believe that luck will be achieved only by the owner of the house
and not on the person who hangs it. I wonder what is the origin of this
belief. It is also said that the shape of ‘U’ in many cultures is linked with
good fortune. It is said that the "U" shape represents the "cup" of prosperity and luck.
Can anybody give any information on the cultures which believe in
the magic of this shape?
Maybe because the horse is worshiped in many religions and so the horseshoe is considered to be sacred as well as valuable.
ReplyDelete-smrita pal
(writer)
I read about the story of Saint Dunstan and the Devil. Dunstan, was a blacksmith by trade before he became the archbishop of Canterbury in AD959. The story says that he once nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil's horse. It was very painful for the Devil, and he pleaded with Dunstan to remove the shoe. Dunstan agreed to release the Devil after the he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is hung over the door.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete One reason could be that the horseshoe has seven nail holes and some cultures consider this number to be lucky though I would like to know why.
ReplyDelete I looked into the internet and found some interesting reasons as to why the no. 7 is considered to be lucky.I would like to share this ---
Delete1. There are 7 colours In a rainbow.All the colours that we see are included in this.
2. The Bible says that God created the world in 7 days
3. In music there are 7 pitches in the diatonic scale
4. It is a Hebrew tradition to mourn for 7 days
I can add more to this list-
Delete1. In Hindu marriage custom requires "saath phere" around the holy fire.
2.There are seven days in a week.
3.There are seven base quantities- length, mass, time, temperature, luminous intensity, current and amount of quantity.
4.Seven is known as the most complete or most perfect number, as told by the BIBLE.
5. There are seven continents in the world.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHorseshoes are considered a good luck charm in many cultures, including those of England, Denmark 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 (as shown here) 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.
ReplyDeleteA horseshoe wind chime, used as a good luck charm.
In some traditions, any good or bad luck achieved will only occur to the owner of the horseshoe, not the person who hangs it up. Therefore, if the horseshoe was stolen, borrowed or even just found then the owner, not the person who found or stole the horseshoe will get any good or bad luck. Other traditions require that the horseshoe be found to be effective.
Illustration by George Cruikshank for The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil
One reputed origin of the tradition of lucky horseshoes is the story of Saint Dunstan and the Devil. Dunstan, who would become the Archbishop of Canterbury in AD 959, was a blacksmith by trade. The story relates that he once nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to reshoe the Devil's horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after the Devil promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is hung over the door.
Another theory concerning the placing of horseshoes above doorways is to ward off Faeries; the theory being that supernatural beings are repelled by iron and as horseshoes were an easily available source of iron, they could be nailed above a door to prevent any unwanted, otherworldly guests.
In some cultures, people believed that an upside down horseshoe was also good luck because as it poured out the good luck, the luck was poured out and around the home, enveloping it in good luck.
ReplyDeleteit need not be mentioned about the importance of horses in ancient time. horses were considerd very stong and also very useful. this was also one of the reasons why people considered horseshoe as lucky charm.
ReplyDelete