The Horseshoe Charm

The horseshoe has served as a practical tool of protection —both in the realms of the mundane and mystical. These iron shoes have protected the hooves of horses, as well as, hung in and around the homes of the wise ones for centuries. In the context of folklore and craft practice, the iron horseshoe has been used as a charm of protection against malefic spirits and those practitioners of the crooked plough. It is also a charm associated with luck and good fortune. The Protective Properties of IronThe Virtues of Iron are well documented throughout the age of antiquity and within the writings of Pliny the Elder. The supernatural or spiritual oriented proprieties of iron will protect any dwelling from malevolent spirits, negative forces, and those of the hidden arts that attempt to harm and oppress.  It is also believed this charm can dispel evil, directed, thoughts such as the “maluke” or overlook. The Shape of the Shoe The “horns” and “arch” of the horseshoe are associated with various