The Horseshoe and Wishing Wells

Still to this day people throw coins into wells and fountains then make a wish. Our ancestors thought water very sacred, as like the sun we could not live without it. They also respected it because it could turn against them by flooding and drowning. The Pagans thought that each well would be filled with water spirits which they named.  When Christianity took over they renamed the wells after their Saints names.

To keep the spirits happy and to make sure the water source continued they would throw in coins or a bent pin into the water and make a wish that it never ran dry.

So the next time you find a well or a fountain or spring, give it a try.

The horseshoe has always been thought to bring the owner good luck in their life, hence the ritual of giving a horseshoe to anyone who was turning 21 years of age. When the age changed to 18 the ritual gradually died out. To actually find a real horseshoe on your 21^st birthday is supposed to be extremely lucky.

Another ritual which seems to have died out is making sure that when you get married that you have a horseshoe in your bouquet and also one on your wedding cake.

To bring luck to the home buy an iron horseshoe and hang it over the front door with the open end facing upwards, it is thought to become a magnet and draw good luck to the home. If you hang it with the open end facing earthwards it is said to draw bad luck.

This symbol is thought to date back to when horses were an essential part of everyday life. Some Pagan cultures worshiped the horse and also the blacksmith. The Romans for example gave their God of the forge the name Vulcan. It was the blacksmiths ability to transform ore into metal whilst handling fire that seemed magical to people, and they were believed to hold supernatural powers hence giving them a god like status.