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or fireball, and depositing a chunk of fused "sky iron" on the earth below. Many vajras held by deities as weapons are described as being forged from meteorite iron, and Tibet, with its high altitude, thin atmosphere and desolate landscape, received an abundance of meteorite fragments. Tibetan vajras were often cast from meteorite iron, and as an act of sympathetic magic a piece of the meteoric iron was often returned to its original site.
24:
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in CE 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
472:
or other iron weapons, since it has already been tempered by the celestial gods in its passage across the heavens. The indivisibility of form and emptiness is a perfect metaphor for the image of a meteorite or "stone fallen from the sky", manifesting out of the voidness of space as a shooting star
354:
charm in many cultures, including those of
England, Denmark, Lithuania, and Estonia, and its shape, fabrication, placement and manner of sourcing are all important. A common belief 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
482:
In the Bible at Judges 1:19, although God was with Judah (see Verse 2), he (Judah) was unable to lead the nation to victory against the
Valleymen due to them having chariots of iron. "And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the
534:
In modern fantasy, cold iron may refer to a special type of metal, such as meteoric iron or unworked metal. Weapons and implements made from cold iron are often granted special efficacy against creatures such as fairies and spirits.
576:, an iron crane is used to disperse the energy of a Martian that emerges from archeological excavations. The use of "iron and water against the devil" is cited by one of the characters who suggests and applies the theory.
200:
was also common after 500 BCE, and was called "cooked iron", with wrought iron being called "raw iron" (in Europe, cast iron remained very rare until it was used for cannonballs in the 14th century). At the end of the
416:, the supposition 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 such beings entering a house.
553:
games, Pokémon categorized as Fairy-types are weak against moves that are categorized as Steel-type. Fairy-type moves are also less effective than other types of moves against Pokémon of the Steel-type.
363:(so the luck does not fall out); 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
744:
569:
series, the Elves are a fey and maleficent race, strongly sensitive to what a modern reader will recognize to be magnetic fields. They are powerfully averse to iron for this reason.
209:, tools (including weapons) of iron replaced those of bronze, and iron-using cultures replaced bronze-using cultures. Many early legends spring from this transition, such as
327:"Cold iron" is a substitute name used for various animals and incidences considered unlucky by Irish fishermen. A similar phenomenon has been found with Scottish fishermen.
665:
936:
382:, 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.
225:. Steel was rare; making it was difficult and somewhat unpredictable, and steelworkers were often associated with supernatural skill, until the
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826:
711:
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defines cold iron as "A sword, or any other weapon for cutting or stabbing." This usage often appears as "cold steel" in modern parlance.
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was highly prized throughout the
Himalayas, where it was included in sophisticated polymetallic alloys for ritual implements such as the
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858:
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Northern
Mythology: Comprising the Principal Popular Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and the Netherlands
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ends point downwards then bad luck will occur. Traditions do differ on this point, however. In some cultures, the horseshoe is hung
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of the horseshoe, not the person who hangs it up. Therefore, if the horseshoe was stolen, borrowed or even just found then the
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221:. Iron mixed with larger amounts of carbon has very different working properties and structural properties, and is called
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Meteoric iron or "sky-iron" (Tib. gnam lcags) is the supreme substance for forging the physical representation of the
121:
904:
Garrad, Larch S. “Additional
Examples of Possible House Charms in the Isle of Man.” Folklore 100 (1989): 110–112.
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791:
544:, the title character reveals early on that iron is lethal to fairies, and that the metal burns them on contact.
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The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil: Showing How the Horse-Shoe Came to Be a Charm
Against Witchcraft
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Publications. (Refer partial scanning of book on following metalinkage (accessed: 1 December 2006)
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wrote, "Your wife's a witch, man; you should nail a horse-shoe on your chamber-door."
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Another possible reason for the placing of horseshoes above doorways is to ward off
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Witches & Neighbours: The Social and
Cultural Context of European Witchcraft
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has a long and varied tradition in the mythology and folklore of the world.
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359:(so the luck pours onto a person standing under it); in others, it is hung
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Tebbett, C. F. “Iron
Thresholds as a Protection.” Folklore 91 (1980): 240.
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In some traditions, any good or bad luck achieved will only occur to the
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One reputed origin of the tradition of lucky horseshoes is the story of
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The Evil Eye: An
Account of This Ancient and Widespread Superstition
845:. Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Inc., The.
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Ethiopian evil eye belief and the magical symbolism of iron working.
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Pennsylvania's goosewing axes and early iron and steel technology
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257:"Cold iron" is historically believed to repel, contain, or harm
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Voices of the First Day: Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime.
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inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."
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Cold Iron: Aspects of the Occupational Lore of Irish Fishermen
64:
17:
853:. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk: HarperCollins Publishers. 1996.
901:. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1898.
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Singing bowls: a practical handbook of instruction and use
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614:. University College Dublin. pp. 35–36, 286–288.
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The Magic of the Horseshoe with Other Folk-Lore Notes
95:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
339:A horseshoe on a door is regarded as a protective
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696:The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs
514:, used the term poetically to mean "weapon".
404:and the Devil. Dunstan, who would become the
273:creatures. This belief continued into later
8:
821:. Edison, NJ: Castle Books. pp. 41–42.
395:The True Legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil
871:. New York: Bell Publishing Company. 1989.
717:(accessed: Thursday April 15, 2010), p.234.
508:", found in his 1910 collection of stories
884:The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft
664:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
323:was alleged to keep witches from entering.
409:where a horseshoe is hung over the door.
155:Learn how and when to remove this message
680:Thogchags: The Ancient Amulets of Tibet.
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678:Bellezza, John Vincent (March, 1999).
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464:Beer (1999: p. 234) states that:
804:Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas
491:Cold iron is a poetic term for iron.
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937:Witchcraft in folklore and mythology
685:(accessed: Wednesday April 14, 2010)
496:1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
93:adding citations to reliable sources
810:. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions.
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886:. New York: Facts On File, 1989.
445:) means 'sky-iron' in Tibetan.
188:While iron is now the name of a
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879:. Reprint of the 1895 original.
219:major cultural shifts in Africa
80:needs additional citations for
293:or, later, to bring good luck.
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897:Lawrence, Robert Means, M.D.
237:for more historical detail.
610:Fhloinn, Bairbre Ni (2018).
319:under the entrance to one's
586:Silver § Symbolic role
304:was thought to contain the
35:to comply with Knowledge's
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865:Elworthy, Frederick Thomas
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654:(Third ed.). London.
648:Edward G. Flight (1871).
634:Thorpe, Benjamin (1851).
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882:Guiley, Rosemary Ellen.
819:The Art of Blacksmithing
724:(6) The Holy Bible, KJV
698:(Hardcover). Shambhala.
406:Archbishop of Canterbury
250:Not to be confused with
48:may contain suggestions.
33:may need to be rewritten
792:Müller-Ebeling, Claudia
269:, and other malevolent
800:Surendra Bahadur Shahi
574:Quatermass and the Pit
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420:Meteoric iron in Tibet
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350:are considered a good
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277:in a number of forms:
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694:Beer, Robert (1999).
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227:Industrial Revolution
205:and beginning of the
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764:International, Ltd.
760:Rochester, Vermont:
367:in the shoe and can
89:improve this article
932:Objects in folklore
538:In the Disney film
511:Rewards and Fairies
453:(Jansen, 1992) and
747:2018-03-06 at the
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371:through the ends.
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289:was said to repel
235:ferrous metallurgy
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104:"Iron in folklore"
892:978-0-8160-2268-7
839:(December 2001).
828:978-0-7858-0395-9
712:978-1-57062-416-2
621:978-0-9565628-7-6
457:(Müller-Ebeling,
391:George Cruikshank
343:in some cultures.
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211:Homeric epic
194:wrought iron
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171:A horseshoe
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87:Please help
82:verification
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42:You can help
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808:Annabel Lee
781:. Holland:
520:Redgauntlet
357:points down
916:Categories
783:Binkey Kok
714:. Source:
597:References
541:Maleficent
487:In fiction
478:In Judaism
443:thog lcags
348:Horseshoes
331:Horseshoes
231:mild steel
203:Bronze Age
173:wind chime
115:newspapers
660:cite book
567:Discworld
561:novel of
506:Cold Iron
504:'s poem "
461:, 2002).
365:contained
361:points up
283:horseshoe
246:Cold iron
241:In Europe
198:cast iron
46:talk page
817:(1995).
802:(2002).
777:(1992).
756:(1991).
745:Archived
737:(2003).
682:Source:
580:See also
525:Scottish
435:ཐོག་ལྕགས
369:pour out
341:talisman
298:cemetery
213:and the
207:Iron Age
145:May 2020
922:Fairies
741:Source:
557:In the
550:Pokémon
547:In the
527:author
431:Tibetan
426:Thogcha
414:faeries
308:of the
267:witches
263:fairies
129:scholar
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523:, the
459:et al.
455:phurba
259:ghosts
233:. See
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44:. The
470:vajra
439:Wylie
380:owner
376:owner
317:knife
306:souls
302:fence
285:to a
223:steel
215:Vedas
136:JSTOR
122:books
927:Iron
888:ISBN
873:ISBN
855:ISBN
823:ISBN
798:and
794:and
766:ISBN
708:ISBN
700:ISBN
666:link
616:ISBN
393:for
352:luck
321:home
310:dead
287:door
183:Iron
108:news
572:In
565:'s
91:by
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706:,
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