In Europe, the horseshoe symbol has been used for centuries as a symbol for good luck, protection and to to ward off evil. The iron horseshoe nailed up above or beside doors to a home or barn, the horseshoe symbol protects the building’s inhabitants from evil spirits, harmful witchcraft, and malevolent fairies.
In the Middle Ages, when fear of witches ran rampant it was said that witches were afraid of horses and their iron shoes. People thought that witches would never pass through a doorway with one hung above it, and people even nailed horseshoes to witch’s coffins to keep them from coming out ( strange, isn´t it?)
Most people still know nowadays that a horseshoe nailed up over a doorway is supposed to bring good luck.
When it became a good luck symbol is unknown but perhaps horseshoes were used for magical purposes since the time of its inception. Horses were considered as sacred animals in many cultures and therefore the shoe itself held the magic of the horse’s spirit and strength.
Iron itself would have been believed to be magical because it was taken from the earth and could withstand fire and cold so it would have been very highly regarded.
The shape of the horseshoe reminds us of a magnet as well and can be used to ‘draw’ money to you in magical workings.
The horseshoe as a„crescent figured iron” contains the symbol of the moon and the lunar goddesses as well and its material iron is associated with the energy of the planet Mars and activates the masculine energy of strength, battles and new beginnings. Mars is related to the element of fire which is spontaneous and protective energy. Iron’s association with life, death and rebirth is connected to its transformation process via the corrosion of the metal material.
In my tradition horseshoe luck comes to those who hang the horseshoe up like it is practice in many traditions, prongs down is said to let the luck spill out.
It's best to find a used horseshoe that has been pulled by a farrier, not a horseshoe that has been thrown off by a horse. There’s also the connection with the upward prongs symbolizing the horns of other sacred livestock such as oxen. Note the similarity between the ancient Norse rune Uruz (the letter and shape U) and the horseshoe. Uruz is a protective symbol that also brings abundance, like the horseshoe symbol
Horseshoes and the devil
There are many stories all along the same theme about the blacksmith and the devil. One that I know that the devil appearing inside a smithy one day and demanding that the blacksmith fit him with his own iron shoes. The blacksmith realizing that it was the devil made a shoe and nailed it to the devil’s hoof whilst it was still burning hot. The devil was in such pain that he ripped off the shoe and swore never to go back to a smithy again.
There are a lot more legends and stories about the horseshoe, maybe you want to tell me yours?
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