The horseshoe stands for protection of home and family, and for luck held safely within. Hung with the ends pointing up, it is said to collect good fortune like a cup; hung pointing down, it pours luck over everyone who passes beneath.
Iron was long believed in Europe to repel evil, and the horseshoe became its most famous charm. Legend tells of Saint Dunstan, a tenth-century English blacksmith, who nailed a shoe to the Devil's own hoof and released him only after he vowed never to enter a home with a horseshoe above the door.
The horseshoe stands for protection of home and family, and for luck held safely within. Hung with the ends pointing up, it is said to collect good fortune like a cup; hung pointing down, it pours luck over everyone who passes beneath.
Tradition favors nailing one above the front door, ideally a shoe that a horse has actually worn. Today horseshoe-shaped ornaments and charms are popular housewarming and wedding gifts.