Lucky Charms (No, not the cereals actually)
Written by lara
A four-leaf clover, a rabbit foot, a horse’s shoe…all these charms (and more) we consider bringing us luck. But why is that really? Hope is one essential tool for our survival, it makes us dare to go forward, brings optimism and therefore change our behaviour in a more driven path. We’ve all had something we considered to bring us luck in some way, maybe a sweater we always wear on a first date, maybe a specific necklace we tool with us on a job interview, or even just some random little object we like to have tucked in our pocket during exam session. (Just to be safe)
The four-leaf clover is an ancient Irish symbol of luck. It doesn’t stop at luck though, the little plant also represents love, hope and faith. In Irish tails the four-leaf clover was used to see fairies and therefore avoid their tricky nature. (Fairies are considered to be very playful in Celtic tradition and not always the good kind) If you’re more of a realist however you can consider the more “logical” explanation: Only about one in ten thousand of clovers have four leaves, which makes it a rare mutation, and therefore you can consider yourself lucky finding one. Although remind yourselves that only one type of clover is lucky: the white clover, more scientifically known as Trifolium repens. I know, I know, it makes the search trickier, but it makes the find even more worth it!
The rabbit foot is often carried around as a keychain. At some point the belief was so important that the rabbit population started to decline due to their mass hunting for their feet. The mentalities have luckily changed though and in modern times, all of them aren’t real anymore so if you’re not particularly keen on getting yourself what used to be attached on a real living rabbit you can also buy a faux one. Which is still a bit weird in my opinion but oh well. Rabbit’s paws, especially the left one, are said to keep away evil magic. Of course, you must capture it in a cemetery for it to work. At night. Because it’s not difficult enough as it is. To each their own, I guess.
(Believe it or not, that’s the best picture I could find on Openverse)
The horse’s shoe for its part is one of the oldest lucky charm beliefs as it goes back hundreds of years and has many different backgrounds, origins and cultures of superstitions. Remember the fairies we mentioned earlier? Well according to one of the legends, fairies can’t stand iron and therefore the homes who bored a horse’s shoe were protected from the little creatures’ mischief.
Another legend was the one of Saint Dustan. Dustan was a blacksmith to whom the Devil ordered to shoe his own horse. But instead of his horse, Dustan put the horseshoe on the Devil’s foot, who pleaded with Dustan to remove it and ease his pain. To which Dustan replied he would only do if the Devil promised to leave alone every house that displayed a horse’s shoe on its front door. For it’s magic to work you have to hang it over your front door. You can hang it two ways; either with the ends pointing up to hold good fortune on the people of the house or with the ends pointing down to bring luck to the ones entering your home although the correct way to hang your horse’s shoe varies according to the sources
The long-awaited ladybug. Symbol of our childhood, we still wonder in front of the spotted little red creatures when one comes to rest for a few moments on our arm. It is said that if you don’t chase it away it’ll bring you luck. The German speaking readers know that even the name of those cute insects means luck: “Glückskäfer” which translated gives: Luck-bug. Some say they’ll even bring you luck; according to Belgian sources, ladybugs actually were told to bring wedlock within the year to maiden they landed on. Other stories say that they bring good harvest to farmers, ensuring no harsh winters and a good year of reaping. The actual color and number of spots the ladybug has determines your luck. For example, the redder the ladybug the more luck you’ll get. Furthermore, the more spots it has on its back the more years (or months depending on the legends) you’ll have luck. Or in other sources, how long you’ll have to wait for your wish to come true. Don’t go smashing them though! First off, it’s a big no-no for animal cruelty and secondly, you’ll ruin all your chances of luck as it is said that harming a ladybug brings misfortune.
The fuzzy dice you typically hang over the review mirror. Most of the time they come in pairs, and you can buy them all sorts of funky colors. Historically the practice came from World War II fighters’ pilots. The odds of them returning safe and sound, or even alive, to their wives and children were low, so they’d bring these dices (which were used as gambling tools before the war) with them and hang them in their plans to tip the odds in their favor. If they made it in one piece, the brave soldiers took the pair of dice back home and hung them in their cars. And just like that a new trend was born, and soon enough you could see lots of colorful little dices dangling around on your afternoon drive around town.
There are many other items, animals and nature’s creations, that bring luck depending on the variety of human cultures. I can’t cover the entirety of them here, but I list the more commons ones if it interests you:
– Elephants (especially with raised trunks)
– Certain colors like red or green
– Acorns
– Koi fishes
– Lucky numbers like 777, 888, 444
– Rainbows
– Shooting stars
-Alligator teeth
– Crystals and gemstones
– Wish bones
– Pennies (head up)
Lucky charms are not a modern invention, humans millions of years ago put meaning and significance in those objects, granting them hope and belief in security and happiness. And here we are now, in the 21st century, still according to those little charms the power of bringing luck and happiness to our futures.