Horseshoe for good luck, how to hang?

Question

Got two really cool horseshoes today from my grandmom's house. I'm told if I hang them upside down at the door way, it will mean good luck. If I don't, I guess I'll have bad luck? (Not holding too much stock in the shoes, but I can use all the help I can get... hahaha!)

Anyone know what the "tradition" is? Upside down or what?

Answer 1

I found this site and quoted the site, Please see the url in sources to find more information
""Horseshoes were also considered lucky because they were made by blacksmiths, which is also considered a very lucky trade. Because they worked with elemental fire and magical
iron""

""many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. Others believe that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come. According to this superstition, the ends-pointing-down display simply means that the good luck is able to flow out and surround the home. If the horseshoe is hung over a doorway, ends up will catch good luck and ends down will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering. ""

Answer 2

Good Luck Horseshoe

Answer 3

How To Hang A Horseshoe

Answer 4

The western tradition is to put it with the shoe rightside up so you can catch good luck and hold it in a contanior. however since you have two place them side by side (one up the other upsidedown) with the ends touching this will create a flow that will surrond the house with good luck and keep evil spirits out.
from the womens encyclopdia of myths and secrets by walker.
Hindus arabs, and Celts regarded the yonic shape of the horseshoe as a symbol of the Goddess's"Greate Gate," thus it was always esteemed as a prophylactic door charm. Druidic temples were constructed in the shape of a horseshoe. So were some Hindu temples, with the frank intention of representing the yoni. The horseshoe arch of Arabic sacred arhitecture developed from the same tradition.Greeks assigned the yonic shape to the last letter of their sacred alphabet,Omega, literally, "Great OM," the Word of Creation begnning the next cycle of becoming. The implication of the horseshoe symbol was that, having entered the yonic Doorat the end of life(Omega), man would be reborn as a new child(Alpha) through the same Door. It was everywhere represtented as "a horseshoe,the very figure that is nailed to so many doors in various partsof the world,as an emblem of luck. Mighty few of those who live in such houses know that the horseshoe is only a symbol of the yoni and that by nailing it to their doors , they follow out a custom older than the history of their race."The Christian God who claimed to be the "Alpha and Omega"(Revelation 1:8) was only copying one version of this very ancient symbolism, whos meaning seems not to have been understood by the biblical writer.
I think this is enough to still throully confuse you about which way to hang the horseshoes.
one way makes it look like a uteris or a couldern. the other makes it look like the letter Omega.

Answer 5

Google the story of St. Dunstan and the devil..this is where the tradition originates. Irish say have the horseshoe in a u shape so your luck dosent run out. St. Dunstan was born around 910 so it is a pretty old tradition. Origionally the horseshoe was placed over the front door on the outside to ward off the devil and later to ward of the devil and witchcraft and later for good luck. The earliest print of this I have seen, the horseshoe is being hung over the door on the outside with the opening down and the devil around the corner of the house with a look of shock on his face. There was a plot to ridicule St. Dunstan in which he was accused of black magic and he had to flee the area in his youth, but these were false accusations and the horseshoe tradition has nothing to do with that part of St. Dunstan's story.

Answer 6

RE:
Horseshoe for good luck, how to hang?
Got two really cool horseshoes today from my grandmom's house. I'm told if I hang them upside down at the door way, it will mean good luck. If I don't, I guess I'll have bad luck? (Not holding too much stock in the shoes, but I can use all the help I can get... hahaha!)

Anyone...

Answer 7

The proper way to hang a horseshoe for "good luck" is right side up to catch the luck. If you face it down, you don't catch it, which means bad luck.

Answer 8

You hang the horseshoe over the front door with the two sides pointing up to catch the good luck that falls upon your household. If you turned it the other way it couldn't catch anything. Quite an interesting superstition.

Answer 9

My dads a farrier and blacksmith and has told me this story for years. It goes something like this, the devil being half horse, saw a blacksmith putting shoes on a horse one day and decided that he'd give them a try. The blacksmith agreed and while putting the shoes on satin decided it probably wasn't a great idea, so he cut him short and drove the nails deep ( painful for a horse) and sent the devil on his merry way. A few miles later the devils hooves became so sore that he kick the shoes off and claimed that they were evil and he would never get near one again. So hanging a horseshoe ANY DIRECTION OR WAY according to this particular story is suppose to ward off the devil and evil In general. Always liked that story.

Answer 10

For good luck to enter your house hang so that the shoe looks like a "U". Use 3, 7, or 9 nails depending on the size of your shoe. The odd number assures good luck. Use iron nails if you have them, as they are supposed to increase the amount of luck.

If you hang the shoe so that the "U" points down, all of the luck will fall out and you will have bad luck.

At least that is what my book of Irish customs tells me.