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Show LUCK OF THE HORSESHOE Popular Superstition Has Eeen Traced to an English Demon of Thirteenth Thir-teenth Century. Why is the horseshoe considered a sign of good luck? There is nothing especially pretty about a horse's cast-off cast-off iron shoe, and no doubt not one horseshoe believer in a million can tell why he treasures it. The origin of the superstition can bo traced back to the thirteenth century. cen-tury. Tho monk Gt-rvaise of Tilbury informs in-forms us that at that time there was a kind cf demon in England which appeared as a horse rearing on its hind legs and with sparkling eyes. Whenever this apparition was seen it was a sign that a conflagration would soon break out. Hence, as giving a kindly warning, this mysterious horse was regarded as a friendly spirit, and tho animal in general was believed to be a beneficent benefi-cent mystic power. A horse tooth carried in the pocket prevented tooth ache; it was a sign of good luck to find a horseshoe, and one was placed under the pillow of a cuild to cure the colic, or nailed against a building to prevent it catching catch-ing fire. This led to its general adoption adop-tion as a protective symbol. Stray Stories. |