From time immemorial, people believed in the devil, demons, witchcraft and all sorts of devilry. And, of course, they were looking for ways to protect themselves from the dark forces. Some of them today may seem very strange, but at one time they were considered very effective.
Hidden shoes
This tradition was probably born in the 13th century after a certain English priest declared that he had caught the devil in his boot. One way or another, in the Middle Ages, superstitious people tried not to put their shoes on public display. If they took off their shoes, they would hide them under floorboards, between walls or in the attic of the house. It was believed that the devil would not find her in these places. If it was not possible to hide the shoes in a secluded place, then various amulets were placed next to it, designed to scare away evil spirits.
Metal products
Even the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt and Babylon believed that iron was given to people by gods. Therefore, it "participated" in various rituals.
The Scots and Irish believed that iron could ward off evil fairies and ghosts. European peasants performed a special ritual, after which the sorcerer or witch could not leave the house where the "charmed" object was located. So they were recognized. Even in our time, there is a belief that if you stick scissors or something sharp into the wall and at the same time utter a special conspiracy, then a sorcerer or just a person who has come to visit with bad intentions will not be able to leave the house.
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Even in the old days, silicon arrowheads were used for protection. It was believed that they are amulets from the evil eye, demons and witchcraft, since they came to our world from the world of fairies and elves. According to myths, the tips fell from heaven to earth, and there they were found by these mystical creatures. They used them to destroy people and livestock. But if the tip of silicon fell into the hands of a person, it turned into an amulet.
Magic stones
Nowadays, such pebbles with holes are called "chicken gods" and believe that they can bring happiness. In the old days, it was believed that a stone with a natural hole protects against black magic. It was also believed that if you look through the hole, you can find yourself in the kingdom of fairies.
As a rule, magic stones were hung over doors or a chain with a stone around their neck was worn before going to bed, since it was believed that in a dream people were especially vulnerable to evil forces.
Salt
They say that the one who often asks for salt from the neighbors is a sorcerer. But in the old days it was believed that witches and sorcerers, on the contrary, were afraid of salt and could not eat anything salty. In the same way, they shy away from salt in the form of animals. So you can identify the sorcerer. Salt amulets were worn by "demonologists" during the famous trials of witches - to avoid witchcraft curses.
Rowan
In some countries, a mountain ash tree was specially planted near the dwelling. It was believed that this protects the home and family from spells that can be cast by sorcerers and evil people. This belief arose due to the shape of the lower part of mountain ash berries - it is an equilateral five-pointed star, and this is an ancient protective symbol. Also, rowan berries are red, and red at all times was considered a protection from evil forces.
Witch bottles
They came into use in the XVI-XVII centuries as a means of protection against witches and evil spells. Usually these were glass or ceramic vessels filled with various contents. Sometimes these were infusions of "magical" herbs, supposedly capable of driving away evil spirits. Sometimes human urine. It was believed that in this way it was possible to turn a spell sent by them against a witch or sorcerer. Sometimes they even put needles and pins in the bottle in order to send illness and other troubles to the attacker. The bottles were buried in the ground. After a while they looked: if the bottle burst or split, it meant that the witch or sorcerer had died.
Animal remains
In old buildings, cat mummies and skeletons are often found. Some are walled up into walls, others lie under beams or floorboards. The fact is that there has long been a belief: a cat is a mystical creature associated with the other world. They believed that a dead cat is able to drive away evil spirits. They killed the purr so that they could defend the house. Although, maybe, some died a natural death.
Horse skulls were also used as "scarers" of evil spirits, but they are much less common than cat remains.
Witch places
In England, on the roofs of old houses, you can sometimes see something like blocks sticking out of chimneys. Once they were installed so that rainwater could not penetrate inside. But later they had another "area of application". The fact is that, according to legend, on Friday night witches flew on a broomstick around the city, landing on chimneys to rest. If there was no special place to rest, then the witch could get angry with the owners and curse them.
Witch balls
They also believed that witches love brightly colored balls. The balls, blown out of bright multicolored glass by glass blowers, were hung on the windows. It was believed that the witch would be inside such a ball and stay there forever. This means that he will no longer be able to harm the inhabitants of the house. This magic remedy became especially popular in the 18th century. And it was in use until the very end of the Victorian era.
Security labels
In the Middle Ages, it was customary to carve special symbols on the doors and floorboards of houses and churches to intimidate evil spirits. In some places they have survived to this day.
Prayer Scrolls
They are often found by archaeologists. There were prayers for driving out demons, for protection from evil spirits and witchcraft … Some of them even contained images of protective symbols. Many kept these scrolls in their homes. It was believed that even without being read aloud, the texts of the prayers play a protective role.