LL-L "Folklore" 2003.04.27 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 27.APR.2003 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Pat Reynolds <pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2003.04.14 (04) [E]

>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Folklore
>
>In the (formerly) Saxon parts of Northern Germany (and perhaps also parts of
>the Eastern Netherlands), gables of farm houses tend to be crowned with
>crossed horse heads, a very characteristic feature of the region.  I
>understand that this was supposed to ward off evil spirits.  Can anyone
>confirm this?  Also, I wonder how old this feature is.  Is it old enough for
>it to have influenced early Germanic architecture on the British Isles?
>
One possible reconstruction of Cowdery's Down Hall C12 has crossed
?dragon heads (borrowed from a Norwegian stave church).  As the note to
the illustration says, this illustrates 'how little we still know about
the roofs of excavated timber buildings' (Welch, M (1992), _Anglo-Saxon
England, fig. 33, p. 52).

Best wishes,

Pat

Pat Reynolds
Research student in Archaeology, the University of York.

--
Pat Reynolds
pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk

     "I have now got a pesitilent doctorate thesis to explore,
      when I would rather be doing something less useful ..."

                (JRR Tolkien Letter 176)

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From: Pat Reynolds <pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Folklore" 2003.04.14 (04) [E]

On the iron question: I am very sceptical about explanations which
attribute human behaviour to 'ritual' or 'superstition' and stop at
that.  (Also sceptical about explanations which end with 'emulation',
'cost effectiveness' or anything else easy!). However, I am also very
interested in people's explanations for what they do - and that includes
explanations which refer to the 'supernatural'.

The main 'superstition' references I have come across refer to the
markings on the iron 'shieter' (slot bolt). Specifically, the St
Andrew's cross, which is found with one or more horizontal bars above
and below. These patterns are sometimes found on other metal fixtures
and fittings, such as latch-bars, in secular and religious contexts. A
sign of the IXI kind (or perhaps IXI/) appears on a wall stud in Dragon
Hall, Norwich (Dean 1997 (www.homewld.demon.co.uk/content.htm), fig.
12), which John Dean argues is the ritually protective dagaz rune sign.
John Dean (pers.com.) has further suggested that IIXII is a two-
dimensional representation of a three-dimensional device: a square
pyramid flanked by two D-shaped bars, and that this is a device against
witchcraft.  Another person has told me that the St Andrews' cross is a
mark of a Catholic household ... H. Janse (in the Monumentenzorg
Restauratievademecum and elsewhere) argues that they are 'just'
decorative markings.

Other work on ritual protection of houses has suggested that witches get
in through holes : windows, doors and down the chimney.  So, did people
think they could get in through the small holes that anchors pass
through?  And, if so, did they think that they would be scared off by
all that iron filling up the hole?  Or was an extra protection on the
bar (the IIXII mark) needed?  Any reference to witches (or other harmful
spirits, or dragons) getting into houses through the muuranker holes, or
being repelled by iron, or by the IIXII mark would interest me a great
deal!

Here in the UK, too, the horseshoe is used to protect - 'up' to protect
a normal setting (often over the door), and 'down' to give out
protection at a smithy.  One of the buildings which I am looking at, the
old blacksmiths' forge in Carlton on Trent, Nottinghamshire, has a HUGE
horseshoe, completely surrounding the door. This building uses a form of
anchors on the gable which I've only seen in the UK: a pair of Ss, one
S-form, the other reversed-S.

That reminds me ... a last question on iron for today!  In English,
metalworking is divided into various smithies, such as 'blacksmith',
'whitesmith', and 'goldsmith'.  My Dutch dictionary translates
'blacksmith' as 'smid'.  Are there more specific terms in your various
dialects?

Pat

Pat Reynolds
Research student in Archaeology, the University of York.

--
Pat Reynolds
pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk

     "I have now got a pesitilent doctorate thesis to explore,
      when I would rather be doing something less useful ..."

                (JRR Tolkien Letter 176)

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