Triangle-shaped Iron nail with vintage tassel, glass and brass beads. Measures approx. 10” long. Wired attached clasp. Can be used as a bag charm or wall art. For protection.
Iron Nail Lore
Across Sweden, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland, forged iron nails were believed to:
Repel fairies, elves, land spirits, trolls, the dead, and witches
Break hexes or prevent the evil eye
“Nail down” luck, fertility, livestock health, or property boundaries
Seal doors, cradles, or barns against harmful spirits
Protect children and childbirth
Disrupt shape-shifting or illusions
Iron was the technology and craft of fire, deeply feared by spirits of wood, water, and air.
Swedish/Nordic (Norse) Tradition
Iron Nail for “Tomte” / House Spirit Control
A single square nail hidden under a threshold or hearth kept the tomte cooperative and prevented mischief.
Iron Nails in Cradle Boards
Placed in Swedish cradle frames to keep mylingar (unquiet child spirits) and vättar (wights) away from infants.
“Näverlapp med spik” – Birch Bark Packet With Nail
A small packet with herbs and a nail, carried for:
Iron Nail in the Jamb for Birth Magic
A nail hammered into the birth-room wall to ensure easy labo and repel trolldom (witchcraft).
Germanic/Alpine (including Slovenian Carinthia)
Iron Nails in Witches’ Bottles:
Used in Central Europe long before England:
“Nagelpfahl” – Nail Pillar Charms
In old Bavaria and Slovenia: People hammered nails into sacred trees or posts as votive offerings for healing or protection.
Nails in Cattle Barns
A bent nail or three nails in a triangle protected cows from: milk theft by witches, alpine night-hags, vampiric beings like the strigoi-like stihi spirit found in Slovenian lore.
The “Nail Cross”
Two nails bound together to form a protective cross, carried by blacksmiths and shepherds.
Iron Nail in Pockets of the Dead
To prevent haunting or revenants.
Scottish Highland & Lowland Magic
Iron Nail in a Witch-Bottle (Scottish variant): Combined with urine, rosemary, red thread—used to break curses.
“Rowan + Iron Nail” Amulet
Rowan wood pierced with an iron nail → against the sìth (fae), second sight, and ill intentions.
Iron Nail in Doorposts on Samhain
To block wandering dead and unseelie beings from entering.
Cradle Protection
Three iron nails tucked under the mattress, points outward, to keep changelings away.
Iron Coffin Nails for Divination
Coffin nails (often collected from churchyards):
Irish Magic
Iron Nail Over the Door
Stops: fairies, bean-sídhe, sick-child snatchers.
Iron Nail in Clothing During Travel
Protects from faery abduction, being “led astray.”
Nail Through a St. Brigid’s Cross
Less common, but in some regions the cross was fixed with a nail to ward off lightning and storms.
Iron Nails Around the Bed
Irish households placed 4–9 nails around the bedpost for anti-nightmare charms and protection from the Old Hag (sleep paralysis).
Iron-Nailed Coffin Wood
Like Scotland, used in apotropaic medicine:
Triangle-shaped Iron nail with vintage tassel, glass and brass beads. Measures approx. 10” long. Wired attached clasp. Can be used as a bag charm or wall art. For protection.
Iron Nail Lore
Across Sweden, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland, forged iron nails were believed to:
Repel fairies, elves, land spirits, trolls, the dead, and witches
Break hexes or prevent the evil eye
“Nail down” luck, fertility, livestock health, or property boundaries
Seal doors, cradles, or barns against harmful spirits
Protect children and childbirth
Disrupt shape-shifting or illusions
Iron was the technology and craft of fire, deeply feared by spirits of wood, water, and air.
Swedish/Nordic (Norse) Tradition
Iron Nail for “Tomte” / House Spirit Control
A single square nail hidden under a threshold or hearth kept the tomte cooperative and prevented mischief.
Iron Nails in Cradle Boards
Placed in Swedish cradle frames to keep mylingar (unquiet child spirits) and vättar (wights) away from infants.
“Näverlapp med spik” – Birch Bark Packet With Nail
A small packet with herbs and a nail, carried for:
Iron Nail in the Jamb for Birth Magic
A nail hammered into the birth-room wall to ensure easy labo and repel trolldom (witchcraft).
Germanic/Alpine (including Slovenian Carinthia)
Iron Nails in Witches’ Bottles:
Used in Central Europe long before England:
“Nagelpfahl” – Nail Pillar Charms
In old Bavaria and Slovenia: People hammered nails into sacred trees or posts as votive offerings for healing or protection.
Nails in Cattle Barns
A bent nail or three nails in a triangle protected cows from: milk theft by witches, alpine night-hags, vampiric beings like the strigoi-like stihi spirit found in Slovenian lore.
The “Nail Cross”
Two nails bound together to form a protective cross, carried by blacksmiths and shepherds.
Iron Nail in Pockets of the Dead
To prevent haunting or revenants.
Scottish Highland & Lowland Magic
Iron Nail in a Witch-Bottle (Scottish variant): Combined with urine, rosemary, red thread—used to break curses.
“Rowan + Iron Nail” Amulet
Rowan wood pierced with an iron nail → against the sìth (fae), second sight, and ill intentions.
Iron Nail in Doorposts on Samhain
To block wandering dead and unseelie beings from entering.
Cradle Protection
Three iron nails tucked under the mattress, points outward, to keep changelings away.
Iron Coffin Nails for Divination
Coffin nails (often collected from churchyards):
Irish Magic
Iron Nail Over the Door
Stops: fairies, bean-sídhe, sick-child snatchers.
Iron Nail in Clothing During Travel
Protects from faery abduction, being “led astray.”
Nail Through a St. Brigid’s Cross
Less common, but in some regions the cross was fixed with a nail to ward off lightning and storms.
Iron Nails Around the Bed
Irish households placed 4–9 nails around the bedpost for anti-nightmare charms and protection from the Old Hag (sleep paralysis).
Iron-Nailed Coffin Wood
Like Scotland, used in apotropaic medicine:
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