Cold iron
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Cold iron is a poetic and archaic term for iron, referring to the fact that it feels cold to the touch. In modern usage the term has been most associated with folkloric beliefs that iron could ward off ghosts, fairies, witches, and/or other malevolent supernatural creatures.
Francis Grose's 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue defines cold iron as "A sword, or any other weapon for cutting or stabbing." This usage often appears as "cold steel" in modern parlance.
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[edit] Folklore
Iron was thought to be a potent charm in a number of forms:
- Nailing an iron horseshoe to a door was said to repel evil spirits or later, to bring good luck.
- Surrounding a cemetery with an iron fence was thought to contain the souls of the dead.
- Burying an iron knife under the entrance to one's home was alleged to keep witches from entering.
In his story, "Redgauntlet", the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott wrote, "Your wife's a witch, man; you should nail a horse-shoe on your chamber-door."
[edit] Later usage
[edit] Poetry
Rudyard Kipling's poem "Cold Iron" used the term poetically, having Puck, a fairy, say "folks in housen, as the People of the Hills call them, must be ruled by Cold Iron."
[edit] Fantasy fiction
In modern fantasy, cold iron may refer to a special type of metal, such as meteoric iron or unworked metal. Weapons and implements made from cold iron are often granted special efficacy against creatures such as fairies and spirits.
In fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, cold iron is a form of iron mined deep underground and forged at a lower temperature to preserve the metal's delicate qualities. Weapons made of cold iron are especially powerful against demons and fey creatures.
In Changeling: The Lost, cold iron refers to relatively pure iron and can actively negate the magical protections of the fae, while wrought iron has additional power to harm and maim the True Fae.
In the Malazan Book of the Fallen high fantasy series by Steven Erikson, Cold Iron is a way of describing how a military general will lead. It is the opposite of Hot Iron, and according to L'oric in House of Chains, Cold Iron will beat Hot Iron four or five times to one.
[edit] References
- Bealer, Alex W. (1995). The Art of Blacksmithing. Edison, NJ: Castle Books. pp. 41–42. ISBN 978-0-7858-0395-9.
- Kosmerl, Frank (December 2001). Pennsylvania's goosewing axes and early iron and steel technology. Chronicle of the Early American Industries Association, Inc., The.
- Briggs, Robin. Witches & Neighbours: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk: HarperCollins Publishers. 1996. ISBN 0002158442.
- Elworthy, Frederick Thomas. The Evil Eye: An Account of This Ancient and Widespread Superstition. New York: Bell Publishing Company. 1989. ISBN 0517679442. Reprint of the 1895 original.
- Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft. New York: Facts On File, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8160-2268-7.
- Lawrence, Robert Means, M.D. The Magic of the Horseshoe with Other Folk-Lore Notes. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1898.
