Acorns are the nuts that form on oak trees and they are found throughout Europe and North America. Native Americans used acorns as a food source, as did Europeans in the distant past. Sacred to the Druids, the oak and its fruit have long had magical powers and superstitions attached to it. The acorns are carried around as charms and used as decorations. As more people are learning about the diets of our ancestors, the nuts are also becoming a food source for people once again. Our ancestors believed that eating acorns increased our longevity and fertility. And, of course, acorns have long been part of the diet for many of the animals of the forest.
1. Amulet of Protection
Charms made into the shape of the acorn have long been worn or carried about as protection. They are said to protect one from illness and disease, and are also carried as protection from lightning.
2. To Get a Large Sum of Money
Take an acorn and plant it on the night of the new moon. It is believed that if you do this, you will either receive a large sum of money or you will inherit the money.
3. Cure for Rheumatism
Old timers would place an acorn under their mattress as a folk charm cure for rheumatism.
4. Fairies
The oak is the favorite tree of the fairies. It is believed that the smaller varieties of fairies must wear a cap of the acorn on their heads at night and gloves made of foxglove to keep themselves safe.
5. Attract a Lover
If you want to attract a new lover, you are supposed to anoint an acorn with oil and put it in your pocket or purse. Potential lovers will be attracted to you and, according to superstition, you will have your pick.
6. In the Field Guide to Luck, the author says that if you put three drops of pine oil onto an acorn and plant it by your front door during the waxing moon (when the moon is getting bigger), you will get extra income.
7. Fertility
Among the ancient Greeks, the acorn belonged to the goddess Artemis and fertility. It’s believed that a woman were to place three acorns under her mattress, should would soon become pregnant.
8. House Protection
Acorns are believed to offer protection from thunder and lightning. Among the Norse, a single acorn was kept inside the house or on a windowsill so that the home would be protected during storms.
9. Youth
If a woman wants to remain youthful, she must always carry an acorn on her person.
10. A Couple to Be
To find out if you are meant to be with another person, find two acorns on the ground. Name one acorn after yourself and name the other acorn after the person you like. Drop the two acorns into a bowl of water and watch what they do. If they start to float together, you and your intended are meant to be. If the two acorns float apart, seek someone else.
Sources:
Radford, E. (1969). Encyclopaedia of Superstitions. Greenwood Press.
Roud, S. (2003). The Penguin guide to the superstitions of Britain and Ireland. London: Penguin.
Webster, R. (2008). The encyclopedia of superstitions. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Yablon, A. (2008). Field guide to luck: How to use and interpret charms, signs, and superstitions. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.
