Welcome to a freaky folklore bonus episode where we explore the darker corners of human imagination in bite-sized doses of dread.

I'm your host, Carmen Carion, and today we're examining humanity's most persistent obsession, protecting ourselves from the things that go bump in the night.

Throughout history, across every culture and

continent, humans have developed elaborate systems of protection against supernatural threats.

From the horseshoe above your grandmother's door to the hashtags you use to ward off digital

curses, we've never stopped believing that the right ritual, symbol, or substance can keep evil at

bay. This show proudly haunts the Eriecast Podcast Network. For more nightmare fuel, visit

eeriecast.com or follow us wherever you consume your podcasts. Before we proceed, a content warning. This episode contains discussions

of occult practices, historical persecution of suspected witches, and protective rituals

that have sometimes led to harmful real-world consequences.

Of all protective substances in folklore, iron stands supreme, a metal so universally

feared by supernatural entities that its defensive properties appear in virtually every

culture that mastered metallurgy.

The protective power of iron predates recorded history,

likely originating when early humans first forged this mysterious metal from skystones,

meteoric iron that literally fell from the heavens. Unlike copper or bronze, iron required specific

knowledge and high temperatures to work, making early blacksmiths

seem like magicians who could bend cosmic material to their will.

In European folklore, Iron serves as the ultimate supernatural repellent.

Fairies, demons, witches, and ghosts are all said to flee from its presence.

The Scottish Highlands developed elaborate iron-based protections.

Mothers would place scissors under pillows to prevent changelings,

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