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Mel Fulks
10-01-2016, 1:36 PM
Sometime back in a thread about working on old houses didn't someone mention once finding an old shoe in a wall? Just read ,in a month old paper, about a 300 year old shoe recently found in a wall at St. John's college in England. They have been found in walls built in the 1500's and in examples as late as the 1920's. Relates to a type of magic known as "apotropaios".

Kevin Womer
10-01-2016, 7:28 PM
Not aware of a thread but that is interesting, thanks for posting

Frederick Skelly
10-01-2016, 9:30 PM
Wikipedia has an interesting couple articles on this.

Rich Riddle
10-01-2016, 11:57 PM
Many strange traditions regarding evil exists. The Koreans often use a Bangsangssi mask. Years ago I had one in the house but the wife made me give it away.

Larry Edgerton
10-04-2016, 6:32 AM
Found one in the wall of a house I was restoring that was built in 1865. Had no clue until I read this that it was a thing. I left it in the wall.

I have found old newspapers, glass jars and an old Parker Damascus barreled double barrel in old homes.

Robert LaPlaca
10-04-2016, 11:49 AM
Mel, we worked with a landscape architect to update the overgrown landscaping of our 1920's house SWMBO and I remodeled. The landscape architect said that boxwood are typically planted near the front entrance of the house and front walkway, the purpose of the boxwood's was to remove any evil spirits the guests may contain.