Axe Superstitions

This Chinese incised jade Axe-head was suspended round the neck, and worked as an amulet to protect the wearer from illnesses, accidents, and injuries; also as a charm against witchcraft.

The Chinese had great faith in the supposed medicinal powers of Jade, which was recommended and prescribed by their physicians. The Axe-head was always considered to be an emblem of strength and power among primitive races; even today small Axe-heads are still regarded as effective talismans against disease in many countries, and great faith is placed in their supposed supernatural powers of healing.

Let’s look for a moment at the actual shape of an axe and also the uses. The axe is used as a weapon or to split wood for trees. There are uses around ceremonial magic. If we go back to the stone age we often see images of just the axe head (without the base) later down the line this was changed to include a wooden handle. It was common practice to keep the axe inside in order to be used as a weapon. The materials used include cooper, metal and steel.

To drop an axe was associated with ill health especially if the axe was double wedged! Prehistoric tools that often used including the axe head. People believed that the axe head would provide them with protection against evil. Historically, in Scotland they use to pick up the axe head and hold it in their hands while often thinking about the perpetrator or the person they had ill feeling for. It was believed that they would say “let you're evil works be your ending” the axe head would then be thrown into mid-air in order to remove the curse. Many people in ancient times believed that the god Thorn was responsible for the axe head.

He was called upon in times of crisis. The significance of the axe-head was great in ancient times, often associated with the European sky god Thor. There was a focus on possible fairies and to throw an axe-head into an oak tree had significance and provided good luck. The axe head was commonly found to be associated with fairies as spirits. To see an axe head in the ground meant hostile or dangerous problems.