Iron and salt
Two common wards: iron against fairies and spirits, salt against ill luck and harm.
Also: cold iron, salt over the shoulder, salt line, morishio
In European folk belief, iron keeps away fairies, witches and ghosts, so nails, horseshoes and knives were set at doors, cradles and beds. Some writers suggest it carries an echo of the awe once felt for the first ironworkers. Salt is a ward in many cultures because it preserves. In Britain and the United States, a spilled grain is taken to be unlucky, and a pinch thrown over the left shoulder is said to undo it. A line of salt is laid across a threshold in some folk custom. Shinto uses salt to purify, and heaps called morishio stand at entrances of shops, while sumo wrestlers throw it in the ring. In Judaism, bread is dipped in salt, a reminder of the covenant of salt.