the protection of matriarchs & handmaidens: iron in Jewish folklore
many different cultures throughout history have viewed iron as having the ability to protect us from supernatural harm, and Jews have our own unique folklore about its power and uses!
in YIVO’s Folklore of Ashkenaz class, Professor Gottesman shared a story about his father asking him, on Christmas day, to cover all the pots in the kitchen with iron lids so that the contents would be protected - an Ashkenazi custom that grew out of a combination of old winter solstice beliefs and a reaction to the Christian celebration of the day, making “unique Jewish folklore for a non-Jewish holiday.”
Jewish tradition tells us that iron is powerful against demons, both because it was the material of weapons, and because it was created after demons came into existence, so they have no immunity to it!
possibly the most interesting thing about iron is its connection to four important biblical women. the letters of the Hebrew word for iron, barzel - B R Z L - are believed to represent the names of Jacob’s wives and their handmaidens: Bilah, Rohkl, Zilpa, and Leah. according to Professor Gottesman, “because of the merits of their good deeds, iron protects us.” there are other Kabbalistic connections to be made: iron is “taken from the earth” and therefore connected to the sefira of malchut, which is viewed as feminine. the matriarchs and handmaidens represent different transitional aspects of malchut - you can read more here!
the image above is a hand-forged iron mezuzah created by Autumn Dog Forge.
