Horse Talismans

Most of The House’s dear readers are familiar with the idea that horseshoes are considered lucky charms with protective powers, but what about the horses who wear them?

Humankind’s history is intimately connected with the horse’s. Horses represent power, strength, freedom, and wild beauty, but horses are… complicated symbols. The Book of Symbols summarizes, “Our struggle for freedom has been won through the freedom they sacrificed for us in exchange for a powerful mutual bond and benefit.” Well put.

This exploration will focus on horse talismans from two distinct cultures: 1)The Dalahäst from Sweden, 2) a trio of wooden horses from Japan, known as migoma. Both expressions of the horse are stylized wooden figures that are emblematic of the regions they represent.

Dalahasts, Sweden, House of Good Fortune Collection

Kinoshita-goma, Japan, House of Good Fortune Collection

Dala horses, a.k.a. Dalecarlian horses, are traditional handicrafts from Dalarna, Sweden. Dala horses are beautifully hand painted in bright colors, and bright orange-red is the traditional and most popular color. Dala horses symbolize strength, courage and happiness, and some believe that they bring good luck to one’s endeavors.

These cheerful, hand-carved pieces of folk art have been made for hundreds of years. Their origin story, according to Swedish folklore, is as follows:

“In the winter of 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden waged war throughout most of Europe, many soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden. Because of the severe winter and the war, all suffered from lack of food and warmth. Tradition has it that one such soldier, in his spare time, carved a Dala Horse from some scrap wood in the home where he was staying. Before presenting it to the child of the home as a gift, he painted it a bright red… In return for this bright toy, the woman of the house gave the soldier a bowl of soup. He made another horse and received another bowl of soup. When word of his success in bartering for food reached the other soldiers, they too began carving and painting horses in exchange for food.”

But an alternate take is offered by Joann Conrad, who explains that the dala horse was merely a simple folk toy until it was elevated in the late 1800s during a moment of culture-building in Sweden’s history.

While the exact details of the dalahast’s origin are disputed, one thing is agreed: the charm of the Dala horse was limited to Sweden until the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, when a large Dala horse was stationed in front of the Swedish Pavilion and 20,000 dala horses were given to attendees. After that, the international popularity of these toys soared; production ramped up and they became a cherished souvenir to bring home from Sweden.

Dalahast, Sweden, from the collection of the Mingei International Museum

Japanese horse talismans are most prevalent in Northern Japan, where horse breeding was centralized. The figurines are called Miharu-goma, Yawata-uma (aka Hachinohe horses) and Kinoshita-goma, depending on the prefecture where they are made (Fukushima, Aomori and Miyagi, respectively, in this case.) Like dala horses, Japanese horse talismans are hand-carved from wood and hand-painted, though they have a chunkier, more blocky appearance and their tails and manes are made of coarse horsehair or palmetto fibers.

Migoma, from the collection of the Mingei International Museum (Yawata-uma, Kinoshita-goma and Miharu-goma, from left to right)

Like the dala horses, their Japanese counterparts are also the subject of legends.

According to Japanese Folk Toys: The Playful Arts by Lea Baten:

“In Heian times (794-1185), the general Sakanoueno Tamuramaru was sent by the emperor to subdue the turbulent nothern provinces. Before leaving, the general went to pray at Kiypmizu Temple in Kyoto, and as amulets for victory, was given a hundred small wooden horses carved from the leftover pieces of a great image of Buddha. At Miharu, the battle was going against him, when a herd of one hundred horses suddenly appeared and overran the enemy forces. After the battle, the general found that his horse charms had disappeared, but the next day a villager from Takashiba found one wooden horse covered with sweat and blood…for one horse had been wounded. After these remarkable events, the people of Miharu and Takashiba made miniature copies of the wooden horse as amulets for the health and safety of their children.”

Now sold as souvenirs, Yawata-uma were originally hung from the necks of horses to protect them and their stables and to ensure fertility. Because they are thought to bring good luck, they are also offered as mementos of important occasions and celebrations.

Similarly, Kinoshita-goma are sold at shrines as talismans to protect horses and drive away evil spirits.

Dala horse from the collection of the Smithsonian Institute

Miharu-goma (white) from the collection of the Mingei International Collection