A small acorn, hung at a London window against lightning. Between 1890 and 1916 the collector Lovett gathered acorn-shaped curtain-pulls kept for that reason, because in old belief the oak was the thunder god’s tree.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
Between 1890 and 1916, the collector Lovett gathered acorn-shaped curtain-pulls in London, hung at the window to keep lightning away. The Science Museum holds an acorn charm from his collection, and Southwark Heritage holds an acorn charm too.
To verify: The object numbers and dates of the acorn pulls in each collection
The custom rested on the oak. In the old belief behind it, the oak was the thunder god’s tree, so its acorn, hung by the window, was thought to turn lightning away from the house.
To verify: Which thunder god the belief names, if any, and where Lovett recorded it
We list the acorn under safe travels, but its own record is a household one: a pull at a London window, against lightning. We tell it that way, and make no promise about storms, at home or on the road.
