What Is an Italian Horn?

An Italian horn is a symbol resembling a wavy line that's hung on a necklace and used for spiritual purposes. It is meant to serve as protection against the evil eye. A superstition from traditional Greek culture, the evil eye means giving someone a look that curses them. The horn is worn specifically to protect against reduced fertility.

History

The Italian horn, or corno, is a symbol from ancient times, when a moon goddess was worshiped in Europe, including Italy. It was worn to protect from the evil eye and ward off evil. The evil eye emerged from a belief that if someone jealously looked at your possessions, you could be harmed. Nursing mothers, pregnant women, nursing animals and men's and women's powers of intimacy could be affected by this eye. The charm was worn to prevent harm.

Appearance of the Symbol

The Italian horn looks similar to the horn of an antelope. It is related to the crescent-moon shape. In ancient Europe, including Italy, a moon goddess was worshiped before the advent of Christianity. This goddess was often seen standing on a crescent moon. Once Catholicism became a state religion in Italy, the moon goddess was replaced by the Virgin Mary, who is often depicted standing on a moon.

Purchasing

The jewelry can be purchased at jewelry stores in Italy and the U.S. Horns can be purchased online at GlobalJewelry.com, NextTag and Amazon.com, just to name a few sites.

Significance

The Italian horn is no longer used for protection, as mentioned by cultural site Kwintessential. Rather, it may be used as a good luck charm, a fashion statement or a symbol of pride in one's Italian heritage.

Materials

Traditionally, because silver was thought to be sacred, it was used to create the Italian horn charm. The less expensive coral also was used for the same reason. In modern times, yellow gold, white gold and diamonds may be used.

References

• Kwintessential: Italian Diamond Horns
• Global Jewelry: Italian Horn