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A great little lucky charm for you from Capri
But what is its true meaning and why has it become the symbol of an entire population, recognizable throughout the world?
One of the symbols of Campania Region and its superstitions is the typical lucky horn, known as cornicello (in Neapolitan dialect: “curniciello”), a traditional talisman, particularly popular in Southern Italy.
The history of the Lucky Horn
The story of the lucky horn has very deep and, above all, ancient roots.
On a symbolic level, Neapolitan culture is not the only one to have embraced this particular item: indeed, we can find traces of it in Sumerian, Chinese and even Siberian shamanic culture.
The origins of the meaning of the lucky charm can be dated back to more or less 3500 BC, when the horns of hunted animals were exposed in the caves.
At the time, according to scholars and anthropologists, the connotation of that ritual was to boast the power of the cave dwellers and the family prosperity.
Over the centuries, the horn symbolism became increasingly linked to peoples' deeds in battle (especially Vikings), thus becoming an ornamental element for the headgears used in war.
In more recent times, historians have often associated the lucky horn with sexual power: the horn, in a sort, would represent Priapus’s Phallus (Priapus was the God of Prosperity), believed by the Greeks to be a defender against bad luck. In the following centuries these beliefs reached the Romans too, and in this respect, the findings of such object inside the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum are a clear evidence of it.
The rules of the Lucky Horn
According to tradition, there are some ''rules'' to be respected, in order to ensure that the object in question ''will work'' as a good luck charm or a protection against bad luck.
First, the horn must be hand-made, so that the craftsman who shapes it may release his ''positive vibes'' onto the created object.
In addition, the little horn or cornetto mustn’t be straight, because it symbolically represents life with all its curves.
But the main ''rule'' is that you cannot buy yourself a lucky horn!
Absolutely FORBIDDEN!
To make the horn work properly, it has to be received as a gift, always and in any case! If it breaks or gets lost, don't worry! It means that it has fulfilled its protective function!
Therefore Good luck !
