Talismans against evil have been mounted on doorframes since the earliest dwelling places were constructed, and to this day good-luck tokens like horseshoes, sacred statues or Chinese feng shui symbols can be found on front doors from East to West. In China, doors are often still painted with a fresh coat of auspicious red paint before New Year to bring good luck and happiness to the home. These charms have their origins in the belief that humanity lived under constant threat from the forces of evil. In the ancient world these forces were represented by fearful gods; Set or Seth, the demon of death in Egyptian mythology, or the fearsome winged monster Typhon in ancient Rome. In the Western world during the Middle Ages, the Devil was as much of a presence in everyday life as God, and was held responsible for the myriad of misfortunes that might befall a person living in times when the average life expectancy at birth was thirty-five years. Evil spirits in the form of sprites and fairies or demonically possessed animals might be lurking in every shadow; the home had to be defended from these destructive forces and the front door was the first line of defence.
