There are several misconceptions about the people who make, sell, and display Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs. The Pennsylvania Dutch can be split into two groups, both of which have a common German heritage, not Dutch. The word, “Dutch,” in “Pennsylvania Dutch,” came from “Deutchland,” the German word for Germany.
One group of the Pennsylvania Dutch is the “Plain People.” This group includes the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. The other group of the Pennsylvania Dutch is the “Fancy People” which included Lutherans, Reformed, and Moravians. Like other immigrants, these people brought their customs, food ways, dress, religious practices, language, folklore, art, and craft skills with them.
The “Plain People” are the ones who wear plain clothes, without ornaments or fancy things. Some won’t wear zippers. Some won’t allow women to wear ornamental buttons. Fru-fru and bling-bling are not worn by Church members--who wear certain types of clothes. Neither do the Plain People display Hex Signs on their homes or barns. Hex Signs are too ornamental. The Fancy People, on the other hand, do allow ornamentation as well as modern conveniences.
It is the Fancy People who traditionally make and display Hex Signs. Those who make the Hex Signs are sometimes called Hexologists. Among the Fancy People, they retained German motifs of floral and bird designs as well as geometric patterns which decorated bibles, marriage certificates, birth certificates, quilts, and even some furniture. Eventually some designs began to decorate Fancy farmers' barns in the late 19th century. Barn decorating apparently reached its peak in the early 20th century. Artfully painted hexagonal star-like patterns were popular and are still seen today on Pennsylvania Dutch barns in Berks County, Lancaster County, and Lehigh County.
The Amish and Mennonite Plain People are known for their delicious food, well-crafted furniture, and beautiful and practical quilts.
The confusion seems to result when visitors to the area see Amish and Mennonites, attired in their plain clothes, working in stores that sell Hex Signs.
After all, these workers bake the bread and pies in the bakery, make the chocolate in the candy stores, and craft the wood furniture and quilts in household furnishing shops--surely they make the Hex signs too? NO!
(I remember at a Pennsylvania Dutch fruit stand in the 1990's in Annapolis, Maryland, the Amish working there posted a sign politely saying, “We do not grow the bananas.”)
The Plain People do not make Hex Signs or display Hex Signs on their farms. Therefore, there is no such thing as an Amish Hex Sign.
What is a Hex Sign? Some folks will tell you it is nothing more than an ornamental design placed on a house or barn for purely decorative purposes.
Other folks and Hexologists will tell you they are traditional symbols promoting good luck, protection, and blessings.
This form of folk art could be used for either purpose. Some people view them as beautiful folk art. I do know of people who display Hex Signs for magical blessings and protection.
The word, “hex,” is both related to the German word for six, sechs, and the German word for spell or witch, hexen, hexe. In the melting pot of Pennsylvania, which had English, Scot-Irish, Welsh, and French along with German immigrants, these words became confused and eventually these Fancy Pensylvania Dutch ornamentations were known as HEX signs. They eventually incorporated other traditional symbols and motifs. (See table below)
The most basic Hex Sign is a six-petalled flower, called a rosette. It looks something like an asterisk with a circle.
It is my opinion that this design evolved from a symbol used in German magical books such as the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. The symbol I believe it is derived from is the Hexagram, the six-pointed star. The Hexagram was a potent symbol of protection in German folk magic.
For those who argue that the Hexagram is a Jewish religious symbol, they are correct. However, a number of grimores recorded the Hexagram as being the Seal of Solomon. Solomon was a goodly king, blessed by God, and wise in all matters of earth and sky--including magic. These legends were part of Christian mysticism and folklore from the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, and into the 19th century.
Thus, it is my opinion that the Hex Signs are derived from the Hexagram.
Hex Signs at Souvenir Stands
Originally these signs were individually created and hand-painted. Jacob Zook, an 11th generation Pennsylvania Dutchman and Hexologist, living in Paradise, PA, claimed to have pioneered the process of hand "silk screening" of hex signs to wooden disks in 1942. Basing his designs on traditional motifs and colors, Zook created signs which could be sold as colorful souvenirs to tourists.
Some of the more popular traditional motifs and symbols still in use today are on the following table.
| Symbol | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| Distelfinks (stylized goldfinches) | Happiness and luck | |
| Tulips | Faith | |
| Hearts | Love | |
| Stars | Good luck | |
| Rosettes | Protection, success, and good fortune |
Some of the more frequently used and traditional colors are on the following table.
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue | Protection |
| Green | Abundance and happiness |
| Yellow | Sun-light, children, and truth |
| Red | Life and strong emotion |
| White | Purity |
Folk Magic?
Do the Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs have any connection to the Pennsylvania Dutch Pow-wows?
I’ve heard two different things. Some claim that a Pow-wow doctor, Hexen, or Hexenmeister will sometimes make or advise people to purchase a certain type of Hex Sign. Whether this alleged practice was once a common event or not, I'm not sure. Some Hexens or Hexenmeisters reportedly did draw Annangsel parchments with geometric figures, mystical designs, and lettered with certain magical abbreviations. I have no idea if anyone makes Annangsel parchments now. Other reports indicate many Pow-wow practitioners did make protective charms called Himmels-breifs, which meant "Heaven's Letters." These protective charms used words, either "sympathetic words" or bible verses, rather than mystical designs or geometrical symbols. Himmels-breifs were written by the Pow-wow doctor on a piece of parchment paper and hung up in a house. Apparently Himmels-breifs are still made by some Pow-wow doctors or Pow-wowers as protective charms today.
Whether 21st century practitioners of Pow-Wow suggest to anyone the use of a certain hex sign for magical purposes, I don't know.
Those people whom I personally know who did have a Hex Sign displayed for purposes of the blessing simply picked out one, took it home, consecrated it, and tacked it up outside their home.
Neo-Pagans can do the same. Likewise, folks can display hex signs for purely decorative purposes or as part of some ornate symbols of ethnic identification.
The practice of Pow-wow, as well as the Hex Signs, probably derive from the same German folk magic roots, but they don’t seem to be directly connected anymore.
If you want more information about Hex Signs, little booklets are sold all over the Pennsylvania Dutch country. You might also check out Zook's Family Crafts, "The Hex Place," 3056 US Route 30, Paradise, PA 17562.
Further reading:
Ivan E. Hoyt, Hex Signs: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Learning the Craft. Mechanicsburg, PA:
Stackpole Books, 2008.
Walt Mauer, Hex Signs And Their Meanings, 1996
Don Yoder and Thomas E. Graves. Hex Signs: Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Symbols and Their Meaning.
2nd ed. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole, 2000.
Pennsylvania Dutch Healing
Other links:
Design Your Own Hex Sign
Charm of the Sprain
Braucherei, Powwow, and Deitsch folk magic