The Meaning Behind Tossing Lucky Pennies

The other day, I was walking on the sidewalk when I looked down and saw a penny laying there. I reached down to pick it up since I was always taught that finding a penny and holding onto it can bring one good luck. This simple occurrence caused me to think about  a more widely adopted ritual: throwing coins into fountains.

Photo from Flickr.com by AnnaleeBlysse

Why do we throw coins into fountains? When we throw coins into fountains what do most of us expect to happen?

Well, I decided to investigate these two questions to come to a more concrete answer rather than answering the questions with some of my preconceived notions.

After looking at a lot of different websites as well as talking to a few of my friends about the subject matter, it looks like the act ultimately has to do with luck. I had figured as much, but I really wanted to know why this ritual was supposed to bring the person luck.

Upon further investigation, I found that the ritual has ties back to Ancient Greece.  Apparently, the coin was an offering to the Naiad nymph of the spring or well. The Naiad nymph was an important spirit, and by tossing coins into the fountain, the spirit could ensure that the fountain would never run dry. So, the ritual came to be a general luck charm for the people to ensure their town would never run out of water.

The God of merchants, Hermes, also had luck oracles, where people would toss a coin into the sacred spring and the priest would interpret the meaning by how it fell. As a result, people did this in hopes and beliefs that it would bring luck to them and the tradition has continued ever since with fountains all over the world, a notable one being the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy.

So, if you are ever feeling like you need to clear out your coin purse, toss a couple coins in a fountain you happen to come across, you might just prevent your town from running out of water or even grant yourself some good luck.