Keys represent knowledge and success. The key is also a symbol of freedom and liberation. In modern romantic notion a key necklace may symbolize “the key to my heart”. This is a love symbol much like the heart symbol. Keys have been used as a symbol of authority and power for ages in many societies and ceremonies around the world.
Earlier it was not uncommon that midwives would place a key in the hand of a woman giving birth. Preferably the key should be to a synagogue. The sacred key was meant to “unlock” the infant and ensure a safe delivery of the baby.
In Eastern Europe there was a superstition that a key brought good dreams to the owner. The key had the power to prevent all bad dreams. To make this work a key was hung upside down on the wall over the bed. In Ionia, located in present day Turkey, there was a tradition to bury the dead with an iron key. It was important the dead could unlock the door to the Underworld.