Superstitions

Hello Readers,

We have arrived in Autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. The balmy days of summer are now well behind us and Halloween is only just around the corner at the end of October. There are always lots of folk law and ghost stories going around at this time of the year and many superstitions are also being unearthed and observed. Although in modern society superstitions don’t have much of a place, at least no in the typical sense, for most of history they have played a huge role in shaping culture and society. Whether they are old wives tales, legends or or just scary stories, every group has their share of them, so here are just a few that you may find interesting.

Walking under a ladder is said to be unlucky. In medieval times when ladders were leaned against the gallows so that the corpses could be removed, people believed that walking beneath a ladder could bring about their own death.

The superstition of breaking a mirror bringing seven years of bad luck originates in ancient Greece before mirrors were invented. In a form of fortune telling called ‘catopromancy’, shallow bowls were filled with water were used to tell a person future and any distortion meant bad news. The first mirrors fashioned from precious metals were unbreakable but in 15th century Venice, where glass mirrors backed by silver coating were first produced, they were so expensive that any servant who broke one would have to offer seven years of labour to pay back the debt.

In ancient Egypt beautiful umbrellas fashioned from papyrus and adorned with peacock feathers were used to protect nobility and religious leaders from the heat of the sun. The shadow beneath the umbrella was thought sacred and stepping into it was considered sacrilegious if you were not the one being shielded from the sun’s glare.

When miners in the north of England died in colliery accidents, their shoes were placed on the family table as a mark of respect. Putting any shoes, whether old or new on a table was therefore seen a tempting fate.

Ancient cultures believed that metal was a gift from the gods given to man for protection against evil and this developed into the idea that metal brings good luck, whether in the form of a lucky penny, a charm bracelet or by hanging a horseshoe over the door frame.

In many ancient cultures salt was believed to be a powerful magical substance as well as a precious trading commodity. Spilling it was considered wasteful and could bring bad luck. Spilled salt is also seen as unlucky because Judas is portrayed spilling the salt in Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century painting, The Last Supper.

The term for fear of Friday 13th is ‘paraskevidekatriaphobia’. One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions that 13 is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. Fridays have been considered unlucky since Chaucer wrote ‘The Canterbury Tales in the 14th century, but the superstition grew in strength after 1907, the year that Thomas W Lawsons popular novel ‘Friday The Thirteenth was published. It concerns an unscrupulous broker who takes advantage of superstition to create a Wall Street panic on Friday 13th. Another theory exists is that Judas was the 13th person to be seated at the Last Supper.

If you blow out all your birthday candles with the first breath, you will get whatever you wish for. Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck. If a black cat crosses your path, you will have good luck. An itch palm means money is coming your way. Toads cause warts. For good luck, wear new clothes at Easter. If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip. Animals can talk on Christmas Eve. If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave. To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding ring. Smell dandelions, wet the bed. Its unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair. To refuse a kiss under the mistletoe is bad luck, but you can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle.

Until Next Week,

Love and Light,

Linda and The Lulas xxx