Horseshoes for happiness and fear of black cats: where did the famous superstitions come from
Miscellaneous / / April 04, 2023
It's time to find out how knocking on wood saves you from the evil eye and why opening an umbrella indoors is a bad idea.
1. If you open an umbrella indoors, bad luck will happen.
Walks on the Internet bikeWhy are people afraid to open an umbrella indoors? /HowStuffWorksthat this sign came to us from ancient Egypt. There umbrellas made of papyrus and peacock feathers were the symbol of the sky goddess Nut. And if you bring them under the roof, taking them out of the jurisdiction of the goddess, then you can insult her.
In fact, this superstition is not so ancient and its reasons are much more prosaic.
Physicist and popularizer of science Charles Panati installedC. Panati. Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Thingsthat it originated in Victorian England. In the 18th century, mechanical umbrellas became widespread there, and then they were a rather dangerous tool due to overly stiff springs and imperfect mechanisms. And they could easily gouge out someone's eye or knock fragile items off the shelves.
People began to notice the obvious connection between opening an umbrella and all sorts of trouble, and over time the rule "don't touch the umbrella under the roof" has turned from a reasonable precaution to an instinctive one superstition. And it remained even when the springs in umbrellas began to be made thinner and weaker.
2. For happiness in the house, you need to hang a horseshoe over the door
Some also add meaningHorseshoes / Skeptical Inquirer how to hang a horseshoe. Some argue: if it ends up, then happiness “accumulates” in it, if downwards, on the contrary, it “poured out”. Others say that from an inverted horseshoe, happiness "poured out" on those who enter the house. So here the myth has no definite interpretation.
So why is a horseshoe considered a lucky thing? In fact, this is not difficult to explain: they are useful in the household. Since the Middle Ages, horseshoes have served as a heraldic symbol. Their tookJ. eyers. Don't Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions with them even where they would seem to be unnecessarily - at sea - and nailed to the masts for good luck.
There is an opinion that the basis of superstition liesWho Was St. Dunstan / St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church such a legend: in the 11th century, Saint Dunstan in Britain shod the devil by cunning and forced him to promise that he would never enter a house with a horseshoe.
Another option is Celtic originb. N. Fhloinn. Cold Iron: Aspects of the Occupational Lore of Irish Fishermen myth. The Irish and Scots, for example, believe that iron harms ghosts, fairies, witches, and other unpleasant fellows.
But it is much more likely that the superstition is even older and dates back to the days ancient rome. Then already inventedJ. bird. Keeping a Horse the Natural Way horseshoes (hipposandals), but they were difficult to manufacture and very valuable: iron was expensive.
And to find a product lying on the road, the Romans considered it a great success - how to pick up an iPhone in our time. Therefore, horseshoes have become associated with happiness.
3. If a black cat crosses the road, it's unfortunate
The myth that black cats are associated with witchcraft has ancient roots: in the ancient world, for example, these animals were associated with the goddess of the moon, night and magic, Hekate.
But they became truly associated with the dark forces in the Middle Ages. On June 13, 1233, Pope Gregory IX issued the bull "Vox in Rama", in which, casually, he designated black cats as satanic animals.
In general, this document was aimed at suppressing the growing cult of Luciferian heretics in Germany.
But the flock took the decrees of the pontiff too seriously and decided that it would be nice to set fire not only to apostates, but also cats. Just in case.
This resulted in great persecution of even the least suspicious people and animals. Great Cat Extermination continuedR. Darnton. The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century. And there is a theory that it was it that provoked the spread of rats and the subsequent plague epidemic - however, this delusion.
Be that as it may, since the Middle Ages, black cats have been considered companions and helpers of witches - creatures that bring misfortune.
4. You have to knock on wood so as not to jinx it
This superstition is also credited with millennial roots. Some believe that a similar practice was introduced in ancient times by Christians: they touched a wooden crucifix around their neck whenever evil could embarrass them. Others see in sign echoes of the Indo-European or Celtic belief that in trees good spirits live. By touching the trunks, you can call them for help.
But much more likely, historians believe, that this belief spread around the world, again from England. There was a nursery there in the 19th century a gameA. b. gomme. The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Tiggy Touchwood is something like our tags. The “salted” participant ran after the others, trying to grab them. When he was catching up with someone, the pursued person could touch something wooden - railings, doors - and declare that he was receiving immunity.
As a result, the rules of this game became the basis for the superstition "touch or knock on a wooden object to ward off trouble." Adult English repeatedA. b. gomme. The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland the same ritual in disturbing moments, and over time it spread throughout Europe and gained a foothold there.
5. Number 13 - unlucky
The belief in the danger of this number is so widespread that it even got its name - triskaidekaphobia. Because of it, for example, in New York hotels there is no 13th floor - it is marked as 12A.
Some medieval theologians tied upWhy is the number 13 considered unlucky? / The Straight Dope this is the number with the number of apostles who were present at the Last Supper. The last, 13th, was supposedly Judas, who betrayed Jesus.
Although in fact the Bible does not say anything about the order in which the apostles came to dinner with the messiah.
But more likely believesD. E. Dossey. Holiday Folklore, Phobias, and Fun historian and folklorist Donald Dossey that triskaidekaphobia has not Christian, but pagan roots. There is such Scandinavian myth: the god of deceit Loki came as the thirteenth guest to the feast of the gods in Valhalla and put an arrow tipped with mistletoe into the hands of the blind ace Hodu. And he accidentally killed everyone's favorite Balder with it.
And thanks to this legend, first in Europe, and then throughout the world, the belief spread that the number 13 is unlucky, and mistletoe brings grief.
6. Cutting your nails and hair at night can bring misfortune on yourself.
The ban on cutting hair and nails after sunset is very ancient and exists in many cultures around the world - from Europe to Japan. And historian Bruce Lincoln tracedb. Lincoln. Treatment of Hair and Fingernails among the Indo‑Europeans / History of Religions its origins up to the 1st millennium BC. e.
In Zoroastrian texts, the warnings of the supreme deity Ahuramazda have been preserved that from hair and nails thrown without proper burial, devas - demons are born. Therefore, cuttings should be handled with care.
Well, more manicure with scissors in the dark it is easy to cut yourself or poke yourself in the eye, and this is much more unpleasant than some kind of devas.
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