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ANIMAL SUPERSTITIONS by Thomas G. Ay les worth illustrated with
photographs
and old prints Everyone knows about cat superstitions. Black cats are bad luck. Cats can be witches' familiars. But cats were also used for rainmaking in Java, Sumatra, and Scotland.
Young readers might not know that a number of animals have inspired all kinds of superstitions, some familiar and some obscure. As far as chickens go, a white rooster was used to make rain in Western Europe. A cock's crow will frighten away demons. Why not try sleeping on a bearskin to ease a backache? Nail a wolfs head to your doorway and it will keep witches away. Cook a two- tailed lizard in oil and smear it on an enemy, and great
he
will die.
The author incorporates superstitions about crocodiles, elephants, toads, and rabbits,
among others,
in a sort
of bestiary,
arranged according to scientific tion.
This
new book offers fun
young people.
classifica-
reading for
%
Digitized by the Internet Archive in
2014
1
https://archive.org/details/animalsuperstitiOOayle
't^'
ass
OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR The Alchemists: Magic Into Science Astrology and Foretelling the Future Cars, Boats, Trains, and Planes of Today
and Tomorrow
ESP Geological Disasters:
Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Graphology
Mammal's World Works Like This Monsters from the Movies Movie Monsters Into the It
Mysteries from the Past Palmistry Science at the Ball
Game
Science Update 77 Science Update 78
The Search for
Life
Servants of the Devil
Storm Warning The Story of Dragons and Other Monsters The Story of Vampires The Story of Werewolves The Story of Witches Teaching for Thinking This Vital Air, This Vital Water Traveling Into
Tomorrow
Understanding Body Talk Vampires and Other Ghosts Werewolves and Other Monsters
Who's Out There? The World of Microbes
THOMAS Illustrated
G.
AYLESWORTH
with photographs and old prints
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY New
York
•
St.
Louis
•
San Francisco
•
Montreal
•
Toronto
'AO d. /Iff
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Thomas G
Aylesworth,
SUMMARY:
2.
superstitions.
Details superstitions about animals held in a variety of cultures
in different epochs.
Superstition
Animal
Includes index.
Bibliography: p.
1.
Animal
—Juvenile
Superstition]
I.
lore
—Juvenile
literature. [1.
Animal
literature. 2. lore.
Title.
398'.369 GR820.A94 ISBN 0-07-0026658-0
80-21389
Copyright ® 1981 Thomas G. Aylesworth. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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BPBP
8 7 6 5 4 3 2
1
For Eleanor Nichols
A a
great editor
and
wonderful friend
r
Contents
PREFACE
/
I
Chapter
1.
MAMMALS
Chapter
2.
BIRDS
Chapter
3.
REPTILES
Chapter
4.
AMPHIBIANS
Chapter
5.
FISH
Chapter
6.
ANIMALS WITHOUT BACKBONES
/
/
5
43
/
/
75
/
85
93
OTHER BOOKS ABOUT ANIMAL SUPERSTITIONS INDEX
/
115
/
113
/
99
Preface
Sometimes
it
seems as though almost every
animal that can be seen with the naked eye has a superstition connected with
it.
And
if
when
microscope had been invented back these superstitions were
dreamed up,
would probably be crazy
amoeba and
Many
beliefs
the
there
about the
the paramecium.
of the strange ideas about animals
come from the world of witchcraft. Every witch was supposed to have an animal. These weird pets, called familiars, came in many varietiescats,
even
dogs, rabbits, toads, birds, insects.
The job
fish,
or perhaps
of the familiar
help the witch with her
little
was
to
chores, such as
1
Animal
2
Superstitions
Preface
ruining the crops or causing floods. So people
who
believed in witchcraft also thought that
some animals could work magic. There are animal superstitions about creatures that are just plain ugly, like the toad.
There are notions about other animals that are feared
by humans,
crocodiles.
And
like snakes,
there are
odd
wolves, and beliefs
about
An
exam-
animals that appear to work magic. ple of this
is
disappear in the
when
all
the folklore about birds that fall
that has
and reappear in the
happened
is
spring,
that they
have
migrated to a warmer climate.
On
the less magical side, there are supersti-
tions about using animals to cure diseases.
Many
people also have believed that they can
make themselves
beautiful or
handsome, get
rid of warts, or find their true loves
by using
animals, parts of animals, or animal products.
Even
in
modem
times, people
who
claim
that they are not the least bit superstitious
still
believe that certain animals have certain talents.
They
root for their fierce, frightening animals,
like the Detroit Tigers, the
University of Michi-
3
Animal
Superstitions
gan Wolverines, or the University of Kentucky
They cheer on
Wildcats. like the
their sturdy animals,
Chicago Bears, the University of Colo-
rado Buffaloes, or the University of Connecticut Huskies. They applaud their lightning-swift animals, like the
Miami Dolphins, the Toronto
Blue Jays, or the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.
This book
rundown
a
is
of
many
of the
unusual ideas and myths that people in various parts of the world have believed about the
magic of animals. There are
five chapters
groups of animals with backbones
—mammals, And
fish.
{vertebrates)
birds, reptiles, amphibians,
there
is
and
and
one chapter devoted
animals without backbones as spiders
on the
{invertebrates),
to
such
insects.
Probably none of the superstitions in this
book are after
a
true.
But
if
you are
like
most people,
you hear about some of them, you
little
suspicious of your pet
you may never
dog or
will
cat.
trust a crocodile again!
T.G.A.
4
be
And
CHAPTER
Mammals The mammals
are the
most highly developed
group in the animal kingdom, and
human
beings belong to this collection of animals with
backbones
(vertebrates).
and nurse
their
Usually, the
Mammals have
young with mother's
young
are
bom
hair milk.
alive, after devel-
oping inside the body of the mother, not
laid in
eggs.
Modem mammals vary in size shrew,
from the tiny
than two inches long,
to
the
enormous blue whale, over one hundred
feet
long.
less
Most
of the
although some,
and the sea cow, of the
mammals
like
are land animals,
the whale, the porpoise,
live in the sea.
few mammals that
is
The bat
capable of
is
one
flight.
5
Animal
Superstitions
BADGER People in the Badger State of Wisconsin don't
seem
have superstitions about the animal.
to
But some of the lovesick young
women
there might
from the West stunt to
want
Indies.
awaken
love. Just
badger under your boy- or
he or she
will fall in love
borrow a
to
There
men and belief
an old voodoo
is
bury the foot of a girlfriend's
bed and
with you.
BAT As
a furry animal that can
unusual creature. developed about In
most
tion.
fly,
the bat
is
a
most
And many odd notions have it.
places, the bat has a terrible reputa-
Because
it
was thought
that the Devil
often took the form of a bat, the animal
was
a
symbol of death. In Europe, Asia, and the Americas,
it
the house,
has been said that
someone
if
a bat
flies
into
will die.
But in parts of England, the bat was not a fiend, but a mischievous animal.
that bats stole
neys.
6
And
It
was thought
bacon from farmhouse chim-
there are English children
who
Mammals chant a
rhyme when they
little
Bat, hat, get under
my
And
slice
Baf s blood was poses.
you a
Til give
Most
it
around on her broom.
in Central Europe,
a boy
for magical pur-
as one of the ingredients
to help the witch sail
make
of bacon,
recipes for flying ointment for
witches mentioned
And
hat
used
also
see a bat:
fall
all
a
girl
in love with her
is
has to do to to
add a few
drops of bat's blood to his beer. If
you don't believe
believe this
never
—a bat can help you become
invisi-
ble. Just carry the heart of a
right arm.
wear the
you
will
that,
Of
left
if
you are
bat under your
in the
German
Tyrol,
eye of a bat and no one will be able
to see you.
In parts of
you
Germany
Bats are
will
was believed
tied the dried heart of a bat
you would be lucky
see
it
that
if
on your arm
at cards.
good weather
predictors, too.
them flying around the fields at night,
If
you
there
be good weather.
7
Animal
Superstitions
BEAR The Norwegian hunters
of old drank bears'
blood to make them as strong as a bear. But
most of the other
superstitions
about
this
animal are medical. For example, there
is
the famous concoction
made from
called bear grease,
the fat of the
creature. In sixteenth-century Europe,
believed that bear grease It
it
was
would cure baldness.
would also prevent blight in the garden if you
rubbed
Want
it
on your garden
to cure a child of
the patient ride
unless the bear that
on is
tools.
whooping cough? Let
a bear's back.
gentle, there
is
Of
course,
a possibility
something worse than whooping cough
might happen To prevent
to the child! fits,
bear's belly, boil soles of
sleep
your
on a
it
take
some
in alcohol,
feet. If
you
fur from a live
and put
suffer
it
on the
from backache,
bearskin.
come in handy, too. Give one to gum on and the result will be strong
Bears' teeth
a baby to teeth.
Carry a bear tooth as a charm and
prevent toothache.
8
it
will
To some people, the bear was as mysterious an animal as the unicorn. Here is an illustration from a fourteenthcentury hook showing a fight between the two creatures, with another bear, obviously thirsty, looking on. Another old drawing of the bear. Since hears took honey from hives, they were often thought to be enemies of the bees.
Some
called this
animal the "bee-wolf."
9
Animal
Superstitions
One
The
cat can he a witch's ''familiar."
who
confessed in 1618, said that her mother
witch. She
saw her mother's
English witch,
was
also a
familiar, "the cat,
Rutterkin, leap on her shoulder and suck her neck."
10
— Mammals
BEAVER The Indians
of British
Columbia
a superstition about the beaver
baby
will
make her work harder
when
Canada had
—rub the body
with the body of a beaver. This
of a
girl
in
husband
for her
she gets married.
CAT In the Middle Ages, a cat
was
be the Devil himself, or familiar. Also,
often thought to
at
was an animal
it
a witch's
least
that,
it
was
could be a witch in disguise. But a witch
said,
turn
could
a
into
cat
only
matching the supposed nine
No
question about
it,
nine
times
lives of the cat.
the cat
is
associated
with luck. In most places, the cat that brings the worst luck
is
England a black
the black cat
is
cat.
lucky,
and a white
brings bad luck. In any case,
comes
stroke
it
Sailors
and
cat
on
cat
a black cat it
outside.
gently along the spine or
will take the luck of the
A
if
into the house, don't chase
You must
cats.
But in parts of
house with
it
it.
actors are particularly fond of
a ship brings
good
luck.
And 11
it
Animal
Superstitions
when
can be very helpful drive the
the deck
sail.
there
no wind
to
under a pot on
Just put the cat
and a good wind
is
come up. And
will
don't throw the cat overboard or a terrible
storm will occur. Every theater should have a
Some
cat.
actors think that
the cat looks
if
interested while the actors are rehearsing, the
play will be a success. But
stage during a performance,
Never kick the theater
runs across the
if it
cat or
it it
is
a disaster.
will bring
on
a
catastrophe.
In
some
places
it is
believed that cats creep
from young
into cradles to suck the breath
And these animals seem to have a lot to do with illness. Many used to think they
babies.
caused sickness and death. In the seventeenth century. Increase Mather,
New
the
England Puritan minister, wrote,
'There are some who,
comes it,
into a
who
to die
it,
will presently
be in a sweat
away." There were even those
believed that
if
a sick person
cats or a cat fight, the result
12
a cat accidentally
room, though they neither see of
nor are told of
and ready
if
dreamed
of
would be death.
The
cat has been associated
with the moon. The
grows
first bigger
moon
and then
smaller, just like the smile
on the Cheshire Cat
in
Alice in Wonderland,
which looks here crescent moon.
like
a
Animal Superstitions
To the Japanese, the cat could he a witch in animal form. This
is
a painting by the
Kuniyoshi.
14
It is called
famous Japanese "The Cat-Witch/'
artist
Mammals
On
the brighter side, there are
stitions
that
people.
If
technique the
claim that cats
someone tells
human
is
ill
super-
can help sick
in the house,
an old
how to transfer the disease from
cat— douse the wash water and chase
patient's
many
to a
cat it
with the
out of the
house.
A
dried cat skin put
toothache. Broth
consumption.
makes a
A
A
on the
made from whole
stye in the eye could tail
a black cat cures
cat boiled in olive oil
perfect dressing for
Just pull the caf s
cures
face
wounds.
be cured with a
cat.
over the affected eye and
say:
/
poke
1
poke the queff [stye] that's under the eye,
thee. I don't
poke thee,
O qualyway, O qualyway. It
was
said that this technique could also cure
warts and the
itch.
Cats are good for predicting the weather.
When a cat sneezes,
it
means
rain.
When these
animals scamper around wildly, there will be a
wind.
If
they
wash
their ears,
it
means
rain.
15
Animal Superstitions
and when they is
sit
with their backs to the
fire it
a prediction of frost or storms.
make
In Indonesia, cats can be used to All that
upside
is
necessary
down on
the ground
washes a
and
is
for a
rain.
woman to put a pot
her head. Then she puts fills it
cat in the
with water.
it
on
she
Finally,
water until the animal is half
drowned. This causes heavy can she figure out exactly
rains. (But
when
the cat
is
how half
drowned?) Cats are also associated with romance, especially in
There,
the Ozark regions of the United States.
if
a girl accidentally steps
on
she will marry within the year. But
an
it
tail,
must be
accident.
she can't
If
marry a
make up her mind whether
certain
man
technique called "leave hairs
from a caf s
of white
doorstep.
paper.
tail
if
it
to the cat." Take three
and wrap them
in a piece
Put the paper under the
The next morning,
the hairs spell
16
to
or not, she can use a
Y
unwrap hairs. Look to
carefully
the paper without disturbing the see
a cat's
for yes, or
N for no.
Since the cat was sacred to the
Egyptians,
it
might
seem reasonable that these animals were
made into mummies,
just like
important people.
—^fcj
.
^
™
1
'
41
1
Animal
Superstitions
Another Ozark
women
was
belief
they should toss a cat in animal. Whichever
be the
first
One Ozark cats,
when
should have a cat handy
have a quilting bee. Once the
will
that unmarried
it
quilt is finished,
and then
woman
they
release the
the cat heads for
one married.
warning.
If
a family keeps black
none of the daughters
house
of the
will
marry.
Sneezing cats have something to do with
romance,
too. In
many
once near a bride,
it
good marriage. But
more times
it
just
places,
means if
if
a cat sneezes
that she will
have a
the cat sneezes three or
means
that the
whole family
will catch cold. Finally, to finish off the cat, here are three
unrelated
superstitions.
Cats
are
good
for
hunting mice unless your particular cat was
bom in May. May cats are only good for killing glowworms and brew
belief that
nibbled by a
cat,
snakes. There if
you
you will
eat
is
an old He-
what has been
become
forgetful. In
the southern part of the United States, never kick a
18
cat.
You
will get
rheumatism.
Mammals
CATTLE There If
is
a
Hindu
idea that concerns the dying.
a person dies while holding onto a cow's
it is
certain that
he or she
In Europe just a ago,
ing
some people had off a cattle
be blessed.
more than a century
a strange
way
of ward-
epidemic. Slaughtered cows'
hearts were boiled
A
little
will
tail,
and stuck
statue of the giant ox of
her master, Paul Bunyan.
full of pins.
American legend, Babe, with
Animal Superstitions
DOG Dogs have been favorites ies.
humans for centurcity of Cynopolis was
of
In ancient Egypt, the
named
for the
that the people take in
even went
to
someone from
made
stray dogs. Cynopolis
all
war with a nearby town when that
The governor lover too.
A law there required
dog Cynos,
town
ate
one of
its
was
of ancient Babylon
He owned
so
dogs.
many dogs
a
that
he
four towns exempt from paying taxes as
And
long as the people fed the dogs properly. there
dog
is
an old saying
of the United States:
in the
Ozark Mountains
"A man who
can't
make
friends with dogs can't be trusted.''
Dogs brew
superstition claims that
between two men, they
will
if
a
the angel of death
is strolling
The Spaniards look on the lucky there to
call
dog passes
it
luck.
means that
through town.
brighter side.
It is
dogs by name.
Of course dogs
are sometimes associated
with medicine. Here for curing fever:
old He-
have bad
And if a dog cannot stop howling,
20
An
are associated with luck.
is
an old Hebrew recipe
Mammals Take seven prickles from seven palm
trees,
seven chips from seven beams, seven nails from seven bridges, seven ashes from seven ovens, ,
seven scoops of earth from seven door sockets, seven pieces of pitch from seven ships, seven handfuls of cumin,
and seven and
tie
hairs
them
from
to the
the beard of
an old dog,
neck hole of the shirt
with a white twisted cord.
There was an old Mesopotamian technique to cure a child of a disease
by
transferring the
sickness to a dog. First, put a loaf of bread
on
the child's head« Next, recite a certain incantation three times.
from head
Rub
the child with the loaf
to foot. Finally, feed the
bread to a
dog. The dog will get the disease, and the child will
be cured.
Speaking of disease, there
Hebrew
belief
you are
bitten
water that
is
another ancient
about hydrophobia, or
by
may
a
mad
rabies. If
dog, don't look in any
be nearby.
If
you were
to see
the reflection of the animal that bit you, you
would surely
die of the bite.
21
Animal
Superstitions
Did you ever have any birds? All
you have
to
do
you
if
hearts,
he or she
is
to
and
a fox's heart together
more,
desire to talk to the
cook a dog's and
eat them.
someone
kiss
will
What's
after eating the
be able to
talk to the birds,
too.
ELEPHANT made out of
In parts of Africa a ring or bracelet
braided elephant's hair will bring you good luck.
GOAT In
many
places
could ride goat.
was believed
it
off to a
And when
that a witch
grand witches' meeting on a the Devil appeared at these
witches' meetings, he
came
in the
form of a
goat.
In ancient
good
luck.
If
Rome, a she-goat could bring you one crossed your path as you were
leaving the house
good was going If
you
fall
it
to
down
was
a sign that something
happen a
lot,
to you.
here
is
a cure
desert goat's tongue in your pocket at
22
—keep a
all
times.
Mammals
HORSE Superstitions about horses have always
been
with us. The ancient Celtic people kept white horses in sacred groves. The Celts thought that
they could predict the future by watching their
movements. Centuries ago,
German
If
kept white
When a war was about
horses in their temples. to start,
tribes
one of the horses would be led outside.
the animal stepped over the threshold the
foot
first,
was
called
war would be
lost.
left
So the fighting
off.
In parts of India, a specially consecrated
horse was allowed to run free for a year. The
horse was protected by warriors sure the king
on whose
roamed would
either
In Europe
it
used
who made
territory the horse
pay homage or
to
fight.
be thought that a horse
could be a witch's familiar.
A traveling English
performing horse was burned as a witch in
Rouen, France, because
was thought Long ago
to
be a
it
was so
human
clever that
it
in disguise.
in the Pennsylvania
of the United States, children
Dutch country were protected
23
Animal
Superstitions
(Above) In a thirteenth-century manuscript, horses were pictured as the five senses. a row.
At
the right
rearing to
paw
left, all
From
left to
to taste?
of them are in
wings, and notice the
right are touch (a horse
the ground), hearing,
knows what happened
24
the
sight. It has
is
eye in front. (Below)
At
and
smell.
Who
Mammals from witchcraft by being passed through a horse
And
collar.
horse-head decorations on
German houses warded
the gables of
off evil
spirits.
Horses have one problem. They are susceptible to the evil eye. (The evil eye
is
supposed
to
way of harming a person just by looking at him or her.) To combat this, many horses were
be a
with fancy tack
outfitted
—brass pieces show-
ing the sun, the moon, or a heart.
many
Like so
handy
to
other animals, horses
in
amateur doctors. Horse hairs placed
around the neck were said child
came
to cure goiter.
If
a
has worms, make him or her eat a sandwich.
horse-hair
In
England,
was
it
thought that cancer could be cured with horse spurs (the callouses on the inside of the horse's leg). Just
powder them and drink them
mixture of
Hebrew
warm
milk and
ale.
There
is
in a
an old
idea that a horse's blood will cure
warts.
In England
was believed meant
there
and our own Ozark
that a
regions,
it
dream about a white horse
would be sickness or death
in the
25
Animal Superstitions
family. But a
color
dream about
was good
agree.
a horse of a different
Ancient Hebrews didn't
luck.
White-horse dreams were good, but
red-horse dreams were bad. At any rate,
own
horse
change
its
is
if
your
having a run of bad luck,
just
name, and
change
that will
its
luck.
In parts of the southern United States believed that you can't trust a
red horse.
help you
man who
And in the same regions,
make
When you
it is
rides a
horses can
sure that your wish comes true.
see a
hand and make
newbom
colt,
spit in
your
Or you can use the "stamping'' technique. Wet your right thumb and press the wet part into your left palm. Then the wish.
"stamp" a mule with the
left
palm. After
twenty different mules, your wish granted. it
You can stamp white
takes one
hundred
of
them
be
will
horses, too, but to
do the
job.
HYENA Hyenas were thought
to
be truly magic
ani-
mals, probably because of their cry, which
sounds so much
like
Arabs believed that
26
if
human
laughter.
a hyena steps
The
on your
Mammals
The hyena's cousin, the jackal, was associated with death. Here is an ancient wall painting showing the Egyptian jackal-headed god, Anubis, whose job was to guide the dead to the place of judgment.
shadow, you
will lose the
movement. And and
casts a
if
powers of speech and
your pet dog
shadow on
is
on the roof
the ground, the hyena
has but to step on the shadow, and the dog will fall off
first
the roof.
place
is
What
it
was doing
there in the
anyone's guess!
27
Animal Superstitions
A
hyena tooth worn around the neck,
ac-
cording to the ancient Greeks, will protect you
from both witches and night animals. To accomplish the same thing, smear hyena's
blood on the doorposts of your house. Hyena skin
hung on
wards
off hail
the gate of an English orchard
and
lightning.
Hyenas, according
man
help a
girlfriend
to the old Greeks,
can
in love. Just touch the lips of your
with a hyena's whisker, and she will
be yours forever.
Some that
if
primitive Australian tribes believed
you wore the heart of a hyena you would
become cowardly. But who would want such a piece of jewelry?
LION The
lion has often
been thought of as a symbol
of strength. East African
Masai warriors would
make them strong. But that didn't necessarily mean that all these people thought that the lion was brave. There were tales told that the lion was afraid of drink the blood of this animal to
the crowing of a rooster.
28
Mammals
Some thought
that a sick lion could be cured
with the blood of an ape. And, by the way, clothing to
wrapped in a lion's
skin
was supposed
be safe from moths.
In this scene from an Indian temple, the job of a lion pull the planet Saturn through the sky on a cart.
29
is
to
Animal
Superstitions
MOLE There
is
an ancient Hebrew love charm
might come in handy. to
fall
If
in love with her,
male mole and
hit
on
it
woman wants a man
a
she has to do
all
that
its
find a
is
The same
right foot.
thing works for men, with a female mole.
PIG For centuries, the pig has been either loved or
hated by
human
some, forbidden
The
beings.
It is
a staple food for
to others.
pig, like the horse,
is
said to be vulnera-
ble to the evil eye. But the animal does talent.
It
is
believed by
a weather prophet,
some
to
since
it
is
be able to smell or see the
to
wind. In parts of the United
supposed
have
know when
States,
a tornado
But never mention a pig to a
is
it
is
coming.
sailor or
it
will
bring bad luck.
There was an old with pigs. except
A
30
custom
that
had
to
do
pig in the house brings bad luck
on the
first
welcome the animal luck.
Irish
of in
May.
and you
On will
that
day,
have good
Mammals
The wild boar
is
a symbol of death
and destruction.
PORPOISE It is
said that
sea,
he
will
if
a sailor finds a dead porpoise at
have good
luck.
RABBIT Everyone knows that a
rabbit's foot is a
good-
luck charm. In the southern part of England,
it
can also be used as a love charm to bring back the affections of a lost love.
Rabbits can bring good luck in other ways.
31
Animal
Superstitions
ism
*
In
f/ie
known
old
Aesop
fable the rabbit
and
for cleverness. Illustration
32
the hare are not
by Arthur Rackham.
Mammals too.
On the first day of a new moon,
and shout
"rabbits'' or
go outside
"white rabbits" the
first
thing in the morning. This should be done before you say anything else that morning.
Some people
say that you have to go outside
and shout '1:)lack rabbits" the rdght before. And that should be the last thing
Good
evening.
And first
that
luck will be with you.
in Delaware,
on the
thing
you say
if
first
you
recite a rabbit
chant
day of the month, good
luck will be yours for the whole month.
If
you
remember to say it on New Year's Day, you will have good luck
for the entire year. Just say:
Rabbit, rabbit, bring
For
me
this is the first of
In England, a rabbit running street is
luck I
down
the village
thought by some to be a warning of
fire.
mean
various
to right,
you will
Rabbits crossing your path things.
If
have bad luck
if
one crosses from luck.
you
tear
left
But you can get rid of the bad
your clothing a
little. If
you are a
fisherman and a rabbit crosses your path, you
33
Animal
Superstitions
might as well give up. You won't catch any that day.
If
fish
a rabbit crosses the path of a
pregnant woman, she should tear a piece of
bum Otherwise, her child is supposed to be bom with a harelip. cloth
from her dress and
it.
Finally, a rabbit's foot is said to cure colic
both
and rheumatism.
In Lapland, reindeer were sacrificial animals. Their blood
was used on sacred
An
illustration
34
objects
and for medicinal purposes.
fror^a book published in 1555.
Mammals
A
pair of
strange-
looking seals,
probably
drawn by someone who had never seen the
animal. They
come from a book written in the 1700s.
SEAL According to the folklore of some Eskimos,
man
kills
a seal he
must make atonement
if
as
a if
He is forbidden to scrape frost from a window. He can't clean drips from his lamp. And he also can't shake his bed,
he were a murderer.
scrape hair from skins,
and work
in
wood,
stone, or ivory. If
a
woman
comb her
kills
hair or
a seal, she
wash her
is
forbidden to
face.
35
Animal
Superstitions
SHEEP Sheep can be lucky or unlucky England and Germany
In
considered good
is
it
for you.
luck to meet a flock as you leave your house in the
moming. And when you
lamb
in the spring,
tumed away from
it is
good luck
you. But
bears three black lambs,
see your
if
a
first
if its
new
head
is
German sheep
someone
in the family
will die.
The ancient Scots had a way of predicting the future with a sheep's bone.
They would
take a
"speal bone''— the blade bone of a shoulder of
mutton
—-and
make
the lines they found
Sheep can it
was
lover
a prediction based
on
upon
it.
also help the lovelom. In
England
said that a girl could get back a faithless
by
sticking a knife in a sheep's shoulder
blade and saying: Ifs not this bone I wish to stick
But
(so-and-so's) heart I wish to prick.
Whether he be asleep or awake III
An
have him come
unmarried
36
to
woman
me and
speak.
can go to the sheep
Mammals
A
thirteenth-century Persian astrological painting.
Mars
in Aries (the ram) and in conjunction with Jupiter, The figures below are, from left to right: Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Saturn.
is
stall at
night
on Christmas Eve and grab an
animal in the dark.
If it is
a male sheep, she will
be married during the coming year.
If it is
a
female, she will have to wait until the next
Christmas Eve and try again.
Sheep come cases, too. Less
in
handy
in
problem medical
than one hundred years ago.
37
Animal
there
Superstitions
were cases in Devonshire, England,
where people thought been caused by
that their illnesses
One
witchcraft.
sheep heart and
stick pins in a
May
cure
had
was
to
recite:
each pin
Thus stuck
in
This poor heart In hers go
Who Till
Want
a cure for
so
she departs.
whooping cough? Take the
afflicted child to the
a sheep breathe
me
hurts
sheep
on him
stall at
or her.
dawn and let
Then push
the
down on
the
sheep away and put the child
ground where the sheep has been
lying.
SKUNK This animal
is
an important one
in the
Ozark
regions of the United States. Folklore there says that
skunk
when
it is
ailments.
oil
made from
trapped in winter can cure throat
On
the other hand, the smell might
be able to cure anything!
38
the fat of the skunk
Mammals
SQUIRREL Some Navaho tail
Indians used to
tie
a squirrel's
to a cradle to protect the baby.
WEASEL There were Indian
you
tribes
who
ate the heart of a weasel
thought that
if
you could predict
the future.
Gef, the
name of a ghostly weasel
that haunted a farmhouse
on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, it is said. Not only could he imitate several animals, but he learned to talk.
39
Animal
Superstitions
Wolves have often meant
Here is a black wolf serving as transportation for the demon Andras, who is responsible for stirring up quarrels.
40
evil doings.
Mammals
WOLF The wolf has been respected and feared
Even the ancient Romans thought
centuries.
that this animal
had some magical powers.
you see a wolf running
mouth
full,
other hand,
camp,
it
In
you if
had
was sure
to
some
will
a wolf
to
be
to
your right with
On
its
luck.
came
Roman army
killed. If
into a it
escaped, the
the
army
be defeated.
countries a wolf s head
their charms. if
If
have good
was nailed to
the door for protection against witches
that
for
and
And there are those who believed
you were robbed,
all
you had
to
do was
put a wolfs tooth under your pillow. You
would see the
thief in
your dreams.
41
r
CHAPTER mm
Birds
Birds
come
in
all
shapes and
from the
sizes,
male bee hummingbird, which
is
smaller than
the female,
whose wingspan
inches,
the wandering albatross,
to
wingspan can reach over eleven bird
largest
flightless
ostrich,
which can be nine
is
than two
is less
whose The
feet.
the North African feet tall
and weigh
over three hundred pounds. Birds are backboned animals are covered with feathers.
whose bodies
They have
air-filled
bones, and most of them can
have no
teeth,
and they
light,
fly.
They
lay eggs.
There are a few superstitions about birds in general.
A bird
that
comes
into a
house
is
43
an
Animal
Superstitions
The ancient Egyptians thought of the air as a
human-headed bird that went along with the
dead
to the
underworld.
example. In the United States, there that
if
bird of
the bird
is
white,
bad luck
is
a belief
will follow.
A
any other color in the house brings good
luck.
This same belief
is
found in Malaya, but
people there have a cure for the white bird's
bad luck— you catch the bird and smear oil,
then let it go outside.
the
bad luck with
44
it.
It
will fly
it
with
away, taking
Birds
An
Hebrew cure for headache goes like this. Wrap a thread three times around your head. Next, take the thread off and hang the old
loop in a
tree. If a bird flies
through the loop,
the headache will go away. Finally, here is a cure for hepatitis. Stare into
the eyes of any yellow-eyed bird,
and the
disease will be transferred to the animal.
BUZZARD In the Ozark mountains, you can
when you
see a flying buzzard.
doesn't flap
your wish
make
the bird
wings while you are wishing,
its
will
If
a wish
be granted.
CARDINAL People in the Ozarks seem to relate this bird to kissing.
If
a cardinal
flies
across a
she will be kissed twice before a girl sees a cardinal perched fence, she
make
must
a wish.
If
gets to the third true. If
start
girl's
nightfall.
flies
And if
on a branch
blowing kisses to
the bird
path,
away
it
or a
and
before she
blown kiss, her wish will come
she gets past three kisses,
it's
no good.
45
Animal
Superstitions
CHICKEN Chickens are the most numerous birds in the
They have been domesticated
world.
and so almost everyone
turies
familiar
superstitions
in the world
No wonder
with them.
for cenis
many
that so
have arisen about them.
Chickens were used by the ancient Romans to predict the future
through a technique called
alectryomancy or alectormancy This .
od
a meth-
of predicting the future using a rooster.
First it
was
up
draw
a circle
into sections
on the ground and divide
—one section
for
each
letter
of the alphabet, or twenty-six in the case of
English.
fewer
(Many other languages have more
letters in their alphabets.
for example.) Label letter
Spanish has
28,
each section for a different
and put a grain
of
com or wheat in each.
Next, get a white rooster and cut toenails.
or
off his
Say a few incantations and put him in
the middle of the
circle.
More
verses follow,
and then you watch which grain he Each time he eats one, replace
it.
picks up.
In this
way
the rooster will spell out the message. It is
46
said that this
method was used to predict
Birds
which person would replace the Roman emperor Valens Caesar. But the rooster ate only four grains, spelling the
was
that
word
Theo.
The problem
no one knew whether he was choos-
ing Theodosius,
Theodotus, Theodorus,
Theodosius
Theodectes.
was
the
or
eventual
ruler.
A
hen can be used
Hungary. into a
If
to get
back property in
you are robbed, take a black hen
room with you. Both of you must then go
without food
all
day
for nine successive Fri-
days. During that time, the thief will have to
retum
his loot or
The crowing
he
will die.
had
its
share of superstitious lore connected with
it.
of a rooster has always
All over the world, people
the cock's crowing at drives
away
all
dawn
have believed that is
^
Some have thought this
The noise
the evil night things. But there
are exceptions.
three times,
lucky.
someone
that
in the
can be prevented.
If
if
a rooster crows
house
will die.
you want him
crowing, rub his head with olive
oil,
But
to stop
and put a
garland of vines around his neck.
47
Animal
Superstitions
There are places in the United States where is
believed that
a rooster crows
if
there will be a visitor to the house.
it
on
a porch,
If
he crows
facing the house, at the front door, or facing a banister, there will
be a death in the house.
Crowing roosters can influence the weather, too. If a
cock crows while
it is
raining, the rain
And there is an old Ozark rhyme that
will stop.
indicates the rooster can cause rain: If a
cock crows
He'll get
when he goes
up with
to bed,
a wet head.
There are other ways that the rooster can
make
it
rain. In
rooster into lightning.
Germans
Germany, you can throw a
the air to cause thunder
During the Middle Ages, tried to bring rain
rooster, then filling
its
by
killing a
and
some white
body with myrrh, white
pepper, frankincense, milk, and wine. The next step
an
was to hold it up toward the sun and recite
incantation.
Some Germans
believed that every seven
years a rooster could lay one egg.
If
you were
lucky enough to find that magic egg, you threw
48
Birds
In the old days, witches were thought to cook up a
rainstorm by using a rooster. In this old print, if
it
looks as
they have been successful.
49
Animal Superstitions
it
over your house
—
to prevent thunderstorms.
who
There were those
could become invisible of a black
old
if
you
hen under your
Hebrew
should be
thought that you carried the heart
right arm.
And an
superstition says that a rooster
killed
if
he upsets a
dish.
This
clumsiness meant that he was possessed by
demons.
Ancient
Romans thought
that
locked door could be opened by using the
a tail
feathers of a rooster instead of a key.
Chickens can come in handy in curing diseases. In Scotland, burying a rooster in the dirt
floor
under the bed of someone with
epilepsy will cure the illness.
In
Germany,
hiding the head, heart, and right foot of a rooster in a house will
the Ozarks,
if
a black
ward
off all illnesses. In
hen and her chicks walk
over the body of a child
who
has chicken pox,
the child will be cured.
An
old
person
is
Hebrew belief says that lying on a feather bed
chicken feathers, patient.
pains.
50
The
it
is
better
to
if
a dying
containing
move
the
feathers will prolong the death
Birds
Chickens have cosmetic functions in the Ozarks. Freckles can be removed by putting
chicken blood on your face. to
be beautiful,
all
And if a
she has to do
girl
wants
eat a
is
raw
chicken heart.
When
it
comes time
to
Hebrew superstition says groom will have good luck
be married, an old that the bride if
a
hen and
are tossed over the couple. In parts of
ny,
the worst kind of luck
it is
party
on
way
the
two roosters
a
rooster
Germa-
wedding
church comes across
fighting.
Finally, in the
dream
to the
if
and
Ozarks
it is
very bad luck to
of chickens.
CROW The cawing
of a
crow has been thought of as
evil for centuries.
To some people, having noisy
crows
fly
over their houses in the evening
meant death.
On
could be useful.
the other hand, these birds In
ancient
Rome,
wanted
to scare
away demons,
do was
to kick a
crow in the morning.
all
The ancient Hebrews had a way
if
you
you had
to
of using a
51
Animal Superstitions
crow
unlock a door. Just smear the right foot
to
male crow with the
of a
the lock with
it.
fat of
In Czechoslovakia,
and rub you
if
ate
you would become a crack
three crow's hearts,
shot. In ancient Greece,
hearts raw,
a snake
if
you
ate three crow's
you would be able
to predict the
future.
Also in ancient Greece,
touch up your gray
you wanted
you would wash
it
to
in
was then supposed to turn But there was a warning. While you were
crows' eggs. black.
washing your with
hair,
if
oil
It
hair,
your mouth had to be
or else your teeth
would turn
filled
black,
too.
Crows can be used Ozarks,
if
for prediction.
two crows are
any unmarried
woman
circling
a dead tree branch,
But
if it
perches on a
over a cabin,
inside will find a hus-
band. In parts of England,
on
In the
it
live
if
a crow
is
perched
will rain before night.
branch, the day will be
fine.
In the Ozarks, there
when you
52
is
a
little
verse to recite
see crows flying together:
Birds
One's unlucky,
Two's lucky, Three's health,
Four's wealth, Five's sickness.
Six
In Babylonia,
it
and then
a crow
is
death.
was thought
let it
go,
it
that
will fly
if
you catch
away with
your fever. But to dream of a crow cawing
means
that
Finally,
Easter,
if
you
will
have sadness in your
life.
you don't put on something new
you
will find
for
crow droppings on your
clothes.
CUCKOO The ancient Greeks believed
tumed
into a
hawk during
that the cuckoo
the winter.
Most
of
the other superstitions about this bird have to
do with
its
song.
Let's take the cry of the first
cuckoo in the
spring. In
England and Scotland,
lieved that
you could
you would
live
tell
it
was
be-
how many more years
by counting the times
that the
53
Animal
cuckoo tell
called.
And an unmarried woman could
how many years
This felt
Superstitions
she would remain unwed.
was also true in Germany, but there it was that
times
it
if
the cuckoo called
must be
insane,
more than ten
and so was
unreliable.
There were places where you were supposed
In this illustration from an old hook,
Madmen
54
of
Gotam,
a cuckoo
is
Merry
Tales of the
talking to a
man.
Birds
to
wish
for
something when you heard the
And
cuckoo.
at the time,
if
you had money
in your pocket
you would have money
In England,
if
first
year.
all
by accident you heard the
first
cuckoo while you were in bed, someone in the family
would get
Scotland,
it
the hearer
was
sick.
just
bad
would tum
Fishermen should be cuckoo catch call
call first
no
fish.
If
this
luck.
happened
But in France,
into a lazy idler. careful. If they
hear the
thing in the morning, they will
On the
other hand, the cuckoo's
can cure disease. In Germany,
when you hear lumbago. And in England,
the grass
it,
you
if
roll
on
you won't get
scrape
up
from beneath your right foot and you cured of
in
the dirt will
be
fleas.
An unmarried man can use the bird's song to help
him
find a wife.
He
looks under his
left
shoe (when he hears the cuckoo) and finds a hair of the
same
color as that of his future wife.
The Danes believed
that the cuckoo, a bird
that uses other birds' nests,
clues to people that
nest of
its
it
was
so busy giving
had no time
to build a
own.
55
Animal
Superstitions
Birds
The eagle
is
power and leadership. Our as a United States emblem.
a symbol of
national bird
EAGLE Various parts of the eagle are supposed to have great powers.
herb,
cook
Mix
it,
its
and
madness. The eagle
and balsam cures
feathers with a special
eat
it,
liver
and
it
will
cure
mixed with honey
cataracts.
And
its
heart
is
a
love charm.
The Pawnee Indians made an
object called a
storm eagle. This was a dead eagle stuffed with magical objects that could raise a storm.
(Facing page) Doves were thought to be symbols of love. Here is Venus, the Roman goddess of love, riding in a
dove-drawn
chariot.
57
Animal
Superstitions
GOOSE In England,
you
it
eat goose
Michaelmas Day, you
will
on September
be lucky. There
29,
is
an
old saying, "If you eat goose at Michaelmas
Day you will never want for money round/'
And
all
the year
in Yorkshire, in northern En-
gland, you can predict the weather with a
goose.
If
the breastbone
severe winter.
is
dark, there will be a
If it is light,
the winter will be
mild.
HAWK A hawk seen flying from your right to your left means bad luck
in sections of America.
HUMMINGBIRD A
voodoo recipe
blows
it
how
a
man
can
woman. He makes a powder hummingbird flesh and herbs and
win the heart of dried
in Haiti tells
on
of a
her.
LAPWING In the Middle
Ages
would hang the 58
it
was thought that if a man
heart,
eye,
or brain of a
Birds
%
1
\
it
A
drawing from India of the god Brahma, riding on a magic goose.
59
I
Animal Superstitions
lapwing around his neck, he would improve his intelligence
and
memory. And
his
couldn't find a lapwing, a black plover
if
he
would
do.
MAGPIE People in Shropshire, England, once thought that
they saw a magpie flying from their right
if
to their
make
meant bad
left, it
when
a wish
luck.
They would
they saw their
first
also
magpie
in the spring.
Almost everywhere killing a
magpie brought
you should
in Wales,
when you
see
In southern
magpie sings ter.
But
in Britain
if it
terribly
tip
it
was
bad
felt
luck.
your hat to
that
And
this bird
it.
Germany it was thought that if a near your house it means disas-
merely chatters, a guest will soon
arrive.
When
magpies
fly together,
the future with this
One for
little
you can predict
poem:
sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for a
60
birth.
Birds
Or with
this one:
One for
sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a
girl,
four for a boy.
MOCKINGBIRD There
is
an Ozark legend
that
a mockingbird at night, she
man's
hat.
That
will
if
a
woman hears
must put on a
ensure a happy marriage.
NIGHTINGALE This bird
is
famous
for
nonstop singing, so
you put a nightingale's eyes and heart next
if
to a
person in bed, they will keep him or her awake. Going one step further, grind up the eyes and heart and mix drink.
Then he
them
in someone's
or she will die of insomnia.
OWL Owls have been centuries.
faces
and
Many
associated with witchcraft for of
them have almost human
horrible cries that frighten the super-
stitious.
In the Ozark mountains, the owl
is
some-
61
Animal
Superstitions
In this drawing by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya,
many
of the common elements of witchcraft are shown two ugly old crones, a flying broomstick, and an owl.
62
—
Birds
times
the
called
"witch
chicken/'
thought to be able to charm chickens perches. But
if
you
owl over your door,
nail part of a great it
will
and
is
off their
homed
keep away witches.
In parts of Asia, you can place a dead owl over a child's bed to frighten
away
evil spirits.
These birds can be helpful in other ways. In
A
drawing of an owl painted on a coffin in Egypt almost It was a symbol of death and mourning.
four thousand years ago.
63
Animal Superstitions
India, there
feathers
was
under a
a belief that
woman's truth.
it
would put
The ancient Greeks had
a
you put an owl's heart on a
breast
And
washed
if
you put owl
child's pillow, they
the child to sleep. belief that
if
it
would
force her to
tell
gray hair would turn to black
the
if
you
epilepsy, but only
if it
with owl's eggs.
Owl-egg soup cured
was made from an egg containing
a male owl.
PEACOCK The peacock comes in handy when you want to predict the weather.
and It
utter cries
was
when
supposed
It is
a storm
is
you can
you suspect
The cry feathers are
bum
that
approaching.
and
And in parts of
the feathers of the bird
if
you have been poisoned.
of the peacock
attract snakes,
people
dance
also believed that peacock's bile
blood was a cure for poisoning. India,
to
is
also thought to
which the bird then kills. And its
supposed
to
ward
make umbrellas out
off evil,
so
some
of them.
English actors believe that any play with the
word "peacock" 64
in
it
will
be a
flop.
Birds
Animal
Superstitions
ROBIN The European robin
is
usually looked
lucky bird. In parts of Germany,
it is
on
as a
supposed
houses from lightning. Also,
to protect
bridal couple see a robin
on the way from
wedding ceremony, they
if
a
their
be lucky.
will
As you might expect, it is not a good idea to harm a robin. In England, Scotland, and Germany,
if
you
kill
one, your cows will give
bloody milk. In parts of England and Bohemia, if
you rob a
robin's nest,
your hands will
you do the same, you
tremble. In Wales,
if
break an arm or a
leg.
will
Robins can help predict the weather: If the robin sings in the
Then But
the weather will be coarse;
if
Then
bush,
the robin sings
on the barn,
the weather will be
warm.
SEAGULL On
parts of the English coast, seagulls are
believed to be the souls of
66
drowned
sailors.
Birds
STARLING There
an old Hebrew superstition
is
guest will arrive at your
home if a
that says a
starling sings
at night.
STORK According
legends,
to
storks
almost
are
human. They weep human tears when they are wounded. The male
Young
unfaithful.
stork
kills his
mate
she
if
is
storks care for their parents
in their old age.
They
also are responsible for bringing luck.
A stork's nest on a building will protect fire—but
if
you
steal the stork's
bum
nest, the building will
stork lights
on
believed that a
a house in
wedding
other places, this
The idea
down.
When
places,
will take place.
it
a is
But in
luck.
of the stork bringing babies origi-
nated in Germany. dispositions ride
on
babies are carried in
When a
young from the
some
means bad
from
it
Baby boys with good
its
back,
and naughty boy
its bill.
stork appears in late spring,
it
helps
67
Animal Superstitions
forecast the weather.
If it is
a white stork, there
be dry weather.
If it is
black, there will
will
be
rain.
Storks' stomachs will cure diseases in cattle.
And
if
you use stork sinews
foot,
it
will cure gout.
All in
Some
of
all,
the stork
them even
is
kill
was considered
to
bind up your
a highly prized bird.
snakes. So in ancient
Thessaly, in eastem Greece, a stork
to
man who killed a
be a murderer.
SWALLOW In
many places,
the swallow
spring to arrive.
We
is
thought to cause
have a saying that "one
swallow does not a summer make,'' but as
far
back as the second century, boys on the Greek Islands were going from house to house in the spring, singing:
The swallow a
new
As he
is
here and
year he brings,
lengthens the days
with the heats of his wings,
68
Birds
White and black
and
Are
his belly
Pay
his tribute once
With cheese
back.
more
in his basket
And pork from your store, And wine from its flasket,
And And
eggs from your casket, bread
when we ask
it.
In the Ozarks, to have swallows nesting in
your
bam meant that the building would never
be struck by lightning. In Europe, a stone inside a
swaUow,
it
if
you found
would cheer you
up.
But there were ways that
could
this bird
cause bad luck. In Greece, a swallow fluttering
around your head signaled misfortune. In France and Hungary,
if
a swallow
flies
under a
cow's belly the result will be bloody milk. In Yorkshire, England, to have a swallow fly
a
chimney means a death If
you
down
in the family.
are nasty to a swallow,
you
will
repaid in kind. In the Tyrol, in Germany, destroy a swallow's nest, your
be
if
you
own home
will
69
Animal
bum
Superstitions
down. In France,
eggs from
its
nest,
if
you
steal the bird's
your horse will go lame.
These birds can also be used predicting. In England,
there
low,
will
when
for
weather
the swallows fly
be bad weather.
And
the
Chinese used to throw swallows into a pond to
make
it
rain.
There were people
who thought
that the
human
soul
might leave the body in the form of a swallow. Here Egyptian drawing of the soul of a scribe, painted somewhere around 1250 b,c.
70
is
an
Birds
If
and
you
tie
tie it
around your neck,
a swallow's crop in a yellow cloth it
will cure a fever.
But you can also fight the fever with its
nest.
And
supposed even
various parts of these birds were
snake
to cure
also
and
be used to predict marriage.
In Czechoslovakia,
if
an unmarried woman first
a single swallow in the spring, she
be married within the year. birds together, she
If
would
there were two
would remain
single.
SWAN
'
There
is
an old story going back
Greeks that a swan sings as so
epilepsy,
bite,
rabies.
They could
saw
mud from
much sympathy
it
to the ancient
dies.
That created
for this bird that to kill
in Siberia or Ireland
meant death
one
to the killer.
TURTLEDOVE In ancient Syria, to touch one of these birds
bad
luck.
Nowadays, there
are
tions about the turtledove to
many
was
supersti-
be found in the
Ozark Mountains. There, to
dream
of the turtledove brings
71
Animal
good
Superstitions
When
luck.
in the spring,
times
on your
shoe.
If
same
you hear the
make
turtledove
a wish, turn around three
left heel,
you find a
first
and take
off
your
hair in the shoe that
is
left
the
color as your wife's, husband's, or sweet-
heart's, the
wish
will
be granted.
women can do something similar to find out who they will marry. When the first Unmarried
turtledove calls in the spring, take off your right stocking. Inside will be a hair the
same
color as
the hair of your future husband. If
you
are a desperate unmarried
man, you
can also use a turtledove. Just hide the dried
tongue of
and she
this bird in
your
will fall in love
girlfriend's
house
with you.
WHIP-POOR-WILL In the Ozarks,
if
you are unmarried and hear a
whip-poor-will, cross your fingers, then count the cries. That
is
the
number
of years
you must
wait to be married.
(Facing page)
A
drawing by Francisco Goya shows
blood-sucking vultures as emblems of war.
72
Animal
Superstitions
WOODPECKER In England, the cry of the green woodpecker
means Masai
one
that
it
will rain soon.
tribe in Africa, the
sort
or another.
If
it
luck. If
from the
74
of
the cry of a gray
left, it
right,
it
means
means bad luck.
comes from behind you and you
to another
the
sound means luck
woodpecker comes from the
good
And among
If
are traveling
town, you will get a good reception.
CHAPTER
J
Reptiles
Turtles,
tortoises,
snakes,
lizards,
alligators,
and a few other animals belong
crocodiles,
to
the group called reptiles. These animals usually
have
scales
have
feet,
and
on
their
dry-skinned bodies.
If
they
they also have claws. They lay eggs
are cold-blooded. That
means
that their
body temperatures change with the changes
in
temperature of their environment. Reptiles can be large,
like
crocodile of Southeast Asia.
men feet
the salt-water
The
of this animal ever seen
largest speci-
was
thirty-three
long and weighed three and one-half tons.
The smallest
reptile is a type of
gecko found
75
Animal
Superstitions
This seagoing reptile monster was supposed to have been seen off the coast of Galveston, Texas.
only on the island of Virgin Gordo in the British Virgin Islands.
One specimen was
three-quarters of
less
than
an inch long.
CROCODILE In ancient Egypt,
where many people were
to crocodiles every year, the animal
upon as
an
as being magical evil
lost
was looked
and was even regarded
god. But there
was
a
way
to escape
the creature by using an incantation. In this
76
Reptiles
verse,
Mako
and Ra
is
is
a mystic crocodile. Set
a god,
man:
Stop, crocodile
Mako, son of
Do
not wave thy
Do
not work thy two arms;
Do
not open thy mouth.
May
is
Set!
tail;
water become as a burning
fire before theel
The spear of the seventy-seven gods
is
on thine
is
on thine
eyes:
The arm of the seventy-seven gods
Thou who wast fastened with metal claws
eye:
bark
to the
of Ra, Stop, crocodile
Mako, son
of Set!
LIZARD Lizards,
bad
it is
luck.
believed in
On
thought that
if
many places, can cause
the Malay Peninsula,
an iguana
snake, for that matter)
misfortune would
came
if
was
(or a tortoise or a
come with
lem could be solved
it
into the house, it.
But the prob-
the lizard could be
caught and sprinkled with ashes. In England,
it
is
very bad luck
if
a lizard
77
Animal
Superstitions
crosses the path of a bride
And
wedding.
lieved that
would
fall.
some
in Australia,
anyone
if
on her way
Green
tribes be-
On
biting
sky
killed a lizard, the
lizards,
according to a super-
stition in Brittany, a section of France,
cows by
to her
them on the
can
kill
nose.
the other hand, in ancient Assyria, a
come
two-tailed lizard could
murderer.
and the wanted
to
to a
such an animal were cooked in
If
oil
handy
in
then used to anoint the
kill,
the
man would
oil
man he
die.
There were parts of France and Germany
where burying a dead
lizard
under the thresh-
old of the house would scare
And
in England,
protective of
witches.
they were thought to be
humans.
If
a lizard
approaching a sleeping man,
him up to wam him. The medicinal values too.
away
it
saw
a snake
would wake .
of lizards are strange,
On the island of Madagascar, bury a lizard
alive
and
it
will
cure your fever.
And
in
you
suf-
fered from sores, you could lick a lizard
first
England during the Middle Ages,
78
if
In this painting by the
Dutch
artist
Goes, Eve
Van der is
being
tempted in the Garden of Eden not by a snake, but
by a human-headed lizard.
Animal
and then
Superstitions
your sores. That was supposed to
lick
be an instant cure. It is
said that every Easter Eve, gypsies in
southern Europe would put a dried-up dead lizard in a pot.
from tent into
it.
thrown
Then
to tent
the pot
would be
carried
and each person would
Finally, the
spit
pot and the lizard would be
into the lake or the river. This
was
from the
tribe
supposed
banish
to
illnesses
all
for a year.
SNAKE In
many cultures,
snakes have been the symbol
dawn
of evil since the
superstition in parts of
of time. There
England that
if
is
a
a live
adder appears on your doorstep there wUl be a death in the family. is
And
if
a pregnant
woman
frightened by a snake, her baby will be
bom
with a snake neck. In other parts of England, a dried snakeskin
hung over
the fireplace not only protects the
house from
fire,
but also
is
thought to be a
general good luck charm.
Snakes can serve as protection,
80
too.
There
is
Reptiles
an old Hebrew example.
belief
you think
If
about poisoning, for
you are about
that
to
be
poisoned, take a knife that has a snake-bone
handle and
stick
it
into your table.
any poison around, the knife
If
there
supposed
is
is
to
quiver.
Here
a protective snake belief
is
from north-
em Nigeria: Cut
off
the head of a snake
swamp
seed of the
water on
it
it
feet,
go again
Pull
up
dock. Bury the head in a
grown
old.
to the graveyard
anyone attempts
become
and
use
strip
it
naked.
as a girdle.
a snake that will bite your enemy. is
a superstition that
you dream of a snake, you two snakes come
house
if
same
time, there will be a wedding.
many
if
will get into a fight.
Also,
into the
at the
other animals, snakes have
their medical uses. In it
When
to attack you, the girdle
In the Ozarks, there
States
Pour
to a height of three or four
swamp dock and
the
Like so
plant the
for three consecutive nights.
the plant has
will
in
which must be seven days
grave,
If
and
was believed
some that
parts of the United if
you ground up a 81
Animal
Superstitions
rattlesnake's rattle
pregnant woman, childbirth.
and put it into the drink it
of a
would ease the pains
And wrapping
of
a snakeskin around
an aching joint would ease the pain of rheumatism. In the United States this has to
rattlesnake skin; in
adder
skin.
England
it
be a
should be an
Reptiles
A
reptile hoax. This
monster skeleton was created by
''Doctor" Albert Koch in the 1840s out of a collection of old bones.
CHAPTER
4
Amphibians
The group
called the
amphibians contains such
animals as frogs, toads, and salamanders. Their bodies are covered by a thin, flexible skin, usually moist.
And they don't have
or feathers. These animals have
they have feet at
all,
and
scales, fur,
webbed
feet,
if
their toes are usually
webbed.
Amphibians lead a double begin
life
life.
Most
of
them
as water-dwelling larvae (like the
tadpole).
When they are mature
they
mainly on land. Often, the baby forms
live
eat plant material material,
such as
(like
and the adults
the frog),
eat animal
insects.
85
Animal
Two
Superstitions
old pictures that
show
the toad's connection with
two toads are dancing at a sabbat, and below, a toad is flying to a sabbat on the back of a witchcraft. Above,
skeleton.
86
Amphibians
The
largest
amphibian
probably a giant
is
salamander found in Japan and parts of China.
One specimen was found
that
was
five feet
long and weighed eighty-eight pounds. The smallest
Cuba
seems
that
is
to
be a type of frog found in
about one-half inch long.
FROG If
you want
of a frog
to
become
under your
invisible, carry the heart
right arm.
Frogs have been thought to have something to
do with the weather
for centuries. In parts of
India
and South America,
rain
frogs
for example, special
were kept in cages.
During a
drought, these animals were beaten to death to
make it rain. There is a similar Hindu belief, but it is less cruel. If you want to make it rain, just pour water over a
frog.
The ancient Romans used their crops
from storms.
frog around the fields.
First
frogs to protect
they would drag a
Then they would bury it
in the center of the field before they planted the
crops. Just before the harvest, they
up
would dig
the frog.
87
Animal
Superstitions
Frogs have their medical uses, too. of your eyes
inflamed,
is
around your neck, the
hang a
If
either
frog's eye
or the right, depend-
left
ing on which of your eyes you're trying to cure.
There are two ways of using a frog to cure toothaches,
and both
ancient Romans.
The
of
first
frog in a mixture of water it
easier
—
one
tells
you
to the
to boil a
and vinegar and then
mouth. The second one
in your
hold
them go back
spit in a
frog's
mouth and
is
the
tell
animal to take away the pain.
Powdered epilepsy.
frog's
And
liver
is
thought to cure
to cure a fever,
swallow a
frog's
eye that has been plucked out before sunrise.
There
were
primitive
Slavic
tribes
who
thought that frogs, not storks, brought babies. Frogs were the
staff of life to
strange crea-
tures in
England and France. These were the
earliest
kinds
of
fairies,
England and Neptunes
Fortunes
called
in France.
They were
only a few inches high, with faces wrinkled little
old men's. Their habit
houses
88
was
to
in
come
like
into
at night to roast frogs in front of the fire.
Amphibians
A group
of fairies dancing around a little girl in bed. The ugly ones look suspiciously like
Fortunes or Neptunes.
89
Animal
Superstitions
TOAD Toads have a reputation for being a part of In twelfth-century France,
witchcraft.
was
it
thought that the Devil often appeared as a toad,
and had
to
And
be kissed.
toads were
believed to be witches' familiars, or even the
witches themselves. Also, a witch could mix
toad
with sow-thistle sap and make
spittle
herself invisible
Some a
kill
by drinking the brew.
ancient Greeks thought that you could
man by
mixing toad's blood in his wine.
In Romania,
thought that
no one picked on
if
a toad.
It
was
you harmed a toad you were
capable of killing your
own
And no
mother.
one wanted that kind of reputation!
was an
In parts of England, there
idea that
men caUed toadmen. They looked normal human beings, but they had the
there were like
make horses stand
power
to
what.
And
they could also
still
make
no matter the
horses excited whenever they wanted
They got
their
power
toad or by pegging its
its
bones were picked
90
either
body clean.
to
same
to.
by skinning a an
anthill until
Then they
carried
Amphibians
the bones in their pockets until they were dry.
At midnight, under a
on a stream.
the bones float
full
upstream,
it
had
to
moon, they
floated
one bone started
If
to
be grabbed and saved.
That was the magic charm for becoming a
toadman. In the Ozarks, right after a
if
a toad
wedding,
it
is
seen on a pathway
means good
luck.
Toads are supposed to be able to hear distant thunder. So just watch toads, and to
head
for the water,
heard the
far-off
it
means
if
they
that they
start
have
storm.
Gardeners in England sometimes find that toads
come
around seeds.
in
their
handy. They drag a toad's body gardens before they plant any
Then they bury
ware pot
the
in
an earthen-
in the center of the flowerbed. This
supposed
to prevent
vegetables, If
it is
you
is
any creeping thing from
injuring the flowers. But
seeding.
body
best to dig
if
the planting
is
for
up the pot right after
don't, the food will taste bitter.
Oddly enough, some ancient Greeks thought that that very
same procedure would prevent
storms.
91
Animal
Superstitions