Read Black Cats and Evil Eyes Online
Authors: Chloe Rhodes
Black Cats and Evil Eyes
By the same author:
A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: Words We Pinched From Other Languages
One For Sorrow: A Book of Old-Fashioned Lore
First published in Great Britain in 2012 by
Michael O’Mara Books Limited
9 Lion Yard
Tremadoc Road
London SW4 7NQ
Copyright © Michael O’Mara Books Limited 2012
Illustrations copyright © Aubrey Smith
All rights reserved. You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means
(electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-84317-887-3 in hardback print format
ISBN: 978-1-84317-916-0 in EPub format
ISBN: 978-1-84317-915-3 in Mobipocket format
Designed and typeset by
www.glensaville.com
, from an original page design by Ana Bježan
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CONTENTS
NEVER LEAVE A HOUSE THROUGH A DIFFERENT DOOR FROM THE ONE USED FOR ENTRANCE
THE GIFT OF A PURSE OR WALLET SHOULD ALWAYS INCLUDE MONEY
IT IS BAD LUCK TO LET MILK BOIL OVER
IT IS BAD LUCK TO PASS ANYONE ON THE STAIRCASE
NEVER REMOVE FLOWERS FROM A GRAVE
IT IS BAD FORTUNE TO USE SCISSORS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
NEVER GIVE A KNIFE OR SCISSORS AS A GIFT
LIGHTED CANDLES AND EVIL SPIRITS
BURNING CHEEKS MEAN SOMEONE IS TALKING ABOUT YOU
A SUDDEN CHILL THAT CAUSES A SHIVER MEANS SOMEONE HAS STEPPED OVER YOUR GRAVE
IF A BROKEN CLOCK SUDDENLY CHIMES, THERE WILL BE A DEATH IN THE FAMILY
WRAPPING A NEWBORN CHILD IN ITS MOTHER’S CLOTHES UNTIL IT HAS BEEN BAPTIZED
WHEN A DOG HOWLS, DEATH IS NEAR
IT IS BAD LUCK TO BURN BEEF BONES
IF A BAT GETS IN YOUR HAIR YOU ARE POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL
SAYING ‘BLESS YOU’ WHEN SOMEONE SNEEZES
IF YOU BITE YOUR TONGUE WHILST EATING, IT IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE RECENTLY TOLD A LIE
A BRIDE MUST SEW A SWAN’S FEATHER INTO HER HUSBAND’S PILLOW TO ENSURE FIDELITY
PUT A PINPRICK IN EMPTY EGGSHELLS
HOLDING YOUR BREATH WHEN PASSING A CEMETERY
NEVER OPEN AN UMBRELLA INDOORS
NEVER USE A CROSSROADS AS A MEETING PLACE
CROSSED KNIVES AT THE TABLE SIGNIFY A QUARREL
TO DREAM OF A LIZARD IS A SIGN THAT YOU HAVE A SECRET ENEMY
A CHILD’S NAILS SHOULDN’T BE CUT BEFORE ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY
NEVER CHOOSE A REDHEAD AS A BRIDESMAID AS SHE WILL STEAL THE GROOM
KEEPING FINGERS CROSSED TO MAKE WISHES COME TRUE
COVERING MIRRORS AFTER A DEATH IN THE HOME
A BED CHANGED ON FRIDAY WILL BRING BAD DREAMS
PUTTING SALT ON THE DOORSTEP OF A NEW HOUSE TO WARD OFF EVIL
PLACING SHOES UPON A TABLE WILL BRING BAD LUCK
NEVER TAKE A BROOM WITH YOU WHEN YOU MOVE HOUSE
NEVER LEAVE A ROCKING CHAIR ROCKING WHEN EMPTY
A LOAF OF BREAD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AFTER SLICING IS PERILOUS
IT IS BAD LUCK TO MEET A FUNERAL PROCESSION HEAD ON
COVERING THE MOUTH WHEN YAWNING
TYING A KNOT IN A HANDKERCHIEF
LIGHTNING WILL NEVER STRIKE A HOUSE WITH A BURNING FIRE
NEVER LIGHT THREE CIGARETTES WITH ONE MATCH
WEAR A TOAD AROUND THE NECK TO WARD OFF THE PLAGUE
IT IS UNLUCKY TO DENY A PREGNANT WOMAN HER CRAVINGS
ALWAYS STIR CHRISTMAS CAKE CLOCKWISE
TOUCHING A CORPSE FOR GOOD LUCK
IF A TOAD OR FROG ENTERS THE HOUSE IT WILL BRING BAD LUCK
PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEAR THE COAST CAN’T DIE UNTIL THE TIDE IS EBBING
CUTTING A LONE HAWTHORN BUSH WILL BRING DEATH
WATER DRUNK FROM A HUMAN SKULL CURES EPILEPSY
NEVER SPEAK WHILE A CLOCK IS CHIMING
YULE LOGS PREVENT LIGHTNING FROM STRIKING
IT IS GOOD LUCK IF A BABY CRIES AT ITS CHRISTENING
KEEPING CATS AWAY FROM BABIES TO PREVENT THEM FROM SUCKING THE BREATH FROM A CHILD
CARRYING A RABBIT’S FOOT TO WARD OFF EVIL
THE FIRST PERSON YOU SEE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY MUST BE A DARK-HAIRED MAN
NEW CLOTHES SHOULD NOT BE WORN TO A FUNERAL
A SAILOR WEARING AN EARRING CANNOT DROWN
TO HAVE WOMEN ON BOARD SHIP MAKES THE SEA ANGRY
CUTTING YOUR HAIR OR NAILS AT SEA IS BAD LUCK
MAGPIES: ONE FOR SORROW, TWO FOR JOY
EVIL SPIRITS CAN’T HARM A PERSON STANDING INSIDE A CIRCLE
IT IS UNLUCKY TO KILL AN ALBATROSS OR A GULL AS THEY CONTAIN THE SOULS OF SAILORS LOST AT SEA
THE CAUL OF A NEWBORN CHILD PROVIDES PROTECTION AGAINST DROWNING
A COCK CROWING AT THE WRONG TIME IS BAD LUCK
CARRYING A TOADSTONE TO PROTECT AGAINST EVIL AND CURE ILLNESS
ST JOHN’S WORT GUARDS AGAINST THE DEVIL
IF A PICTURE FALLS OFF THE WALL, THE PERSON DEPICTED WILL SOON DIE
For Mum and Dad
INTRODUCTION
One of the most powerful things about superstitions is the way they have become engrained in the public consciousness. Passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the
next and cemented in our minds by repetition and corroboration, irrational beliefs can hold startling authority. So much so that even if we don’t actually believe in them in our rational
minds, we follow them because gut instinct tells us we should, or, as was more often the case in the past, because we’re too scared of the consequences if we don’t.
Superstition is generally defined as an irrational belief that magic, luck or supernatural forces have the power to influence your life, or that actions that aren’t logically linked to an
outcome may have an effect on it. Such beliefs tend to be held most ardently when people find themselves at the mercy of chance. The human survival instinct tells us to seek a solution if our lives
are threatened and our bodies naturally equip us with the ability to fight or flee. For our
ancestors living in an age without proper sanitation, a guaranteed supply of basic
food and clean water or modern medicine, so many of the menaces they faced were utterly beyond their control. They couldn’t fend off the waves on a sinking ship, outrun the plague or fight
the frost that would ruin the harvest, so they searched for other ways to save themselves: sailors cutting off their hair as an offering to the gods so that the sea would spare them; medieval
Londoners applying dead pigeons to buboes in the desperate hope of curing bubonic plague; a farmer leaving fertile land uncultivated to protect a swallow’s nest in case disturbing it caused
his family to starve.
This book delves into the stories behind some of the superstitions that are still well known today, as well as exploring some of the most fascinating beliefs that have become less familiar in
the modern age. Their origins are wide ranging, derived from either classical thought, religious ritual or rural wisdom. The focus is on those inspired by the hardships faced by everyday people in
a time when life was ‘nasty, brutish and short’, so they mostly fall into the categories of death omens (now signs of bad luck), charms against evil or witchcraft, and rituals
surrounding births, deaths and other dangerous times.
Like much folklore, superstitious beliefs were usually passed on by word of mouth, so written records can be hard to come by. In many cases several centuries passed between their first
appearance in print and subsequent references, which presents a challenge to folklorists attempting to trace their evolution. However, there is enough on record to help the interested amateur gain
some understanding of where many of our most mysterious beliefs stem from.