** Old Superstitions **

Subcategory: Hedgehog


Another witches guise


Killing a hedgehog - protection against bad luck


Entering the house - very bad omen


Subcategory: Hens


A hen which crows is considered to be unlucky, as is a hen with tail-feathers like those of a rooster.


Hens which roost in the morning are said to be foretelling a death, usually that of the farmer or someone in his household.


A hen which enters the house is an omen that a visitor will arrive, and this is also the case if a rooster crows near the door or comes inside.


Subcategory: Heron


Seeing a heron near the house - bad luck


Killing a heron - extremely bad luck


Subcategory: Jackdaw


A jackdaw settling on the house - an omen of death


In some cultures, a jackdaw on the roof - a new arrival


Seeing one jackdaw - bad omen

A circular ring made from an iron horseshoe nail gives the same protection against evil as the horseshoe itself.


The horseshoe or crescent moon shape was seen as a sign of good fortune and fertility.


Witches fear horses, so they are also turned away by a door with a horseshoe mounted on it. The horseshoe must be hung with the points up to keep the luck from spilling out.


Subcategory: Jaybirds


Jaybirds go down to the devil's house on Fridays to tell all the bad things that have happened during the week. Jaybirds who remain on Friday are checking up on what people are doing.


Subcategory: Kingfisher


Greek legend


Christian Legend


Seeing a kingfisher - good luck


Wearing kingfisher feathers - promotes the beauty of a woman by magic

Subcategory: Ladybird (Ladybug)


Landing on you - very good luck


Landing on your hand - Good weather


Number of spots - number of happy months ahead


Direction after it leaves your person - the direction from which your future love will come


Subcategory: Lamb


First lamb of spring (black) - good omen


First lambs of spring (twin white) - excellent fortune


Subcategory: Lapwing (Pewit)


The call of the lapwing - 'bewitched bewitched'


Seeing a lapwing - bad omen


Subcategory: Lark


Eating three larks' eggs - improvement of voice


Disturbing a lark's peace or nest - curse


Pointing at a lark - a whitlow will appear on the finger

Subcategory: Magpie


Seeing a single magpie - bad luck


A single magpie circling the house - portent of death


Greeting a magpie is said to remove the bad omens it brings


A single magpie on a roof - the building will never fall down


Chattering in a tree near a house - arrival of a stranger


Chinese belief - a magpie is good luck and shouls never be killed


Subcategory: Martin


Nesting in a house - good luck to the household


Harming a Martin or its eggs - dire misfortune


Subcategory: Mole


Sudden arrival of molehills in a garden - someone will leave, or death


More molehills than usual - bad weather


Subcategory: Mosquito


Same omens as the gnat (When allowed into a sick room - removal of ailments, Flying close to the ground - rain, Flying high - good weather)

Subcategory: Moth


A big black moth in the house means a deceased one is just visiting reincarnated through that moth.


In the house - arrival of an important letter


Subcategory: Mouse


If somebody throws away a dead mouse, the wind will soon start to blow from that direction.


Subcategory: Muskrat


Building it's home clear of the water - heavy rains


Constructing the home with thin walls - mild winter


Subcategory: Nightingale


Heard singing before the cuckoo - Success in love

Subcategory: Owl


The ancient Greeks revered owls and believed them sacred to Athena. Affiliated with the goddess of wisdom and learning, the owl was considered wise and kind.


hearing the hoot of an owl is now associated with bad luck. To counter evil owl power put irons in your fire. Or throw salt, hot peppers or vinegar into the fire, the owl will get a sore tongue, hoot no more, and no one close to you will be in trouble.


When you hear an owl, to prevent bad luck, take off your clothes, turn them inside out and put them back on.


Any man who eats roasted owl will be obedient and a slave to his wife.


Looking into an owl's nest - sadness for life


Heard hooting by a pregnant woman - baby is a girl


If an owl lands on the roof of your house, it is an omen of death. Constant hooting near your house also foretells death.


If an owl hoots at the moment of childbirth, the child will have an unhappy life.


The Irish believe that if an owl flies into a house it must be killed immediately. If it escapes, it will take the luck of the house with it.


If an owl nests in an abandoned house, then the dwelling must be haunted. An owl is the only creature that can abide a ghost.


By eating salted owl, a person can be cured of gout.


If an owl hoots during a burial service, the deceased is bound to rise from the grave and haunt the living.


An owl living in the attic of a house will cause a pregnant woman to miscarry.


Subcategory: Oyster


Oysters should only be eaten in months with an R in them


Aphrodisiac properties (dating back to Roman times)


Carrying an oyster shell - good luck


Subcategory: Peacocks


A peacock feather has an evil eye at the end. Argus, the Greek legend, says a hundred eyed monster was turned into a peacock with all it's eyes in it's tail.


Revered by Hindus as sacred


Greek mythology - tail consists of the eyes of the giant 'Argus'


Peacock feathers indoors - bad luck


Hearing a peacock cry - storms approaching

To get rid of warts involves rubbing a peeled apple and giving it to a pig.


Crossing your path - unlucky


Running with straw in its mouth - storms approaching


Driving pigs indoors On Beltane morning - good omen


Subcategory: Porpoise


Harbinger of good luck


Seen swimming north - fine weather


Seen swimming south - bad weather


Subcategory: Rabbits


Passing in front of you - good luck


Passing behind you - bad luck


Running down a street - a house will catch fire


Keeping a rabbit's foot - good luck


Because of the rabbit's ability to reproduce, the rabbit's foot became a symbol of fertility.


Rabbits were linked with darkness, witches and the devil because they live underground.


By owning a rabbit's foot as a talisman, you would have vital connections with many powerful forces.


A left rabbit hind foot, carried in the left pocket after having been removed from a rabbit that was killed during a full moon by a cross-eyed person is truly lucky. The foot is considered a powerful charm against evil because the rabbit's strong hind le


Actors may keep a rabbit's foot in their makeup cases for good luck, and will have misfortune if they lose it.


In Wales an old belief is that a new-born child rubbed all over with a rabbit's foot will be lucky for life.


Subcategory: Rat


Most relate to the rat's association with death


It is believed that rats can predict death


Rats leaving a ship - the ship will sink


Rats seen boarding a ship - lucky


A rat leaving a house - A death is imminent


A sudden arrival of rats in a house - the occupants will move soon, or (in Scotland) an occupant will come into money


An increase in numbers - an omen of war

To kill a raven is to harm the spirit of King Arthur who visits the world in the form of a raven.


Seen near a sick person - no recovery


Welsh belief - A raven on a chimney is good luck to those within


Ravens leaving The Tower of London - The United Kingdom will fall


Flying towards the sun - fine weather


Subcategory: Robins


A wish made on the first robin of spring will be granted.


A robin entering the house was a sign of a death in the family.


Killing a robin - extremely bad luck


Causing a robin injury - a similar injury to the perpetrator


Entering a house or church - omen of death


Subcategory: Roosters


Roosters have long been connected with the sun, as they crow to herald its arrival at dawn, and are considered watchful protectors of humankind.


When a cock crows at midnight a spirit is passing


In England it is a death omen if a rooster crows three times between sunset and midnight. Crowing at other times is often a warning against misfortune.


If a cock crows while perched on a gate, or at nightfall, the next day will be rainy.


A white rooster is considered very lucky, and should not be killed as it protects the farm on which it lives


Black roosters are a bad omen, often associated with sacrifice.


Subcategory: Seagulls


Three seagulls flying together, directly overhead, are a warning of death soon to come.


Killing a seagull - bad luck


Seen far inland - bad weather

A shepherd counting his flock - bad luck


Sitting still on the grass - fine weather


Walking about and bleating - bad weather


Subcategory: Snake


Hanging a snake skin from the rafters - protection from fire


Crossing your path - unlucky


Carrying a snake skin - protection against illness


Carrying a snake's tooth - protection against fever and luck in gambling


Wearing an emerald - protection against snake bites


Subcategory: Sparrows


Sparrows carry the souls of the dead, it's unlucky to kill one.


Believed to embody the souls of the dead


Killing a sparrow - the tree it lived in will die


Hearing a sparrow call – rain

Subcategory: Spiders


It is unlucky to kill spiders because a spider spun a web over baby Jesus to hide him from Herod.


A spider with syrup cures fever.


Seeing a spider run down a web in the afternoon means you'll take a trip.


You'll meet a new friend if you run into a web.


A spider is a repellent against plague when worn around the neck in a walnut shell.


Killing a spider - very bad luck


Seen running over clothes - a new set of clothes


Finding a spider in the morning - Sorrow


Finding a spider at midday - Anxiety


Finding a spider in the evening - Loss


Killing a spider - Bad Luck


A spider spinning in the morning - Good Luck


A spider climbing its thread - Good News


A spider dropping on its thread - Good Luck


Finding a spider on your body - Good Fortune


Seeing a spider cross a wall - Good Luck


A spider's web on a doorway - A Visitor


A spider on your clothes – Money


Arcane is said to be the missing 13th sign of the zodiac based on 13 lunar months. Arcane is associated with psychic abilities, weaving and women.


Subcategory: Sow Bugs


A Texas superstition says that a bag filled with 13 sow bugs tied around a child's neck will cure the child from the thrash, or sores in the mouth.


Subcategory: Storks


Storks deliver babies.


Storks were sacred to Venus in Roman mythology.


If a stork builds a nest on your roof, you have received a blessing and a promise of never ending love from Venus. Aristotle made killing a stork a crime, and Romans passed a stork law, saying that children must care for their elderly parents.


Killing a stork - bad luck


Building a nest on the roof - good omen


Seeing two storks - omen of pregnancy


Subcategory: Swallow


Herald of the summer


Killing a swallow - bad luck


Nesting on the roof - protection especially against lightning and fire


Storms will accompany the arrival and departure of swallows