Well, since everyone else seems to be talking about Thomas Aquinas, I
figured I’d go back to our discussion about superstition and magic. In Magic in the Middle Ages, it mentions
medieval superstitions such as:
“Those who found halfpennies or
needles could congratulate themselves on their good luck, unless they were so
foolish as to dispose of these discovered objects, in which case the luck would
turn against them. It was lucky to find a horseshoe or an iron nail, or to meet
a hare as it was escaping the hounds. To encounter a raven or an ass was
unlucky. Some people believed it could be bad luck to meet a monk or a priest
unless one made the sign of the cross.”(88)
While we don’t have
many of these superstitions today, there are several that still persist in
modern society like crossing your fingers, knocking on wood, walking under a
ladder, and opening an umbrella indoors. But where did these superstitions come
from? A quick Google search reveals a large number of websites with information
on the subject. One that I found particularly useful is an article on the
Reader’s Digest website which gives possible histories of modern superstitions
as well as some others dating as far back as the Egyptians.
The
practice of crossing one’s fingers or legs for luck might be traced back as far
as the time of Jesus, and it is suggested that the motion is related to the crucifixion.
Knocking on wood is sometimes related to the same thing, but the practice could
also be traced back to the belief that spirits lived in trees. By knocking or
touching the wood, the person would be invoking these spirits. The Reader’s
Digest article relates the superstition of walking under a ladder to the ladder
criminals would have to climb before they were hanged; however, another article
traces it all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. This article on
Livescience.com says that the Egyptians believed triangles to be sacred and a
sign of the gods. As such, walking through the triangle formed by a leaning
ladder was considered hugely disrespectful to the gods. Similarly, the Chinese
viewed the opening of an umbrella indoors to be an insult to the Sun, who they
considered a god. This slight could bring bad luck or even death.
There is a lot more information on the subject out there,
even on these websites. If this interests you, I would encourage that you check
out these two articles.
http://www.readersdigest.com.au/superstitions?page=1
http://www.livescience.com/33507-origins-of-superstitions.html
I never thought about the origins of superstitions, but now I want to look up every superstition I know just to see where they originate from.
ReplyDeleteI know we don't have the superstitions explained in your quote from Magic in the Middle Ages, but some that remind me of them are finding a penny head's up for good luck - like finding the halfpennies - and having a black cat cross your path as bad luck - like coming across a raven or an ass. Going off your post, I did a little research and found out that people used to believe that metal was a gift from the gods. It was given to man for protection against evil. Thus, metal brings good luck, so finding a penny equlas good luck.
I also read that once cats were associated with witchcraft in the 17th Century, they were viewed as bad luck. People went as far as to burn cats to protect their homes from fire. Also, in Britain and Japan, it is considered lucky to have a black cat cross your path.
http://www.wisegeek.org/why-is-finding-a-penny-good-luck.htm
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/black_cats/