An APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY?

Have you ever wondered where old wives tales and superstitions originate from? My grandmother always had a "saying" about some thing or another. I have pretty much lived my life around superstitions and never really paid attention to it, as it was always a way of life to me.

Here are a few Ive found ,and some told to me by my grandmother. Feel free to add your own. They are fun to read, and I know that there is truth to some of them. ;)
_________________________________________________________

It is unlucky to cut fingernails on a Friday or Sunday.
________________________________________________________
Specks on the nails:
yellow = death; black = ill-luck; white = good fortune to come.
____________________________________________________________
​
Never eat anything when a funeral bell is tolling or toothache will follow.
___________________________________________________________
There is said to be a connection between the size of a person's nose and their sexual organs. IVe always heard this with feet.
_______________________________________________________

It is said to be unlucky to have your hair cut when the moon is in the wane as this will cause it to fall out and lose its luster.
_________________________________________________________
If a woman suddenly develops curls on her forehead her man has not long to live.
___________________________________________________________

A wart is said to be the mark of the Devil and is unlucky.
____________________________________________________________
​
A SHIVER means that someone is walking over your (eventual) grave.
__________________________________________________________
Prevents evil spirits from entering the body by one of the five orifices. Wearing earrings and painting the lips were talismans to keep devils away.
___________________________________________________________
Emeralds = unlucky because they were used in the East for the eyes of religious figures and consequently became the target of robbers.
___________________________________________________________
Opals = unlucky; although 13th century alchemist Albertus Magnus maintained that an opal wrapped in bay leaves made its wearer invisible.
_________________________________________________________
Pearls = once believed to be unlucky; in medieval times they were thought to be 'solidified tears'.
____________________________________________________________
​
Diamonds = the best of all good luck bringers, possessing the power to drive off witches and prevent the wearer from ever going insane.
____________________________________________________________
​
Do not enter a building left foot first, to avoid bad luck.
____________________________________________________________
​

When any food is mixed it should be stirred clockwise, as all functions of importance should be performed in an east to west direction (old belief in sun-worship).
________________________________________________________
If two spoons are found in a tea cup there will be a wedding in the family; if you drop one and it lands with the bowl upwards you are in for a pleasant surprise.
____________________________________________________________
​

A bird that flies into a house, foretells an important message.
The white bird foretells death. ______________________________________________

If the first butterfly you see in the year is white, you will have good luck all year.
__________________________________________________________

A Norse legend tells of the chariot of Freya, the witch, that was pulled by black cats that became black horses. They were exceedingly swift and surely possessed by the Devil.
After serving Freya for seven years, the cats were rewarded by being turned into witches, disguised as black cats.
This seems to have led to the belief in the Middle Ages that black cats were familiars of witches, and after seven years, became witches themselves. They believed if a black cat crossed your path, Satan was taking notice of you.
__________________________________________________________

A cricket is a lucky house spirit that takes its luck away when it leaves.
_________________________________________________________

Crow
One's bad,
Two's luck,
Three's health,
Four's wealth,
Five's sickness,
Six is death.
____________________________________________________________
​

Howling dogs mean the wind god has summoned death, and the spirits of the dead will be taken.

A howling dog at night means bad luck or somebody close to you will be very sick or worse.
___________________________________________________________

An old tradition claims a dove is the one bird into which the Devil cannot transform himself.
____________________________________________________________
​
Frogs are said to be the souls of children who have died and thus it is very unlucky to kill one.
___________________________________________________________

Ravens,An ill-omened bird, able to predict the future, particularly death.
If the Ravens in the Tower of London should be lost or fly away then the Royal Family will die and Britain will fall to an enemy.
The raven is 'the messenger of death' (American Indian) and has a very developed sense of smell which can detect the odour of decay from some distance.
The ominous nature of this creature is evoked in Edgar Allan Poe's poem 'The Raven'.

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

Last Edited by PatriotFemaleCitizen on 08/24/2011 07:16 PM