BIRD AND INSECT SUPERSTITIONS
Owls are considered unlucky birds. Their hoarse and repellent voice is
a bad omen and means coming disaster.
Chaucer says: “The owl brings tidings of death.”
History tells that an owl once flew into the city of Rome and as a
result the place was purified and sacrifices offered to propitiate the
gods and avert trouble.
Before the death of the Roman emperor, Antoninus, an owl was observed
to sit over his chamber door.
The Actian War was foretold by owls flying into the Temple of Concord
in Rome.
In the Middle Ages the screeching of owls was supposed to foretell
plague or other calamities.
Ravens were considered equally unlucky. To have a raven fly into one’s
bedroom foretold disaster. The celebrated poem by Poe, “The Raven,” has
this belief for its motive.
Robins are considered lucky birds and it is bad to kill one. The
farmers believe that they will avert poor crops.
The high esteem in which the robin is held probably originated from the
story of the “Babes in the Wood” who were covered up with leaves by the
robin redbreasts after they were left to starve by their cruel guardian.
The cuckoo has long been considered as a bird of bad omen, if it enters
one’s home; but to hear a cuckoo cry in the woods is a good sign.
Boys take their money out of their pockets and spit on it for luck when
they hear a cuckoo cry. It is a bad sign not to have any money in your
pocket when you hear the cuckoo’s first cry in spring.
A white bird or a crow flying against a window by night, foretells a
death in the house within a year.
A robin is a bringer of good luck if it flies into the house.
Magpies have different meanings according to the number that fly about.
“One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding, four for a birth,
five for silver, six for gold, seven a secret that dare not be told.”
To avert the evil influence of magpies, make a cross with the foot for
every one in sight.
It is unlucky to look into an owl’s nest.
It is a bad omen to kill a swallow or a wren or take their eggs.
Martins and swallows are God’s teachers and scholars and must not be
annoyed.
INSECT OMENS
It is unlucky to kill a spider. If you wish to thrive, let the spider
stay alive.
A spider’s web, encountered on the road should not be disturbed.
A little red ant, if it crawls into the pocket, brings money.
Crickets are considered harbingers of luck; but in some countries the
contrary holds good.
To kill a red ant, brings rain.
Bees swarming on a house means that some one will die there.
If you see a black snail, throw it over your head for luck.
To kill a toad will make the bees swarm.
BEES
When putting bees into a new hive, one must knock three times on top of
the old hive and tell them; otherwise they will sting you.
If any one dies in a house where bees are kept, they must be told,
otherwise they will stop gathering honey and die too.
In some country hives are turned around when a member of the family
dies, otherwise the bees will also die.
Bees are supposed to have a religious nature and to be subject to the
emotions of their owners.
In Yorkshire there is a custom of watching the hives on Christmas Eve.
The people profess to be able to tell by the humming noise the bees
make whether the holiday is to be a joyful one or not.
Bees have often been used for divination and the size of the swarm and
the general behavior of the bees prophesies good or bad crops.
If a hive of bees dies out, it is a sign of a coming bad harvest and
the farmer looks for another place to ply his profession.
To be stung by a bee, if not followed by a swelling, is a sign of
coming fortune.
If three bees alight upon you at one time, it is a sign that your plans
will meet with success.