The Trickster
Superstition and Myths:
A study by: Timothy Youngblood
Copyright © The
Master's Table
Just like our study titled "Is
that in the bible" we thought it would be interesting to look at some
superstitions and myths with the meanings, and where they came from. We will
not cover many superstitions and myths here but just a few good ones to make
the point. Just for the record I do not believe superstitions. Many of us learned
some superstitions at a young age, like breaking a mirror which can even make
most people shudder for a brief moment! When I break a mirror I think about
my mother saying I will have seven years misfortune. Well my answer to that
is I know I have not broken that many mirrors but I have had misfortune every
year of my life and many people I know have also. Ironically the very term "fortune,
or misfortune" comes from superstition as well. Fortuna, was propitiated
by mothers. Traditionally her cult was introduced to Rome by Servius Tullius.
All over the Roman world, Fortuna was worshipped at a great number of shrines
under various titles that were applied to her according to the various circumstances
of life in which her influence was hoped to have a positive effect. Fortuna
was not always positive: she was doubtful (Fortuna Dubia); she could be "fickle
fortune" (Fortuna Brevis), or downright evil misfortune.(Fortuna Mala).Her name
seems to derive from the Italic goddess Vortumna, "she who revolves the year".
We found in our research that there are some very good reason for superstitions. Like the one you will have seven years bad luck if you break a mirror. Where did this come from and why. The reason is not only very simple but useful. As we all know there were very few mirrors a hundred years ago and beyond, as well as being very expensive. Because children as well as movers may not be very careful with them the curse was placed so the one thing they would remember is if they broke it; well you know…seven years of bad luck would follow them around. We found that there are a lot of other myths concerning mirrors during our research but will not go into them here. The same is true for not spilling salt. The superstition of bad luck would cause people to be cautious not to spill this rare and expensive product that was used for preserving meat.
Knock on wood:
How many times have you heard someone say "I hope to get there safely,"
and then they knock on a piece of wood? Where did the practice of knocking on
wood come from and what did it mean? We found that many years ago in England
a robber, or even a murderer could run to the Church and find sanctuary from
those wanting to hang them. But before he could enter the Church he had to knock
on the large "wooden" doors, thus knocking on wood to prevent something
bad from happening became a superstition.
What about crossing the fingers behind the back if one was not
telling the truth? The crossed fingers represented the belief in the cross of
Christ and if the fingers where crossed then the person was exempt from the
lie. Another one I like is why people believe that a "Black Cat" crossing
their path would bring bad luck? The answer we found is very amusing. Back when
witches were feared and hunted it was believed their spirit could posses any
living thing. (Thus the biblical story of Jesus casting the evil spirits into
the swine.) When the people would go after the witch and burn her at the stake
they noticed a Black cat running away and it was rumored that the witch always
had one around the house. It was believed that the Witches spirit, or the demon
that possessed her, used the swiftness and blackness of the cat to escape and
anyone trying to get in the way would be cursed.
The raven
Like the black cat the Raven has a close affinity with the supernatural world
and to the Celtic goddesses. Ravens are believed to be birds of omen in Druid
mythology where a soothsayer would predict the future by studying the flight
of the birds. The raven is also believed to be an oracular bird, and a bearer
of messages from the underworld.
Friday the 13th
It is Friday the 13th and we all need to be extra careful "Right?"
Where did this get started and why? We found that fear of Friday the 13th is
rooted in ancient times with the number 13 and the day Friday which is the sixth
day of the week. The numbers important to
occultists are 33, 3, 13, 666, or just 6. The two unlucky entities of
13 and the sixth day (Friday) combine to make one super unlucky day. There is
a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. It is believed that Judas, the
apostle who betrayed Jesus was the 13th guest to the Last Supper. We also found
that a particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday
the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar
and began torturing them marking the occasion as a day of evil. In ancient Rome,
witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the
devil. Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital
punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public
hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose. Ever wonder
why many tall buildings have no 13th Floor and did you know that Airplanes avoid
the 13th aisle?
What about the number 13? Yes our research found that the number
13 is used by those that worship Satan, but does this fact mean the number should
be feared? Let's think about some points that are the other side of the coin.
Although most Americans believe the number 13 is unlucky we find that our country
began with 13 original colonies and had 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
It was the 13th Amendment that abolished slavery and 13 stripes is proudly shown
on our flag. 13 letters are in the words "E Pluribus Unum." And there
are 13 stars above the National Eagle, plus 13 arrows in the Eagle's talons,
which is also on the back of our one dollar bill. So if it were not for superstition,
Americans would most likely associate 13 with patriotism and good luck. This
just goes to show that we humans get caught up in things that just are not true.
We believe it because someone stated it was true, or it is what our family have
believed for generations.
We were even taught many myths in school and we to often rely
on what some teacher stated without thinking about it, and then we repeat it
as truth. One such thing is that "No two snow flakes are alike." Can
this be true? Think about the fact that there are many trillions of snow flakes
in one good snow fall and only a few thousand have ever been catalogued. The
truth is that the number of snow flakes that have fallen for thousands of years
is vastly larger than the number of possible shapes. In truth untold millions
of snow flakes are alike, yet we believe what we're told.
Many Christians have been lead to believe that they have been set free from superstitions and myths, but have they? Have you checked into what your church still teaches that very well could be superstition and myth? Will you believe your own bible? Will you be willing to change when you find the truth? Do you know where the teaching of the Trinity came from? What about Christ-mass, or Easter? Check out our articles on these subjects and after looking into the facts we hope you will accept wisdom instead of myth. Wisdom can only begin with unlearning the errors we were taught and accepting the truth. The question is do you feel better just continuing to believe in the myths, or will you accept the truth?
You might want to read some other articles titled:
Should Christians observe Christ-Mass?
Should Christians observe Easter
Should Christians pray to Mary?
The Trinity: Christian or Pagan?
The History of the Cross Symbol in Christianity
Could receiving the Eucharist Actually be Sun Worship?