HALLOWEEN BLOG

[GEMINIGUY]

Thank you, Kitty! Thank you, MissBarbara!
As always, I try to go with spookier superstitions, but sometimes I go with ones that looked interesting to me and hopefully to my Halloween Blog's Constant Readers.

[GEMINIGUY]

Saturday, October 2nd

                                   Lead

"Of all the metals, lead is the most closely associated with death. In former times coffins were often made of lead. Various ancient spells designed to deliver death curses against an enemy involved hiding a piece of lead bearing the victim's name somewhere in his home, or else burying it in the ground.
To determine whether someone suffering from illness was under the influence of witchcraft, a little molten lead might be held over the patient and then dropped in water: if the lead congealed into a definite image then evil spirits were clearly at work a little lead thus formed might then be given to the patient to wear over his heart in the belief that this would counter any spells.
More cheerfully, in different circumstances observing the shapes formed by molten lead immersed in cold water may reveal a symbol, such as an anchor or book, that identifies the occupation of a future lover.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"The link with witchcraft is reflected in the tradition that witches cannot be killed with lead bullets but are vulnerable to bullets made of silver; according to Scots, if a lead bullet is used it may even rebound and kill the person who fired the shot.
Conversely, the density of  the metal made it the favoured material from which to make caskets to preserver important religious relics, the idea being that the lead would keep the relics safely sealed from any malevolent interference from the outside world and prevent their dissipation into the air."

[KitKat]

All that lead being put in the ground makes me worry about the water supply. 

[Elizabeth]

Friday, October 1st, 2016

                                Sea

"The sea has always inspired feelings of awe and dread and in ancient times was considered the source of all evil. The Great Beast in the Book of Revelation is described as rising up from the sea, and the lingering doubts that man harbours about the world's oceans are reflected in the countless taboos and superstitions relating to the business of travelling over its surface.
The creatures which inhabit the sea and the birds that fly above it are often regarded with suspicion, though sightings of even such ominous animals as the albatross and shark are not necessarily unlucky in all circumstances.
The sea itself has its beneficial aspects too: taking a spoonful of seawater every morning, for instance, is said to increase a person's chance of living to a great age, according to the Welsh.
(con't)

"The Great Beast".......??
Sounds more like the Roman's God Neptune and the Kraken of mythology.

Love,
Liz

[GEMINIGUY]

The Book of Revelation was written long before Greek and Roman Mythology thought up those Neptune, Poseidon and the Kraken.

[GEMINIGUY]

Monday, October 3rd

                                  Rook

"In common with other black birds rooks are widely associated with death, but are otherwise unusual in being regarded by landowners throughout the British Isles and elsewhere in Europe as harbringers of good luck. The appearance of rooks round a particular house or village is usually greeted with dismay and interpreted as a death omen, but well-established rookeries near homes are considered lucky.
The sudden disappearance of rooks from a rookery is therefore regarded as a bad sign, suggesting a coming calamity. Many people claim that if rooks nest close to human habitation the occupant may rest assured of financial prosperity and general good luck.
in Shropshire and some other areas householders treat these birds as others treat bees. They will inform any resident rooks of a death in the family, and will reassure them that only the landowner will be allowed to shoot them - this is to encourage them to stay where they are.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"Similarly, finding a broken rook's nest in January is lucky, signifying a happy year ahead. In former times, anyone who killed a rook or drove it from the neighbourhood and thus threatened a landowner's luck was subject to harsh punishment.
Various other superstitions concerning rooks include the notion that the birds have a sixth sense when it comes to predicting when a tree is about to fall down, and will accordingly move their nests before the event takes place. Furthermore, rooks will refrain from building nests on Ascension Day, and anyone who fails to put on new clothing on Easter Day will become the target of their droppings.
It is said if the rooks builds their nests high in the trees a fine Summer is in the offing, but if they nest lower down the weather will be wet and cold.
Rooks that feed in the street or perch close together on fences or walls with their heads turned into the wind are a sure sign that a storm is imminent, as is the sight of rooks swooping recklessly downwards in flight."

[GEMINIGUY]

Tuesday, October 4th

                                  Moon

"As might be expected, the moon occupies a prominent place in the superstitions of the entire Western world. While the sun represents the life essence & the more positive aspects of existence, the moon, ruler of the tides and other elemental forces, is generally taken to symbolise darker, more mysterious & often negative influences. The reverence the ancient moon worshippers felt for the moon is reflected in the mixed feelings that most people still have for the Earth's neighbour in space, even in an age when science has revealed much about the moon's real nature.
Perhaps the oldest & widest known of the superstitions connected with the moon is that those who gaze too long at the full moon risk becoming a 'lunatic', that is, mad, and will henceforth be subject to attacks of insanity whenever the moon is full. The moon's disorientating influence is also to be seen in the erratic behavour of animals at certain times in the lunar cycle
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"and may be linked, according to many authorites, with the human female menstruation cycle.
Primitive awe of the moon and its strange wonders has never quite died away and it continues to be treated by the more superstitious with the utmost respect. In various ancient cultures, for instance, youngs girls in partcular were warned against sleeping in the moonlight, lest they become 'moonstruck' and beget monsters, and even today children may be instructed to chant 'I see the moon and the moon sees me, God bless the moon and God bless me' to ward off ill luck should moonlight come into their room.
To be on the safe side, many adults will greet the new moon with a respectful bow or curtsey (in which case they believe they will be granted a wish).
Witches and other sorcerers, meanwhile, have long been credited with the power to 'draw down the moon', attracting its malevolent powers to use for their own nefarious ends."

[KitKat]

[GEMINIGUY]

Wednesday, October 5th

                         Moon (con't)

"Farmers - despite any real evidence to support them - will choose if possible to do their planting and sowing when the moon is waxing and this is also the best time for weddings, childbirth and convalesence. Livestock slaughtered when the moon is waxing will give better meat.
Bowing to the new moon and turning over any silver coins in one's pocket will guarantee a doubling in the amount by the end of the next cycle. If in company, the first person to see the new moon should kiss one of his or her companions without delay: they may then expect a gift in the near future.
It is important, however, that the new moon should not be seen for the first time through glass or through the branches of a tree, as this is a bad omen(similarly if it is seen to the left side of the observer). Ideally it should be sighted in the open air via a glance over the right shoulder (in which case a wish may be made).
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"It is inadvisable to be caught pointing at a new moon, as this offends 'the man in the moon' and is an invitation to dire misfortune; if done nine times the person concerned will be barred entry into Heaven.
Moreover, no one should consent to surgery when the moon is full, and any death that occurs during the new moon will be followed by three further mortalities. There is a general agreement, however, that no person can actually die while the moon is rising.
A waning moon exerts a generally baneful influence and is a particularly bad time for births and weddings. Anything cut in this period will not grow again, including the hair and fingernails, though it is apparently a good time to move house, let blood, pick fruit, cut down trees and stuff feather mattresses. Worst of all is the period between cycles, when there is no moon at all: children born during this time will come to nothing, as an ancient English proverb warns - 'No moon, no man'.
(con't)

[GEMINIGUY]

"Should two new lunar months fall within the same calendar month, extremely bad weather is sure to follow and may extend to flooding and other natural catastrophes. If this happens in May it may rain 'for a year and a day'.
Other weather predictions connected with the lunar cycle include the notion that new moons that fall at the weekend will be followed by bad luck and foul weather. It the 'horns' of a new moon point upwards, good weather is in the offing; if they point down, it will be wet. A halo around the moon at any time in the cycle is a warning of rain to come.
A full moon that falls on Christmas Dat, meanwhile, is lamented by farmers as a prophecy of a poor harvest in the year ahead."


BACK ON 10TH

[GEMINIGUY]

Monday, October 10th

                      Touching Wood

"The time-honoroured tradition of touching wood (or iron) to counter the threat of evil is known in many different cultures. This measure is more often taken when someon fears that something he (or someone else) has said may be interpreted as tempting fate.
According to some authorities, underlying the tradition is the idea of making an appeal to the wooden cross on which Christ was crucified, though others suggest that the help of pagan 'wood spirits' is being invoked.
Originally it was considered essential that the person actually touched a piece of wood, preferably that of a sacred tree such as the oak or the ash, but the superstition had gradually been modified so it is sufficient just to say the words 'touch wood' after expressing some hope about their future affairs."

BACK ON THE 15TH

[KitKat]

I always wondered what that meant, thanks GG.

[GEMINIGUY]

You are very welcome, KK!

[KitKat]

 

[GEMINIGUY]

Saturday, October 15th

                        Barren Ground

"A patch of ground where nothing will grow, according to superstition because of a curse or some evil event has taken place there. Ominous sites of this kind can be found all over the world, and there is usually some local legend to account for them.
Among the best-known examples in the British Isles are the spot where the drowned body of the British Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel was temporarily laid in the Scilly Isles after his fleet was wrecked in 1707 with the loss of many lives (locals claim he ignored the warnings of one of his seamen about the treacherous coast thereabouts), and the summit of Dragon Hill in Berkshire, where St. George is said to have killed the dragon, whose blood permanently poisoned the soil.
Other localities boast graves where the grass never grows. Notable among these is the grave in Montgomery churchyard of William Davies, hanged in 1821 for a crime of which he protested his innocence to the last."

BACK ON 20T

[KitKat]

I've heard similar things about UFO's. They land or hover over a spot and the grass dies and will not grow back.