Friday the 13th: Are You Superstitious?
Today is Friday, May 13th, an unlucky day according to superstition. Since the 20th century some theories suggest the 13th is a bad day because it was on a Friday the 13th that the Masons were ordered rounded up and executed by King Philip IV of France, as suggested in Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Steve Berry's The Templar Legacy. As an aside this idea of the Mason roundup being on a Friday the 13th was first included in the 1955 book The Iron King by Maurice Druon, which was what inspired George R.R. Martin to write The Game of Thrones series. Judas Iscariot was the 13th person at the Last Supper and Loki was the 13th guest at a dinner held in Valhalla. This superstition is so prevalent that most buildings and hotels don't have a 13th floor. Whether you believe or not here are a number of books about superstitions from around the world.
We have a real copy and a PDF file of a Thirteen Club here in Toronto. These clubs could be found all over the world and some continue to exist today. At the time, some people believed that if 13 people say down and ate a meal together one will die within a year. Thirteen clubs were formed to debunk these beliefs.
Superstitions: 1,013 of the wackiest myths, fables and old wives' tales
Why is Friday the 13th considered unlucky? Why do we knock on wood? Why do we cross our fingers for good luck? It may not be logical, but underlying these irrational notions are centuries of beliefs and many affect us still. In fact, the most important aspects of people's lives have been influenced by their superstitions both at work and at home, particularly their health, marriage, children, and prosperity. Superstitions is a chock-full compendium of more than 1,000 of the world's most common folklore beliefs.
Cassell's dictionary of superstitions
People around the world and throughout history have always held arcane beliefs to try to gain understanding and control over a mysterious world. This entertaining and educational reference describes why actors shout "break a leg" to each other for good luck, and consider any word of encouragement before a performance to be a curse. The entry on baseball players explains why they never mention a no-hitter while it's in progress, and why they carefully place their gloves in the field for good luck. Other sections describe customs involving hundreds of animals and birds, rocks and plants, foods and occupations, sleeping and sexual activities, all believed to possess the power to bring doom or fortune. Besides the many entries about superstitions, taboos, and fears, there are sections on traditional rhymes and chants, as well as the uses of potions and rituals that are employed to avoid harm and master the future.
Hockey Superstitions from playoff beards to crossed sticks and lucky socks
One of North America's best-known hockey writers examines the strangest rituals and superstitions within the NHL.
Why did Wayne Gretzky start every pre-game warm-up by shooting wide to the right of the net (a rather funny habit, given that he scored more goals than anyone in the game's history)? Why do many hockey players seem to believe performance is tied directly to facial hair? Why does Geoff Sanderson use a different length stick for every period? And why did Petr Klima break his stick after every goal he scored? Hockey Superstitions, by one of Canada's best-known hockey writers, Andrew Podnieks, explores the fascinating and fun world of hockey superstitions: their origins, their quirks, and the mythology around them. Along the way, it gives us an original look into the minds of the players and coaches behind them.
The penguin guide to the superstitions of Britain and Ireland
This survey not only explains what people have believed and why, but when superstitions arose, which parts of the country adopted them, how they evolved and what people today believe. Drawing extensively on literary sources from medieval times to the present, the book settles many arguments, debunks many myths and provides in the process an interesting sideways view of social customs and beliefs over the centuries.
The Library's reference collections have numerous books and materials on this topic if you are willing to travel, here are a few.
Superstitions : Omens, Charms, Cures 1787
Responding to the growing interest in British history and driven by a desire to make it more easily accessible to ordinary readers, Grose toured the country for many years, making sketches and collecting lexicographical data. Drawing on decades of fieldwork, he published in 1787 a disparate collection entitled A Provincial Glossary, with a Collection of Local Proverbs, and Popular Superstitions. In his introduction to the collection of superstitions he wrote: "I shall arrange my subject under the following heads: Ghosts- Witches, Sorcerers, and Witchcraft-Fairies -Corps, Candles, &c.-Second Sight-Omens -Things lucky and unlucky-Spells, Charms, and other fanciful devices…-Superstitious Methods of obtaining a Knowledge of Future Events- Sympathy-and Miscellaneous Superstitions." Grose's Popular Superstitions are reproduced here under their original headings, with an introduction by John Simpson, setting the superstitions in their wider context and drawing attention to their historical, cultural, and lexicographical significance. The resulting collection is a delightfully quirky guide to traditional sayings and beliefs, some archaic and surprising, some still in use and recognizable today.
Covers such topics at Bride Ale, Groaning Cake and Cheese, Music at Funerals and Bees informed of death.
Published in 1811 by Anne MacVicar Grant, one of many books she published exploring beliefs.
The curse of Macbeth, and other theatrical superstitions: an investigation
Find out why Macbeth is the play the Scottish Play, and why you never wish an actor good luck before a performance.
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