Grimm's TM - Superstitions
Superst. I
91. In going to bed, leave nothing lying on the table, else the oldest or youngest in the house can get no sleep.
92. If a woman going to be churched meet a man, she'll have a son next time; if a woman, a girl; if nobody, no more children; if two people, twins.
93. If you sneeze before breakfast, you'll get some present that day.
94. Don't let fire and light be carried out of your house by a stranger, it is taking the victuals away from the house.
95. A new maidservant shall look into the oven's mouth the first thing, she'll soon get used to it then (see 501).
96. If you are having flax sown, give the sower a fee, or the flax will spoil.
97. If a single woman on Christmas-eve pour melted lead into cold water, it will shape itself like the tools of her future husband's trade.
98. If you have a wooden pipe or tap turned for you out of a birchtree growing in the middle of an anthill, and draw wine or beer through it, you'll soon have sold your liquor.
99. He that cuts bread unevenly, has told lies that day.
100. Single women that want husbands shall, the night before St Andrew's day, call upon that saint naked, and they'll see their sweetheart in their sleep.
101. When a maid wants to know if she shall keep her place, let her on Christmas eve turn her back to the door, and fling the shoe off her foot over her head: if the tip of the shoe is towards the door, she'll have to go; if the heel, she will stay.
102. If a maid wishes to know what sort of hair her lover will have, let her grope backwards through the open door on Christmas eve, and she'll grasp the hair in her hand.
103. Whoever finds by chance a hare-laurel (? hasen-lorber) in the wood, and eats it, will have his share of the hare wherever he goes.
104. He that looks in the mirror at night, sees the devil there.
105. To find out if she'll get a husband during the year, let the damsel knock at the hen-house on Christmas eve or at midnight: if the cock cackles, she'll get one; if the hen, she won't.
106. If children in the street ride with spears and banners, there will be a war; if they carry each other on crosses (Banbury chairs) a pestilence.
107. If you are out of money, mind the new moon does not peep into your empty purse, or you'll be short of money the whole month.
108. If the stork builds on your roof or chimney, you will live long and be rich.
109. To know if her lover will be straight or crooked, a girl must go to a stack of wood on Christmas eve, and with her back to it, pull out a log; as the log is, so will the lover be (see F, 7).
110. To know what he is called, let her stretch the first piece of yarn she spins that day outside the house-door, and the first man that passes will be a namesake of her future husband.
111. Never set a gridiron or trivet over the fire without putting something on it; she that does so will have an apron (puckers) on her face.
112. Let a woman, when going to bed, salute the stars in the sky, and neither hawk nor vulture will take her chickens.
113. In putting straw into a bed, don't leave the knots in the strawbands, there's no sleeping on them.
114. A woman going to market will get better prices for her wares if on getting up she put her rught shoe on first.
115. He that wears a shirt woven of yarn, that a girl under seven has spun, will find luck in it (see 931).
116. If it rain on John's-day, nuts will spoil and harlots thrive.
117. Onions, turned in their bed on John's-day, turn out fine.
118. The maids shall not weed the cabbage-beds on Bartlemy's day; Bartlemy is putting (orig. throwing) heads to the cabbages, and would be scared away.
119. If you find a four-leaved clover (shamrock), hold it dear; as long as you have it, you'll be happy (see G, 62).
120. A raven or crow, that sits cawing on a sick house, betokens the patient's death.
121. Shepherds must not name the wolf during the Twelves, or he will worry their sheep.
122. If a child has a date-stone about him, he does not fall, or is not much hurt.
123. When you go into a new house or room, what you dream the first night comes true.
124. If a woman or maid loses her garter in the street, her husband or lover is unfaithful to her.
125. When a woman is going to bed, she shall move her chair from the place where she has sat, or the alp will weigh upon her.
126. While a fire burns on the hearth, lightning will not strike the house.
127. A calf born on St. Velten's (Valentine's) day is of no use for breeding.
128. If a wolf, stag, boar or bear meets you on a journey, it is a good sign.
129. He that finds a horse-shoe, or a piece of one, has luck (see 220).
130. The flax or tow that a maid leaves unspun on the distaff of a Saturday, does not make good yarn, and will not bleach.
131. Let the father put a sword in the baby's hand directly it is christened, and it will be bold and brave.
132. When a boy is born, let his feet push against his father's breast, and he will not come to a bad end.
133. As soon as a girl is born, seat her on her mother's breast, and say 'God make thee a good woman'; and she will never slip or come to shame.
134. If a spider crawl on your coat in the morning, you'll be happy that day.
135. If a man on a journey meets a woman who is spinning, it is a bad sign; let him turn back, and take another road.
136. If the clock strikes while bells are ringing, it betokens fire.
137. Don't lay a new-born child on its left side first, or it will always be awkward.
138. On Walpurgis-eve let him that has cornfields fire his gun over them, and the witches cannot hurt the corn.
139. A blue cornflower pulled up by the roots on Corpus Christi day stops nose-bleeding, if held in the hand till it gets warm.
140. Root out the reeds in a pond or the thorns in a field on Abdon-day (July 30), and they will not grow again.
141. If a woman's neck or throat itches, she will soon go to a christening or wedding; if her head itches, it means blows.
142. Bright Christmas, dark barns; dark Christmas, light barns.
143. Whoever hurts or even sees an earth-hünchen or a house-adder, is sure to die that year.
144. Smear the point of your sword with ear-wax, it will melt your enemy's courage.
145. When two nursing mothers drink at the same time, one drinks the other's milk away. And when two people begin drinking at the same moment, one drinks the other's colour away.
146. If you eat bread that another has bitten, you'll become his enemy.
147. If a woman lets another person wipe hands on her apron, that person will hate her.
148. Swallows building on a house bring poverty, sparrows riches.
149. A hoop coming off a cask on Christmas eve shews that some one in the house will die that year.
150. If the light on the altar goes out of itself, it shews the priest is going to die.
151. A woman gets rid of earache by wrapping a man's breeches round her head.
152. When the maids are making tinder, they must tear pieces out of men's shirts; tinder made of women's shifts does not catch.
153. Tying wet strawbands round the orchard-trees on Christmas eve makes them fruitful.
154. Fruit trees clipt at Shrovetide are proof against worm and caterpillar.
155. To keep a cat or dog from running away, chase it three times round the hearth, and rub it against the chimney-shaft.
156. If a man sees a wolf before the wolf sees him, he need fear no harm; but if the wolf saw him first, he is in danger: some say he will be dumb, or hoarse.
157. John's blood (plantain), culled at noon on John's day, is good for many things.
158. If a magpie sits chattering on the infirmary, before noon, and looking our way, the meaning is good: if after noon, and seen from behind, it is bad.
159. The howling of dogs bodes misfortune.
160. A swarm of bees hanging on to a house signifies fire.
161. The lark sings as long before Candlemas as she is silent after.
162. If a bachelor and spinster stand sponsors to a child, the priest shall plant between the two, or they will always be falling out.
163. A man shall not marry his gossip (fellow-sponsor), for, every time they come together as man and wife, it thunders.
164. Let him who gets the first can of beer out of a cask run away fast, and the rest of that beer will soon go off.
165. Don't let a baby tread barefoot on a table: it will get sore feet.
166. After putting the candle out, don't leave it upside down in the candlestick; else nobody can wake if thieves should come.
167. A boy born in the Venus-morningstar gets a wife much younger than himself; in the Venus-eveningstar one much older. And the contrary with girls.
168. On rising from a meal, don't leave any of your bread behind; if any one takes it and throws it over the gallows, you won't escape hanging.
169. An elder planted before the stable door guards the cattle from sorcery.
170. He that has about him a string with which a rupture was bound up, can lift the heaviest load without danger.
171. A piece of wood off a coffin that has been dug up, if concealed among your cabbages, keeps away the caterpillars.
172. Eat no soup at Shrovetide, or you'll have a dripping nose.
173. On Nicasius eve write the saint's name on the door in chalk, and you rid the house of rat and mouse.
174. If the carter plaits a snake's or adder's tongue into his whip, his horses can pull the biggest loads out of the ditch, and will not over-drink themselves.
175. Make nests for the hens on Peter's day, and many's the egg they will lay.
176. A woman with child, who stands godmother, shall not lift the babe out of the font herself; else one child dies, the christened one or hers.
177. If the first person you meet in the morning be a virgin or a priest, 'tis a sign of bad luck; if a harlot, of good.
178. If a weaned child is put to the breast again, it grows up a blasphemer.
179. If a woman with child pass under a waggon-pole, she'll go over her time.
180. The seventh son is a lucky man, for healing, planting, or doing anything.
181. Malefactors on the rack pin and paper to their back with Psalms 10th and 15th written on it: they can stand the torture then without confessing.
182. If you have bread and salt about you, you are safe from sorcery.
183. For a fever: Take three bits of stolen bread, spit in two nutshells, and write this note: 'Cow, will you go to your stall, Fever (frörer, ague), go you to the wall.'
© 2004-2007 Northvegr.
Most of the material on this site is in the public domain. However, many people have worked very hard to bring these texts to you so if you do use the work, we would appreciate it if you could give credit to both the Northvegr site and to the individuals who worked to bring you these texts. A small number of texts are copyrighted and cannot be used without the author's permission. Any text that is copyrighted will have a clear notation of such on the main index page for that text. Inquiries can be sent to info@northvegr.org. Northvegr™ and the Northvegr symbol are trademarks and service marks of the Northvegr Foundation.
|