Читать книгу Black Cats & April Fools - Origins of Old Wives Tales and Superstitions in Our Daily Lives - Harry Oliver - Страница 6

When I think of old wives’ tales and superstitions I think of childhood, which is naturally when I first encountered them, usually as warnings from adults. Whether from parents, grandparents, other people’s parents, or even teachers, the authority of whomever told me that walking under a ladder was courting disaster, or that it was unlucky to tread on cracks in the pavement, or that if I broke a mirror it would bring seven years of misfortune, was enough to make me accept this unquestioningly. The need to challenge such ‘truths’ was peculiarly absent in me: I did not doubt that eating carrots would improve my eyesight, even make me see in the dark – I merely assumed that my lack of night vision was down to a deficiency in my consumption of the vegetable! And as for the things I was told would bring me luck – coins in a fountain, seeing a black cat, owning a horseshoe, or finding a four-leaf clover for instance – well what child is going to doubt the logic of something that is going to improve their lot? Not me, anyway. But growing up and developing into a teenager with a defiant streak, combined with the boredom of teenage frustration, meant that the odd transgression such as purposely striding beneath a builder’s ladder just to see what would happen was irresistible.

And not much did happen, so far as I am aware anyway. But how could I be aware that I didn’t deprive myself of a bit of extra luck?! The interesting thing is that all but the most coldly rational of us hold on to superstitions of one sort or another, be they obscure, idiosyncratic notions that many will not have heard of, or more commonly-accepted pieces of received wisdom that we put into practice without even thinking about it. After all, in a society where religion plays an increasingly small part in our lives, ‘Bless You’ still crops up whenever a sneeze forces its way out of an individual.

The origins of old wives’ tales and supersitions are sometimes reasonably obvious, but all too often, they are not! Many are grounded in ancient beliefs, and of course in Christian dogma, but then again a good number have arisen in more recent times. In researching this book, I naturally aimed to provide explanations of the common beliefs we are all aware of, but also wanted to give ample space to the lesser-known, yet still fascinating, ones that may be long gone, or only known of in certain quarters. Many, whose origins remained obscure to me, are listed because they are interesting in themselves, and offer food for thought, and I would be most glad if anyone could fill in any gaps where my research proved fruitless. Do send your thoughts to words@blake.co.uk.

I have tried to create a book for everyone to enjoy, for the superstitious and the cynic alike. On reading it, if you find yourself transformed into a paranoid recluse, wary of leaving the house for fear of the consequences of what may happen to you, then I am sorry. But, ‘touch wood’, this won’t happen, and you will enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I’ll ‘keep my fingers crossed’ that this is the outcome for most of you! Enjoy!