SIDE NOTE: In some books that contain information about this subject - they describe it as "art and practice of deriving omens from chance meetings with animals and birds" but birds have been, for the large part, listed into a category of their own thanks to the Ancient Roman augurers.
In less modern days, people were more apt to come across a critter or two on their way to town or a friend's home - regardless of their culture or country boundaries. Over time this evolved in a set of omens - but one that varies slightly from place to place in regards to the animals that are common to that particular area that aren't in another area or plain ol' difference in how to "interpret" some animals. (I.E. a black cat crossing one's path in Britain was considered to be good luck for the person; whereas, in the United States, the black cat has been labeled to be a "devil assistant" of sorts and so to have one cross your path meant the worst of luck unless you retraced your steps back and went to your destination via another route (generally crossing the street was enough to ward of the probable fate of ill luck).
| Any Four-Legged Animal |
Yep, believe it or not, some thoughts in this area wasn't limited to a particular animal at all but was a broad generalization ... as in the following case in point:
In parts of England, until the mid-ninteenth century or so, this was one of the many superstitious thoughts that the fishermen had. It was thought that while on the way to the harbor, if a four-legged animal (especially a dog) crossed their path -- well, this just wasn't good at all for the fisherman or his boat. Many of the same superstitious fisherman believed that the only way to rid the bad luck now felt cast their way was simple in solution - kill the animal that crossed your path. |
| Cat |
Cats were regarded to be a fortunate animal of choice to have aboard a ship and not necessarily due to the cat's natural tendency to hunt out and kill rodents. The ship's crew more so felt that the cat could be used as a warning device of sorts in regards to atmospheric changes - if the cat tore at cushions or carpeting, or just acting uneasy in it's environment, it was felt that the cat sensed the "raising of the wind". (In some Midwest states in America were tornadoes can occur - it was also felt that this same behavior preceded a bad storm or one that could spawn a tornado if the cat was intent on finding a hiding spot and refusing to come out.) To throw a cat overboard was not recommended as this act would bring about a fierce storm at sea.
Here are some more weather or just plain ol' predictive observations attached to cats from over the years (though some are merely more fanciful than based on truth or even half-truths): Cats wash their fur and ears fervently before a spell of bad weather sets in - explanation for this was 'cause the cat sensed the approaching electricity in the air. If it licked at it's tail a bit more than normal, it was actually sensing the approach of rain. If the cat washed herself in the usual normal manner - the weather would be fair. If the cat washes her ears only or sits with the tail toward a fire, the weather will be bad. If a cat washes one of it's feet and passes it over the left ear it was trying to tell you about the impending arrival of a stranger it sensed. If a cat runs across a stage during a play in active performance was said to foretell of misfortune that would follow in it's wake. Kick a cat and bad luck will come to the person who dared such an act. Kill or harm a cat though was thought to doom the person to nine years of ill fortune - some people have expanded this to also portend that the guilty culprit would also have nine years shaved off their lives or even suffer death soon after the incident within a nine year time frame. Good luck will come those who have the family cat present at weddings. If you were the first person a cat looks at after licking itself, and you are single, it was foretelling of early marriage. |
| Cow OR Bull |
Cows produce or milk easier when they are listening to "low brow" or jazz music - although the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture refutes this notion saying that the music is more so for the workers than the cows, as there have been no findings to back the "more productivity theory".
If you feed a cow a bunch of her own hairs, she will forget her former "home". Likewise, if you cut off a piece of a cow's tail, she will never run away. If cows, when let out in the morning hours, immediately lie down - it is said this means that it will storm before the night is over. If an ox sticks his tail up in the air, it is a signal of a change in weather. It is also rumored that all cattle will lie down on Christmas Day, out of "respect" in remembrance of the manger scene. If a cow doesn't bawl when her calf is sold, this portends that there will be a death in the family. Cattle born or weaned during the waning of the moon are thought to never be good breeders. If a bull looks at a person and bellows, it is a sign of good luck on its way to that person. A bull gets excited and upset at the color red because it is also the same color as blood - but this superstition has been to be ill-founded since bulls are color blind and more so are following and reacting the movement of the item versus the coloration. |
| Dog | The most common known omen-filled attribution attached to this tail wagging critter is the when the animal throws back it's head and howls, it is foretelling that the animal senses death or disaster to be on it's way to someone in the household (or near to the area where it does this) or that the dog's keen instincts were seeing the approach of a spectre of the soon to be dead person that would be carried off by the howling night wind (now do you get the dog's howl association the story? The dog was sort of a stand-in to make sure of the howling sounds). Science has tried to explain this as a habit of the four-legged buddy to man isn't actually a warning of death (or whatever) but a natural habit that wolves (who the dog is related closely to) have even to this day and age -- in essence, a primitive impulse still retained by the dog and nothing more. |
| Pig OR Boar |
The boar used to be a highly respected animal, particularly in Gaul - this is known to be fact by the gold and bronze icons (the representation being with the mystical 3 horns) thousands of years back as well the thought that it was the companion of the gods, as like through the depiction of the goddess of the hunt - similar to Diana - portrayed astride the boar in testament of the qualities of swiftness and determination. Somewhere along the line though, the boar lost its sacred stature, though the gods were still said to wear the mystic 3 horns and boar skins out of respect of the animal's qualities and the icons were still made for years afterwards.
The pig was domesticated abut 3 to 4 thousand years back in time, and naturally has some superstitions attached to it:
If a person dreams of being surrounded by pigs, someone will ask them for money. If a pig runs away, there will be sickness in the family. To help prevent a child from getting the mumps, rub the child against a pig trough. If a piglet is taken from the sow, they must be drawn away backwards or the sow will be fallow. As like the cat was thought to sense the wind, so is the pig in weather foretelling thoughts - so if the pigs squeal loudly , it is because they "see" storms approaching. If the pigs are running around with straw in their mouths then using the straw to make stacks to lie down upon, it is a sign of rain being on it's way. (This latter one was thought to have some validity to it since pigs are sensitive to moist air and will prepare themselves a dry place to lie upon out of instinct - but they also do this when there is no moisture in the air. So this one is pure superstition.) Been having bad luck? Then pull on a pig's tail for a sure fire cure for that. |
| Rabbit OR Hare |
First this critter started out being regarded as the most evil one of the lot in this area of thought. Over time though the rabbit's "curse" had received a "charm" to help break the bad omen attachments and even been given a less "evil" role. There is a difference between a hare and a rabbit, though in America - we generally lump the two together under the same heading of "rabbit". But a rabbit is smaller, has shorter legs and ears, and it lives in burrows whereas the hare lives out in the open. Also the hare is quicker in movement. In America, our celebration of Easter is said the reason why we lump the two breeds together as being one, our chocolates sold in the shapes of rabbits that time of year are actually more so the characteristics of a hare - and Peter Rabbit sounded nicer I suppose than Peter Hare. In Germany, the white hare was said to be sacred to the goddess Eastre and that on Easter Eve, it would lay eggs for good children. Whereas in Ireland, all farmers would kill any hares found among the cattle on May Day thinking the hares were actually evil-intent witches in disguise. The Hebrews would not eat hares for fear of bad luck - In Spain they don't eat hares because of the notion that in the dead of night the animal goes to the graveyards and nibble at the dead bodies - Whereas, in Mexico and France they have no qualm over indulging in a little bit of rabbit or hare in the dinners.
Here are some hare-raising superstitions or whatever: If a hare crossed your path, it is foretelling of a disastrous journey or ill luck lying ahead. To counteract this, the person would spit over the left shoulder and say "Hare before, trouble behind. Change ye, Cross, and free me." But if a rabbit decided to cross the path from left to right, it meant that good luck was on it's way to the person. If a hare runs past your home, there will be a fire. Many rural people in the Britain will politely greet the rabbit crossing their path to help counteract the possible fate of bad luck through kindness. A rabbit's foot is considered a lucky talisman indeed - many a gambler in the days of old used to carry one in their left pocket to help "aide" Lady Luck. Though it can't just be any foot off the rabbit to bring forth this kind of luck to the carrier, but the left hind foot killed at during a full moon by a cross-eyed person. Good luck on finding one! The rabbit's foot is also said to be a great cure for rheumatism (wasn't that long back that rabbit skins were used to help treat sprains by being wetted down then wrapped around the area.) and will aide in an actor/actress in recalling their lines if kissed prior to performance. It is thought that if the rabbit's fur is thick. it will be a hard winter and mild is the fur is thinner. (Science has more so determined that fur/coat thickness is actually based upon food supply and not "preparation" for the coming season. If an old hare runs across the path of a pregnant woman, it was thought the child would be born with a harelip unless the woman would quickly tear a slit in one of her undergarments. A pregnant woman should not spy a hare or a rabbit sitting, if she does and sees the whit tuft of the tail as well - the child will be born with a harelip - again, to counteract this, the woman must unravel a small part of one of her undergarments, preferably a slip. On the other hand though, it was widely believed at one time that if a baby's gums were rubbed with the brains of a rabbit, it would teeth without pain. Also, the skin of a rabbit's stomach tied around the baby's neck is an aide in teething. (I think I rather use Orageltm, thankyouverymuch.) |
| Weasel | This animal is regarded to be a sly one thus capable of treachery even, so to have one cross your path was similar in omen portent: a risk of treachery. There was only way to avert this from happening to you (after meeting up with the weasel that is) ... you had to drop a coin on the road at the *precise* spot where the weasel crossed. The logic behind this was the bad luck would then become attached to the coin by contact with the weasel's path ... and the bad luck would be transferred to the person who later found the coin and unwittingly picked it up. |
| Wolf OR Coyote |
Although the ancestor of the dog, man's best friend, the wolf doesn't appear in high favor in many cultures - even though in some fanciful tales or mythology aspects the she-wolf is sometimes portrayed to take in a human foundling under it's wings and "raise" the child (referring to the mythic tale about Romulus and Remus and also Kipling's "Jungle Book" classic novel). - also refer to the attached article here in reference to dogs and wolves for more detailing about some aspects of these related animals.
It was thought, by Native Americans and early pioneers that one should avoid eating the meat of a coyote. even if starving, for the person would then become a coward. The Navajo had a belief that if one killed a coyote,. the spirit of the dead animal (which was considered evil) would return from the land of dead and torment the person who killed it as well as even the tribe itself. To prevent this, the slayer had to recite a specific chant or perform a "devil-chasing" ritual to dispel the coyote's evil spirit's magic. A coyote crossing one's path was a sure sign of bad luck ... and in Mexico it is thought that the coyote possessed the "Evil Eye" as well. But a wolf was regarded differently by some - in Russia they have some traditions that honored the wolf - but Spain and Mexico had the opposite sentiments towards this animal. In Portugal it is thought to be unlucky to see a wolf - but in Norway it was a sign of good luck to see one. One may take on wolf-like tendencies or even become a wolf themself on a night of the full moon (though during the light of day this same person would be a meek, mild mannered individual) if bit by a wolf - or so it was believed in some European/Germanic cultures. This belief has been labeled Lycanthropy or "werewolfism". During World War II it was discovered (by the Allies) that the German Underground was exploiting this belief to try to elicit "obedience" out of superstitious citizens or less educated individuals in the countries they had occupied. |
A Treasury of Superstitions; Claudia DeLys; 1997; Gramercy Books - a division of Random House Value Publications
A Wiccan's Guide To Prophecy And Divination; Gerina Dunwich; 1997; Citadel Press Book - a division of Carol Publishing Group