Beware the Ides of March
Months of the Roman calendar were arranged around three named days and these were reference points from which the other (unnamed) days were calculated: Kalends (1st day of the month). Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months). Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months). According to Plutarch, a seer … Read entire article »
Breaking Mirrors
If you break a mirror you’ll have 7 years of bad luck. You can avoid the bad luck if you take the shards of glass and other pieces outside and bury them in moonlight. If an undisturbed mirror suddenly falls and breaks, there will soon be a death. … Read entire article »
Mermaids
When a mermaid is captured and held captive, it results in a big flood. … Read entire article »
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Cigarettes and Matches
It is bad luck to light three cigarettes with the same match. … Read entire article »
Magic Words
Some believe that the word Abracadabra was once used as a protective word on amulets and charms. Early Christians believed that it had the power to ward off evil spirits. Others believe that it came from a combination of Hebrew words including ab, which means father; ben, which means son; and rauch acadosch, which means holy spirit. Others say it originated in a second century poem written by Quintus Serenus Sammonicus. Still more think is the derivative of the name of the Gnostic leader, Abraxas, which means God. What is know, however, is that during the Middle Ages, people often wore the word on parchment around their neck to assure they that didn’t contract illnesses and were not attacked by evil spirits. The word was written in its entirety on … Read entire article »
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