ANIMALS
CAT:
In ancient Egypt the visit of a cat in the house was always celebrated because
it meant to keep away the rats. With time this belief, exported in Europe, was
applyed only to black cats and remained valid even in Middle Ages, when the
Church declared war to all cats because Devil’s friends.
In that period also in Great Britain black cats were considered demonic
creatures, but there was the belief that remain unharmed after the meeting with
one meant to have a great luck. From this the dark haired cats became amulets.
Even today in the Yorkshire, people think that if a black cat enters in your
bedroom in the morning, the day will be fantastic and lucky; if to see the cat
is a young lady, this means that soon she will get married.
For Japanese people the cat is the protector spirit of the house: little golden
statue in form of cat with its paw raised are shown inside the shops as good
omen and to drive away evil spirits.
In the past it was believed that cats signaled weather changes: if the cat cut
capers the weather would have been windy, if it scoured often its ears it would
have rained.
In ours day it’s said that the cat announce visits: if the cat cleans the front
of its body you will receive the visit of a man, if the cat cleans its posterior
part it will be a visit from an old woman; if the cat licks its tail the
visitors will be an annoying and unpleasant person, if it licks all its body and
scratchs behind the ear it announces the visit of an appreciated person, or
someone we didn’t see for a long time.
Cats’ mewings, especially if you hear them on Friday night, can announce an
argue.
LAMB:
for his white fur and his mild behaviour, in simbology lamb represents meekness,
purity and innocence.
In religious representations, painted or oral, a flock of sheeps represent the
faithfuls or the martyrs that has been sacrificed in the name of faith.
According to a northern Anglo-Saxon tradition from the view of a lamb we can
have omens for one year; to give them to you will be the first lamb you will see
around the Spring equinox (21st March): if the lamb will come closer
to you without fear, be happy because for the next 12 months you won’t meet
obstacles, you will be good or the good luck will help you, the fact is that
there won’t be worries; If the lamb see you and turn from the other side, you
will have 12 difficult months.
You dreamt to kill and eat a lamb? Pity for you, because it brings bad luck.
LADYBIRD:
the ladybird is a little bug that brings good luck almost everywhere. Its red
elytra (which is already a lucky colour) are spotted with black circles.
If a ladybird alights on your hand it will ensure to you good luck for as many
months as how many spots it has, and it foretells that soon we will receive
money.
Luck is greater if the little bug remain on your hand for the time it takes to
you to count till 22. All this is valid, of course, if you do not hurt the
ladybird.
Ladybird brings luck also in form of ornament; in the past earring clasps, shirt
buttons, brooch heads and even gems for rings shaped as a ladybird have been
used by men and women as an amulet for good luck.
ROBIN: if in March you see a robin flying high, you will have good health for all the year. Who will find a nest of this bird with the eggs inside and will respect it, will have a special luck, but the misfortune will pursue whoever will dare to take away or damage even one egg. If not hurted or drove away, the robin usually brings good luck in every situation, but if it enters inside your bedroom or pecks rapidly at your window, it announces misfortune or a serious illness in the family.
SPIDER:
since ancient times it was always believed that the spider had the power to
bring good or bad luck.
One of the Romans’ favourite amulets was a spider carved in a precious stone;
they wore often little golden or silver spiders to have good luck in business
affairs and in Italy this belief is remained in the saying “Ragno porta
guadagno” that means “Spider brings gain”.
Even today it’s said commonly that to kill a spider brings bad luck (usually a
money loss), so good housewives normally destroy spider webs leaving the spider
alive.
French people has a more detailed superstition about spiders: to see a spider in
the morning doesn’t bring good luck; to see it in the afternoon means the
arrival of a gift, and later you see the spider and more precious the gift will
be.
In Anglo-Saxon countries to find a spider inside the bride dress, while she is
get dressing, brings good luck.
OWL:
popular superstition think to the owl as a bird of ill omen and consider it as a
death messenger. Pliny ( a Roman phylosopher) said that it foretells sterility.
Actually it is a misterious bird that seek loneliness, lives in cemeteries (but
not only) sings at night time and it’s said that he has occult abilities.
It’s said that if you put its heart and its right claw on the body of a sleeping
person, this will answer sincerely to every question; if the same parts (of the
owl of course) are put under the person’s armpit, against this person dogs will
never bark again; if we attach to a tree the liver of an owl, all the birds will
assemble around it. Of course these are superstitions that don’t give a good
light to the owl reputation, that instead is a magnificent animal and also a
mascot: owl shaped amulets bring success in everything requiring study.
© 2007 Orphy | Design by Andreas Viklund