The history behind objects of superstition and belief

Alison GuhStaff WriterThe idea of luck has existed since the beginning of time, and superstitions about luck have been found in cultures all around the world.Ancient RomansTo the Romans however, the concept of luck was independent of human control. Luck was manifested into the form of the goddess Fortuna—to them luck was an uncontrollable force that reaches to us with a wanton disregard for human desire. Fortuna, the daughter of Jupiter, would sit giddily in the heavens, and herald our world with luck good or bad.Good luck charmsIn ancient African culture, carrying an animal’s foot, or other parts of a swift creature was supposed to allow a person to escape or flee with the speed of the animal. This “lucky rabbit’s foot” charm was then passed along to American culture by enslaved Africans who were brought to the New World.The number 13Friday the 13th is typically regarded as an “unlucky” day. According to Donald Dossey, a folklore historian, author and founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, one theory states that it is a modern combination of two older superstitions: that 13 is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky dayIn numerology, the number 12 is considered the number of completeness, seen in the 12 months of the year, 12 hours of the clock, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus and 12 Zodiac signs. Therefore, the number 13 was considered irregular, a deviation from this “completeness”.Dossey has traced the fear of 13 to an ancient Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. However, an uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous god Loki, arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. This myth, combined with the death of Jesus following the Last Supper, at which there were thirteen guests, resulted in the superstition that having 13 dinner guests will result in the death of one of the guests.In  Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 ½. In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) made themselves available as 14th guests at dinner parties to keep the guests from an unfortunate demise.Superstitions worldwide:There are various other superstitions from around the world. For example, in Southeast and East Asia, the number four is considered unlucky. This is because in Chinese and Japanese, the word “shi” sounds like the word for both four and death.  As a result, it never appears in any Nokia handset model number in Asia, and there are no seats with the number four in all Nippon Airways passenger planes.aguh@thesamohi.comStaff Writer Lillian Kalish contributed to this article.