Irish folklore is full of beliefs, and omens – signs foretelling good or bad luck – held a special place in it. Many of them concerned animals, everyday activities and the human body. Some of these superstitions sound surprisingly familiar, because similar beliefs have survived in Poland too.
Omens of bad luck
- It was a bad sign if the first thing you saw in the morning was a cat, a dog or a woman.
- Meeting a red-haired woman just as you set out on a journey was considered particularly unlucky.
- Cats’ behaviour was full of meaning: a cat that sneezed three times in a row was said to herald a visit from thieves.
- Whoever killed a thrush would never again be free of bad luck.
- The owl was symbolic too. If it circled and hooted around the house too often, it was said to foretell a death in the family. If it hooted near a house where a child had been born, it predicted a hard life for the baby.
- Carrying fire out of a house where someone lay sick could, according to belief, foretell their death.
- At the sight of a funeral procession you had to take three steps back to ward off bad luck.
- During Mass in the village, no one was allowed to lend salt or fire.
- Spilling salt foretold bad luck.
- You must never mend a torn garment while wearing it, as this brought gossip and slander – a superstition also known in Poland.
- Just as in Poland, an itchy ear meant that someone was talking about you behind your back.
- An eclipse of the Moon was said to bring bad luck for the whole of the following week.
Signs that bring good luck
- A spider found in the evening was a good sign.
- A cricket that settled in the house also foretold prosperity.
- Swallows building their nests were not to be disturbed. A swallow could bring good luck or bad – depending on how it was treated.
- A horse’s tooth, if you found one, was to be carried with you, as it attracted financial success.
- An itchy left palm foretold receiving money, and an itchy right palm spending or losing it.
- An itchy elbow meant a change of bed – both literally and figuratively, that is, a change of place or of life situation.
When superstitions lose their power
An interesting element of Irish belief was the conviction that all superstitions lose their power during an eclipse of the Sun, as well as for three days before and three days after it. During that time, neither good nor bad omens would come true.
First published (Polish original): 4 January 2011. Written by astrologers and esoteric specialists working with our editorial team; edited and translated for HOROSCOP.SPACE. © All rights reserved.