SUPERSTITION is a loaded word with many associations: Witches. Ghosts. Banshees. Leprechauns.
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for people to regard this concept with suspicion. One of the reasons for this negative attitude, according to A Dictionary Of Superstition And Mythology, is that superstitions defy logical thinking, and are therefore inherently flawed.
Personally, I find this highbrow attitude towards superstition unjustified. Having grown up in a family of people who believe in spirits, haunted houses and even a hollow Earth, I am keenly aware of the cultural significance of superstitions, as well as their (often positive) impact on people’s daily lives.
My aunt, a highly spiritual yoga teacher, relied heavily on superstitions. When she was 40, living alone on a flat in Deventer in The Netherlands, she longed for companionship. So she turned to the power of ‘manifestation’. And it worked.
For months, she visualised her husband, whom she spotted while gatecrashing a birthday party. She excitedly told her friend, “That’s it, that is him!”
My aunt’s superstition followed her all the way into her grave, where her closest friends claimed to have seen “a ghostly apparition at night, green light without a source”.
Sometimes, the supernatural has a tendency to creep up on us in more mundane forms, such as a black cat, a magpie (a flock of magpies if you’re lucky) or the number 13.
On any Friday the 13th (the next one is in September), even getting out of bed seems, to many, like a safety risk.
This is unsurprising, considering that in Ireland, many still fear the number 13. This fear, called triskaidekaphobia, can be so intense, so ingrained that according to omne report, “Irish people are reluctant to buy houses and apartments that are number 13”.
And the number 13 is far from the only aspect of a new house to consider, according to Irish folklore.
Haunted houses are a key part of Irish mythology. In post-Celtic Tiger Ireland, the economy stopped growing, causing an amplitude of unfinished projects referred to as ‘ghost estates’. These estates represented the depression that Ireland, as a consequence of its economic stagnancy, experienced.
In Irish myths, ghosts can be interpreted as embodiments of the progress that was never actualised. These ghosts are far from friendly, keen to infiltrate Irish homes. Protection against these spirits, luckily, can be achieved in numerous ways.
One way to ward off spirits is through architecture. One Irish myth relates to the front porch of the house, which follows the belief that spirits have an aversion to water. The Irish decided to use this weakness against them, by painting their porches blue. Spirits, consequently, stayed away, mistaking their porches for water.
Another interesting way to keep malevolent spirits at bay is by placing a large horse skull underneath the floorboards of your house.
According to one account, this tradition was popular in the 19th century, when it was common practice to decapitate horses after they died. The head was then kept and buried beneath the next building that was constructed. Frontal bones of a horse’s head, in particular, were believed to bring good fortune.
Another consideration in planning your home is any extension you build. Extending your house westwards should be avoided at all costs, as the western part of the house is believed to be related to death.
William Wilde, the father of Oscar and author of a collection of Celtic tales and Irish superstitions, stated that the setting sun, seen on the western horizon, was a common symbol for death.
Additionally, in some areas of Ireland, it was tradition to place the corpses of deceased family members temporarily in the western part of the house before burial.
Once you have constructed your home, however, attracting spirits is often easier than repelling them. As easy, in fact, as spilling a bit of salt. This simple error, according to Irish folklore, brings misfortune to a household. Thankfully, it has a quick fix. Just throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder. That will blind the devil!
In the USC Digital Folklore Archives, Sheila Hurley suggests throwing the spillage over your shoulder three times. This belief is rooted in Catholicism, and marks the holy trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Other myths are rooted primarily in pragmatism. It is, for instance, highly unlucky to open an umbrella indoors. In doing so, you are said to be inviting evil spirits into your home, causing death and destruction.
Even worse, perhaps, this domestic ‘crime’ might invite bad weather! In The Journal of American Folklore, it is said that this particular superstition is derived from the fact that umbrellas used to be bigger. Opening them inside, therefore, would result in a direct threat to the safety of the house’s occupants and their belongings.
Superstitions, however, do not just exist to bring or prevent bad luck.
A common Irish house superstition states that if you drop a knife to the floor, you’ll have a gentleman visitor.
Likewise, if you drop a fork, a lady visitor will soon arrive. And finally, if you drop a spoon you’ll have a child visitor.
So, if you ever feel lonely, all you have to do is throw some utensils on the floor and who knows: soon you might find yourself surrounded by a whole new group of friends.
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